Dear CSG Families, 

 

I hope you had a relaxing break. Chad, Perry, and I enjoyed plenty of quality time together, baking, playing board games, and zooming with extended family! It certainly was different, but special nonetheless. I imagine that is what the holiday season will be this year: different, but special. This year, we have the unique opportunity to fully embrace the giving spirit of the season, to take things a little slower, to reflect on and appreciate all that we have, and to truly take care of one another. Of course, our thoughts here at CSG are on the continued health and safety of our community, and particularly, our students, faculty, and staff. Today, I write to provide an update on how we plan to proceed for the remainder of the semester. 

 

CSG will return to its full hybrid model (on campus and at home) for all students beginning Monday, December 7th. We have learned so much since the beginning of the school year. Now that we have additional clarity about how the virus spreads and accumulated data particular to the CSG school community about our ability to prevent virus spread, we have a firmer foundation to help us to make decisions. The fact that, so far, we have had no known spread of COVID-19 virus in school drives our decision. These facts, too, helped us to make the decision to separate our decision-making process from the Ohio public health advisory system that formed the basis for our original reopening plan. We make our decisions based on science, an ongoing review of the data, and in consideration of CSG's distinct situation. Ultimately, we use the information and evidence available to us to do what is best for CSG's students. 

 

We will also respect and support your decision-making process if your child is an on-campus learner this semester and you want her to continue learning from home. All classes will be provided on campus and virtually. To help us with planning, please let your child's division director know if you intend to make this change by Friday, December 4th. Please know that a change in status will not affect your decision for second semester. This update would only be applied to the two weeks remaining before winter break. 

 

In sharing our plans with you, we know that circumstances can change quickly. If there is one thing we have learned about operating school during a pandemic, it is that no plan, no matter how carefully considered, is ever set in stone. If on-campus learning becomes unsustainable, we will pivot to a learning plan that is responsive to the realities of our circumstances. Changes in our situation could include a high rate of staff absences due to illness or quarantine, too many children being sent home during the day with symptoms, or a significant increase in CSG's infection rate. Whatever the particular circumstance might be that would trigger a change in learning mode, please know that we will give you as much notice as possible. Once again, we ask for your patience, flexibility, and good will as we all work to manage an ever-evolving reality. 

 

Health Screenings and Holiday Travel/Gatherings

That leads me to health screenings and holiday travel and gatherings. A recent report from the White House Coronavirus Task Force included a warning urging Americans who traveled or attended gatherings for Thanksgiving to behave as though they have the virus. According to the report, "If you are under 40, you need to assume you became infected during the Thanksgiving period if you gathered beyond your immediate household. Most likely, you will not have symptoms; however, you are dangerous to others and you must isolate away from anyone at increased risk for severe disease and get tested immediately." 

 

We share this to remind you of the very real risk that this virus still poses, and to underscore the importance of travel and health screening policies at CSG. If you choose for your child to come back to campus and she has a COVID-19 symptom when you complete her health screening, please keep her home for the greater good. When we have to send a child home midday, it disrupts learning for all students because they have to move to a different classroom so that the potentially infected room or spaces can be disinfected. Furthermore, it leaves the rest of the class uneasy and anxious, wondering if they or their classmate might have come into contact with the virus. Proactively keeping your child home could help us to keep campus open for future days. 

 

The same goes for travel and holiday gatherings. If your family went to any of these states on the Ohio travel advisory list or CDC travel advisory list, you should quarantine. Please notify CSG by reaching out to the director in your division or our school nurse, Jen Salamon. We also ask you to notify the directors or nurse if your family gathered with people outside of your household. Faculty and staff will also follow these guidelines.

 

Lunch and Food Service 

As certain as we are of the CSG community's ability to not spread COVID-19 on campus, we are cognizant of the fact that we are all spending more time indoors, and that the virus is spreading more widely throughout central Ohio. For these reasons, we will reduce the number of students eating in the dining hall for the remainder of the semester. PYC, Lower School, and Middle School on-campus learners will get their lunch from the dining hall while wearing masks and return to the classroom to eat in their classrooms, at least 6 feet apart. In the Upper School, only one Form per day will eat in the dining hall, and we will limit seating to two students per table. All other Upper School students will take their lunches back to classrooms and eat in their advisory groups, maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from one another. 

 

Athletics and Co-curricular Activities

Athletic practices and some Upper School contests will continue in an adjusted way, starting Monday, December 7th, with all health and safety best practices in place, including strict physical distance and mask-wearing. CSG coaches will reach out to all athletes to share the details of amended practice- and contest schedules. All other co-curricular activities will continue in a virtual format. 

 

As the CDC and health officials are reporting, the next three months could be the most difficult of this pandemic. As we know and have heard from so many in this community, we will support and care for our students and one another through it all. Our goal is to maintain the best learning situation for every CSG student. If you have questions about the next two weeks or your family's particular circumstances, please contact the director of your division or Nurse Salamon. Of course, you can always reach out to me directly. Thank you for partnership and willingness to adapt as the research and circumstances evolve.

 

In strength and grace,

Jennifer

Dear CSG Families

 

As Franklin County has moved to a Level 4 health advisory alert and issued a stay-at-home advisory in response to the surge in COVID-19 cases, we are making changes to our hybrid learning schedule for the next two weeks.   

 

The Program for Young Children and Lower School will shift to virtual learning November 23rd and November 24th. We are making the decision to go online based on the level of spread in Franklin County and the impact it is having on area hospitals and front-line responders. To be clear: neither virus spread nor absences in these divisions are driving our decision, but we believe it is best for CSG to do our part to minimize any potential for further spread throughout the greater central Ohio community.

 

We are also shifting to virtual learning for all divisions (PYC-US) after Thanksgiving break, Monday, November 30th- Friday, December 4th. The late start, which was scheduled for Monday, November 30th, has been cancelled in order to create as much of a predictable schedule for all of our students as possible. This campus closure includes all in-person co-curriculars, including athletics games and practices. We will reevaluate whether or not we are on campus the final two weeks before winter break, December 7- December 17, including co-curriculars and athletic games and practices, and inform you of those decisions the week of November 30th. 

 

Over the past several months, I have witnessed our community respond to this pandemic in a way that shows just how much we care for one another. We have shown that care by being careful, by limiting interactions with those outside of our households when possible, and by not taking the risks that could lead to greater spread. Continuing that level of care will be critical to avoiding subsequent shifts to all-virtual learning. 

 

We all deserve the joy, rest, and special time with family and friends that come with the holiday season, but how we celebrate could have great implications on how or if we return to school following our school breaks. Avoiding sleepovers and playdates, carpooling, small gatherings, in-person birthday celebrations, club sports travel, and family trips and travel is essential. 

 

We are doing and will continue to do all we can at school to keep students and our entire community safe and healthy so that we can be on campus again soon. It takes all of us. Thank you for your understanding and partnership.

Jennifer

Dear CSG Families,

I write to let you know that we are making changes to our hybrid learning model for the upcoming two weeks. The alarming increase in the number of COVID-19 cases throughout the state and in Franklin County is of great concern. Today, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued new orders including a 21-day, 10 p.m. curfew and asked every Ohioan to limit personal contact with others living outside of our homes, to wear a mask whenever in public, and generally to "slow down" and recommit to the health and safety precautions that have proven to make a difference when it comes to reducing the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Governor DeWine did not issue any new school-related orders, but, while we apologize for having to pivot so quickly, we believe that the following is our best course of action.

Changes to Hybrid Learning

Starting Thursday, November 19th, and continuing through Thanksgiving break, all Middle and Upper School students will be learning from home. Beginning Wednesday, November 18th, we will suspend all co-curricular, in-person activities for Upper and Middle School through the end of Thanksgiving break, including athletics practices and games. This change will remain in place until at least Monday, November 30th. 

PYC and Lower School will continue to learn on campus or at home in their designated cohorts with an early dismissal at 12:00 pm, Tuesday, November 24th. Both divisions will continue to adhere to our physical distancing, health monitoring, and masking guidelines. The administrative team and I are constantly reevaluating our school's situation and making changes as necessary. With fewer students in the building, we will reexamine the use of space for PYC and Lower School so that we can go above and beyond our CDC-based protocols to further mitigate potential spread and the need for quarantine in those divisions. We will notify you of any changes we adopt in those divisions should they become necessary. 

While our current circumstances do not warrant a whole-school closure or a change to all-virtual learning at this time, we have asked students in all divisions to begin taking their school books and materials home regularly in case a switch to virtual learning with little notice is necessary. Middle and Upper School students should have the materials they need. However, if students need something that was left at school, please contact the administrative assistant in your child's division, and arrangements will be made for you to retrieve those items. 

The Motivation Behind this Change

Let me be clear. The motivation behind this change to virtual learning in Middle and Upper School was not due to the rate of infection or a spike in cases at CSG, but rather, due to the strict quarantine and illness protocols we enforce when positive cases are identified or when students, faculty, or staff exhibit Covid-related symptoms while at school. Enforcing these student and faculty absences represent best practice and are necessary; however, they affect the school day and have had a particular impact on on-campus operations in the Middle and Upper Schools. 

CSG's Current Numbers

When we returned to school in August, we had no idea where we would be as we entered the winter months, but I am proud to say that since then, not only has CSG carried on with in-person classes successfully despite the threat of COVID-19, but we have also fared quite well when it has come to positive cases and the spread of the virus throughout our community. 

As we have informed you, since the start of school on August 31st, we have had a total of 6 positive cases among CSG students and staff: 5 positive student cases (one at-home learner, 4 on-campus learners) and one positive staff case. 

As of today, we have 38 students and 6 faculty and staff in quarantine. This does not include students, faculty, or staff out for typical seasonal illnesses not related to the coronavirus. The majority of those absences are in the Upper School. 

Holiday Travel and Gatherings

The state of Ohio publishes the positive cases in schools on its Ohio Schools COVID-19 Dashboard weekly, and the research shows that transmission in schools is relatively low. However, I cannot stress enough how much our collective behavior outside of school affects our ability to stay in school, teaching and learning in person. It is important that we continue to limit our interactions if we are to get this pandemic under control. That includes avoiding sleepovers and playdates, carpooling, small gatherings or in-person birthday celebrations, club sports travel, and family trips and travel. We also encourage you to review this letter sent on March 9th. The sacrifices we make now and during the holiday season will have a direct impact on how school will look in the coming weeks and in the new year. I thank you in advance for your willingness to make the painful decisions to limit the interactions and gatherings that are so cherished during this season. Your doing so will help to ensure continued in-person learning at CSG in the coming months. 

Illness Notifications

Thank you for continuing to keep us informed of positive cases and illnesses. As we make this adjustment, we ask that all families continue to reach out to our school nurse, Jen Salamon, or the director in your child's division if your child is ill, has tested positive, or comes into contact with a person who has tested positive for the virus. It is imperative that families continue to notify the school of any absence, even virtual absence, and that all symptoms are clearly communicated to us as soon as illness is detected.

I know that changes such as this one are difficult for all of us. I so wish that we were not in the position to have to make them! We are incredibly proud of our students, our faculty, and our staff for the care all have shown for one another this semester. Our hope is that if we are vigilant over the next two weeks when we are at school and away from school, we can return to our regular hybrid model for all divisions after the break, on November 30th, which is a late start day. However, we will monitor the data, internally and externally, and reassess to ensure that will be possible. Thank you for your understanding and for your partnership as we work together to do all that we can to keep our community safe, healthy, and in the best position for excellent teaching and learning. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our school nurse, Jen Salamon, or to me directly, if you have questions.

 

In strength and grace, 

Jennifer

Dear CSG  Families, 

It is at this time every year that I have the opportunity to write back-to-school letters and messages to our community. Whether to parents, students, or faculty and staff, these communications are a chance to set the tone for our year, to prepare for the new experience ahead of us, and to reflect on the growth of our students and our community as a whole. Woven into these letters typically is the expectation that, barring a weather emergency or a few planned holidays and breaks, we will all be together on campus from August to May. Needless to say, so much is different this year when compared to years past. The necessity of concisely articulating both the myriad, complex logistics necessary for opening school and attempting to inspire us for the year ahead is a daunting task to accomplish! 

I will start, though, as I often do, by expressing deep gratitude for CSG's administrative team, faculty, and staff. Every member of the team has worked so hard all summer to prepare for the year ahead. I am both inspired by and indebted to this extraordinary team for their commitment to your daughters, and to providing them a world-class education. All this, of course, while also doing all they can to ensure the health and safety of the CSG community. 

I want you to know that, at this time, we have decided to start the year according to our Level 3 reopening plan as outlined in the Unicorns Return Reopening Guide. This means that CSG will operate in a hybrid model, with Wellness Wednesdays being a distance learning day for Forms I-XII. CSG at Home, our distance learning program, will be in place for the families who have chosen that option. The PYC will provide Wellness Wednesdays programming on campus. As always, there is a chance that this decision will change as we get closer to the first day of classes, in the event that our health outlook changes dramatically in central Ohio. 

A lot of my summer has been spent learning as much as I can about how to open a school safely in this time of great uncertainty. That learning has included reading about how others are approaching reopening and reimagining policies and procedures in schools, in cities, and in states across the country. Some of that inquiry has led me to learn about how other countries are navigating this complex time as well. I came across an article written about how Norway has adjusted to the pandemic, which I found to resonate with the CSG community. Back in March, as many countries were grappling with how to face this novel, deadly virus, Norway looked to its cultural norms to unite the country. One word in particular captured their response: dugnad. Pronounced, "doog-nahd", and loosely translated to "good deed" or "help," dugnad is more than a word. It is a Norwegian concept, which has inspired Norway's citizens to come together for the good of all for hundreds of years. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Norwegian farming communities helped each other to build shelters to protect everyone from harsh winters: working together in the spirit of dugnad ensured the survival of all. The arrival of the novel coronavirus in Norway gave the country an opportunity to unite again with the common goal of survival. 

CSG's mission of empowering girls to discover their distinct potential as leaders and learners has always required intentional action and reaction to the world where our students will live out their collective potential. As we have been thinking so much about returning to school, it strikes me that the concept of dugnad is quite powerful when it comes to imagining how we might approach our year together. As writer, Kelsey L.O. put it in her Medium blog post about Norway, "Dugnad is not a one-person job. It's something done in collaboration with others to create a better life for everyone in the community." The concept of dugnad not only supports CSG's mission, but it is also embodied in one of our core values, We trust one another and assume the best in others. This value asks that each person in the CSG community 

• Build authentic relationships from a place of positivity
• Connect with kindness, humility, respect, and empathy
• Understand when to lead with strength and when to act with grace

As we approach the coming year, we will all need to come together in the spirit of CSG's core values, as well as in the spirit of dugnad to ensure that we do all we can to keep one another safe. Embedded in the promise of Unicorns Return is an agreement that we all commit to practicing the health and safety actions that will prevent the spread of Covid-19. I thank you in advance for joining us in the spirit of dugnad this year! 

As I noted above, CSG's faculty and staff have worked countless hours over the course of the summer to prepare for the year ahead. On Wednesday, August 12, we will come together to officially start the 2020-2021 school year. As you know, some of us will be on campus, and some will be joining us virtually. I am grateful for and encouraged by every member of the faculty, staff, and administration. Their collective desire to hone their craft, to establish best practices for health and safety, and to figure out new ways to connect with our students has been inspiring to witness. I am certain that our daughters will be the fortunate beneficiaries of all their hard work!

The partnership and support the administrative team and I have received from all of you has been truly inspiring, too! In the midst of great uncertainty and some anxiety, too, I have sensed an undercurrent of optimism, a true yearning for our School to be the best it can be. In addition to the challenge of living in a pandemic, we have also been engaged in the much-needed, national conversation about racial justice. In that conversation, too, I have witnessed the same passion to ensure that our community lives up to its highest aspirations for all of our students. These voices were especially loud and clear as we--students, families, faculty, staff, and alumnae--gathered for a community conversation about racism and other discrimination at CSG on July 29. I must admit that it was difficult at times to receive the hurt and, sometimes, the anger expressed in that meeting. This is hard work, but it is also heart work: digging into the humanity of who we are, what we expect and what we intend for others to expect from us. This will be a year of change. If the past few months are any indication, CSG students of all ages are going to hold us accountable to the promises we make to them.  Not only will we welcome that accountability, but we will encourage it. We will also do the heart work of joining them in difficult conversations and making the changes necessary. 

It may be easy to look at this next year in terms of all our students will not be able to do. They can't snuggle in close groups during read-alouds in the Lower School. PYC students will not be able to help each other zip up coats on the way out to recess after lunch. Middle Schoolers won't be able to sit shoulder-to-shoulder in the hallways to giggle...and sometimes study...together. Upper School students won't be able to study in groups in the Commons. But we can take simple steps to ensure that we can take care of one another. We can come together in the spirit of dugnad and in the spirit of CSG's core value to trust one another and assume the best in others. We can commit to following health and safety precautions both on- and off-campus to keep each other safe. Although COVID-19 has taken much away from us as individuals, perhaps we could focus on what we may have gained from the necessary slow-down of our day-to-day lives. Opportunities for intentional connection, for quality time with our families, and for exploring ways to creatively use our time when playdates, movies, and shopping are not available to us. I imagine and, dare I say, hope, that when we do return to normalcy, we will do so while preserving some of the unintended positive opportunities that we have gained from this complex time. 

As promised, there are also a number of logistics of which you should be aware. I am happy to share the links to your division-specific back-to-school mailings: PYC, Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School. Here, you will find important dates, reminders, and all you need to know before the first day of school. We will also send you more information on the RUVNA health screenings that each child will need to have completed before coming to campus. You can expect more information on how to download the application and use it before we begin our gradual restart on August 24th. 

 

We won't be able to have our traditional first day of school parent reception in the courtyard, but I hope you will continue to reach out to each other for support and connection as we venture into our year ahead. If we continue to support one another and commit to doing what we can to keep one another safe, we will be able to look back on this year and point to what we have gained. This is above all, my hope for the year ahead! 

 

In strength and grace,

Jennifer

Dear CSG Families,

I hope that this letter finds you healthy...and cool! Perry, Chad, and I are just returning from Massachusetts, a state that is in the midst of a heatwave, and quite locked down. We have spent the majority of the summer doing little else aside from spending time together at home. I imagine it has been similar for you and your families, as we have gone from an unusual spring to an unusual summer. I hope that your families are enjoying this downtime, but from the calls and emails I have received, I know that, like us, you are excited to get back to school, in person, in August. Since the communication sent in June, we have been working diligently on our plans to reopen campus and are excited to share the results of that planning with you today. 

I am grateful for the many hours that our dedicated administrators, faculty, and staff have committed this summer to thoughtfully prepare for the year ahead. Our Reopening, Schedule & Programming, and Facilities Task Forces have been meeting together and with parents, trustees, doctors, and other experts in various fields to evaluate and recommend our reopening protocols. Our maintenance and cleaning staff have worked to prepare our buildings (extra sanitizing, adding plexi-glass screens where necessary, installing more no-touch water dispensers, and other actions). Our school nurse, Jen Salamon, has also been studying the data released from state, county, and national public health officials, studying other data, and consulting with colleagues and other professionals to ensure that we are ahead of the latest guidelines and recommendations for opening school safely. Together, we are researching and implementing best practices and creative solutions to ensure we are offering the best student experience possible in all aspects of school life. 

For the 2020-2021 school year, CSG will deliver an empowered Pre-K-12 education, just as we always have. Whether our students will be on campus, learning at home, or experiencing a blended learning model will depend on current health conditions in central Ohio. Our  decision will be made based on Ohio's Public Health Advisory System.

We understand that some families will not feel comfortable having their children return to campus during the pandemic, regardless of central Ohio's particular health circumstances. For that reason, we are giving all families the opportunity to choose remote learning for their children. CSG at Home will be an option even when campus is open. You will receive more details and information about how to make that choice soon. 

Despite our desire to have all students on campus together, we want to be clear: once we are on campus, a shift to remote learning is a possibility for all students, depending on the local health situation. Whether in-person or virtual, classes will be in session 5 days a week. We will monitor the health data in central Ohio consistently, which will inform our decision to move between on-campus and remote learning when and if necessary. If the coronavirus has taught us anything, it is that health circumstances can change very rapidly. CSG will remain nimble and flexible and plan proactively for such changes. 

As we have worked assiduously over the past several weeks to create our reopening plan, we have kept the health, wellness, and safety of our community at the center of our decision-making. Of course, beloved faculty and staff are critical members of our community. For this reason, just as we are giving you the choice to have your child learn at home or at school, we must give our faculty and staff that same choice. When our school is hybrid, our faculty and staff may also choose whether to work on campus or from home. We know this decision creates logistical challenges. We are working diligently and creatively to address these challenges, and we will deliver to your children the extraordinary school experiences you expect at CSG. We realize that most other schools will not offer the same choices to faculty and staff. Frankly, that would be far easier for our leadership team. This decision, though, reflects CSG's mission and Core Values, which hold us to the CSG high standard of caring for everyone in our community. We understand that respecting and caring for our faculty and staff in the same way we care for our students leads to the extraordinary learning experience that occurs at CSG. We are preparing for a school year in which every student can thrive and discover their distinct potential as learners and leaders. The full reopening details can be found in Unicorns Return: A Guide to Reopening Columbus School for Girls (Guide). We encourage you to read through it in its entirety. 

As you review the plan, know that administrators and faculty will continue to be on campus meeting and preparing classrooms, allowing us an opportunity to practice and refine our protocols. We have also been able to test these procedures during our summer athletics conditioning program, which has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents, students, and coaches. We have been using screening protocols, face coverings, and spacing guidelines for all of these gatherings. 

Below are a few details and dates, which will assist you in your back-to-school planning and preparation. Our Division Directors are eager to hear from you with any questions you may have. Their contacts are:
 

• Dr. Jamie Schiff (PYC)
• Betsy Gugle (Lower School)
• Pam Hartshorne (Middle School)
• Dr. Kellen Graham (Upper School)
   

School start times will be staggered by divisions. Staggered start times will allow for proper pre-screening and safe physical distancing during student arrival. We will make accommodations for families who have students in different divisions to ensure a convenient family drop-off and pick-up schedule. To ensure the best possible opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to acclimate to how school will look and feel this year, we have planned a gradual restart to the year: 
 

• Faculty Return - August 12th
• Virtual Transition Meetings- August 17- 21 (students, parents, and teachers)
• Unicorns Return to School Program: August 24-28, uniforms required (no school for students Friday, August 28)
• First Day of Full Classes: August 31, 2020
• Staggered Start times: PYC and Lower School arrive between 8:00-8:30 am, Middle School and Upper School arrive between 8:30-9:00 am (sample division schedules are in the guide).
   

Mandatory health screening for students, faculty, and staff will happen through RUVNA (a mobile application) at home, and temperature checks and sanitizer will be administered in car, bus, and student driver lines before students enter the building. 
 

Back-to-school picnic plans are still being finalized. You will receive details from your Division Directors as soon as possible. Parent Nights will happen via Zoom. PYC Parent Night is scheduled for August 27th at 5:45 pm. Lower School Parent Night is August 27th at 7:00pm. Middle School Parent Night is September 3rd at 7:00pm. Upper School Parent Night is September 10th at 7:00 pm. 
 

Before Hours has been suspended for this school year as students will arrive at school and go directly to class. 
 

After Hours will be provided, with some key changes to ensure that we minimize exposure of multiple students across cohorts. After Hours care for PYC, Lower School, and Middle School will be provided as needed. Details are in the Guide.
 

Information on supplies, books, and schedules is forthcoming from divisions. Sample schedules and division-related logistics are in the Guide. 
 

IMPORTANT REQUEST: for the two weeks prior to returning to campus, we ask that all members of our community--families, faculty, and staff--be diligent and follow physical distancing and mask-wearing guidelines. If traveling to a high-risk area, as determined by the CDC or Ohio Department of Health, you must  self-quarantine for two weeks before returning to school. We ask for the same diligence once school begins. 
 

Illness protocols and procedures are still being refined, but all families, faculty, and staff will be asked to sign this Health and Safety Agreement. The form will be added to FinalForms, where families sign all other school forms. Families should also update emergency contact information and have contingency plans in place so that an adult can be notified and respond quickly when a student is sent home or needs to be picked up in the middle of the day.
 

Masks will be mandatory for anyone who comes to campus, unless doing so is medically impossible. With the recent statewide mask mandate in Ohio, all should be in the habit of wearing masks, but, if not, it is a good idea to start practicing with your children. All students, faculty, and staff will receive one cloth CSG mask. Developmentally-appropriate mask breaks will be in place in each division. Details are in the Guide. 
 

In accordance with recommendations and guidelines from the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), athletics will proceed with strict health and safety guidelines in place. Upper School athletics will begin August 3rd and Middle School sports will begin August 10th. Unicorn Sports for Lower School have been suspended for at least the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year. 
 

Options are still under consideration for arts programming, performances, and all-school and divisional assemblies and programs, in consultation with the CDC, Franklin County Public Health, appropriate professional associations, and medical advisors. We will likely have a combination of cancellation, reimagining to a virtual format, and rescheduling of these events.
 

In addition to significant professional development for our faculty, we have adopted new technology tools to help us ensure that learning is optimized this year. These tools include  Ruvna, Canvas (learning management system), and OWL (smart video cameras). You will receive more information about, and tutorials on, how to use these tools in the coming weeks. 
 

Weekly communication with families will resume the first Friday in August. We ask that you pay close attention to these communications as this will be the primary place for updates that our rapidly changing, "current normal" requires. 
 

We know this is a lot of information for you to absorb, and we appreciate your patience and partnership as we prepare for the new school year. To have your questions answered, you are invited to the following meetings with the directors in your student's division:

PYC, LS: Monday, July 27, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
MS, US—Tuesday, July 28, 7:00-8:00 p.m.

A Zoom link will be provided in a separate email. 
 

As August draws near, I am reminded of one of our Core Values: Individual in mind, and Community at Heart. Our community's health and safety is intertwined with each community member's individual decisions, and is dependent on our collective decision to respect all health and safety precautions, even when we are away from school. I know that, as the CSG community, we care deeply about one another. As Governor DeWine has said several times over the course of the past week, the degree to which our community adheres to safety guidelines will, in large part, determine our ability to open schools safely. The administrative team and I are very hopeful that central Ohio will get this right so that we will be able to open CSG in person this fall--I am sure you join us in that hope! 
 

In the coming weeks, we will share tips and tools to help you prepare your children for the year. Operating under the guidance of our school motto, Forte et Gratum, is how we will thrive no matter what the year brings. In the meantime, please plan to attend the division informational meetings next week and feel free to reach out to me directly at any time. 

In strength and grace,

Jennifer

Dear CSG Families, 

As we look forward to the 2020-2021 school year, it is our hope that we will have CSG students back on campus and learning in-person in the fall. Through conversations with those close to the state planning committee for reopening schools, we are expecting Governor Mike DeWine to permit students to return to in-person learning in August. However, the spread and status of the COVID-19 virus is not something over which we have much control, and it is difficult to predict where we will be in the next couple of weeks, let alone in the next couple of months. We have yet to receive specific directives from the state as to what health, safety, and physical distancing guidelines will be recommended, but before leaving for summer break, administrators, faculty, and staff came together to plan for all possibilities. We developed three task forces to focus on Reopening, Scheduling and Programming, and Facilities (health and safety). Whatever the guidelines will be, we are prepared to execute and deliver the unique, empowered academic program that you have chosen for your daughter. 

We know from our reopening survey of parents last month (which included nearly 450 responses), that the top three concerns for CSG families are health and safety, students' social-emotional health, and maintaining students' academic progress. Considering these survey results and other information collected from the professional organizations to which CSG belongs and our independent school colleagues across the country, we have come up with three potential fall scenarios:
 

1. On campus, in-person learning (Meeting CDC Guidelines & Recommendations)
   CSG is prepared to deliver in-person classes while observing all health and safety recommendations and requirements around the COVID-19 virus. Our small class sizes put us in a fortunate position. After conducting a space study, we know that, with some modifications to programming, our main campus can accommodate all students while maintaining state and CDC physical distancing guidelines. We have also developed schedules that allow for staggered arrival or dismissal times should safety measures require us to execute them. We recognize that some students may be unable to attend, whether sick or quarantined or their family prefers they not attend in person. In that case, we will have a hybrid model in place to include remote learning.
    
2. Hybrid model 
   A hybrid model would allow CSG teachers to deliver in-person and virtual instruction to students. This scenario will also accommodate families who want or need remote learning. If necessary, staggered arrival or dismissal times could also be put in place under this scenario. If fewer students are allowed on campus at any given time or if family medical situations require a student to learn from home, we will offer both in-person and virtual learning every day. If we are unable to have all students on campus, we will prioritize having PYC and Lower School on campus as adult supervision is more necessary for these age groups. The school is also preparing for possible disruptions to on-campus learning. In the event our local community experiences an increase in COVID-19 cases and state mandated school closures are reinstated, a shift to blended/remote learning will happen immediately.
    
3. All remote learning 
   The last three months of the 2019-2020 school year delivered prime opportunities to put our distance and digital learning plan to the test. During that period, we assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the plan, gathered important student and parent feedback, and identified professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. We are also implementing an all-school learning management system, Canvas, that we believe will help us to execute the digital learning program more uniformly and effectively across classrooms and divisions. While we acknowledge the challenges inherent in remote learning,  our dedication to live our mission and provide our girls a premier education will never waiver, regardless of the format.

Many of you let us know that you would like to participate in a parent focus group surrounding these final decisions. We have scheduled parent focus group meetings for 7-8 pm, Wednesday, June 24 and Wednesday, July 15. We will send a separate sign-up link for those of you who expressed interest in attending these focus group meetings. For more details on Athletics, After Program, Lunch & Food Service, and health and safety practices and procedures, we encourage you to look at the full reopening plan document here. As we learn of state and regional updates that impact our on-campus delivery of programming, we will communicate with you through the summer.

The partnership CSG has with all of you has always been essential to meeting our goal of providing a challenging academic program with a sustained focus on social and emotional development. We are grateful to have that partnership moving forward. In the coming weeks you will receive updates as to the state of the school and specific anti-racism conversations and next steps toward action. If you have questions about the reopening plan, specifically, please reach out to your daughter's division director, PYC Director Jamie Schiff, PhD, Lower School Director Betsy Gugle, Middle School Director, Pam Hartshorne, or Upper School Director Kellen Graham. Of course, I am always available as well. We look forward to the day when we are all together again. 

 

Sincerely,

Jennifer

Dear CSG Families,

I hope that you are looking forward to our upcoming end-of-year celebrations. If there was ever a year when we needed them, this is it! Over the next two weeks, we will honor the important rites of passage for your daughters by creatively incorporating most-loved traditions with newly-imagined events that represent our present normal. At the end of this week we will have end-of-year celebrations for PYC, Lower School, and Middle School, followed by celebrations for the Upper School next week. I suspect many of you are planning your own celebrations for Memorial Day as well. As the year wraps up, I am sure you are wondering how school will look at the start of the 2020-2021 academic year. As I mentioned in previous communications, our leadership team, faculty/staff task forces, and I have been working on a reopening plan and thinking around the various possibilities of how schools will operate in August. Today, I write to give you an update. 

It is my hope and very strong preference to have all students back on campus in the fall. We will follow all health and safety guidelines, of course, and we are being very creative as we think about how we can modify the use of our campus spaces and our schedule to make this happen. As we all know, whether we can deliver classes in-person is something over which we have little control. That state leaders could mandate continued school closures or operation under specific restrictions is a real possibility. No matter what the circumstances, CSG is committed to delivering an excellent educational program in the safest way possible. 

As we plan for all possibilities, the reopening task force has identified six different scenarios, ranging from returning to all in-person classes on campus to an all-remote learning plan that could shape how we will operate in the fall. The four other scenarios include a range of blended learning models based on varying circumstances. Task force members are also considering the possibility of staggered start times, the availability or lack of bus transportation, and the possibility of faculty, staff, or student illness, among other factors.  We know that for our families with younger students, daily supervision is also a concern. While developing our plans, we have been encouraged by how fortunate we are to have such excellent facilities and adequate building capacity to operate under social distancing constraints. I have no doubt that we will be able to deliver excellent teaching and learning no matter what the fall brings.

We are fortunate to have access to many examples of emerging best practices for schools, and we are gathering and synthesizing information drawn from myriad professional organizations in the independent school world as well as from other sectors to inform our planning. These resources include robust professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, which we are immersing ourselves in to ensure that our teachers are well supported and prepared to take on whatever circumstances we find ourselves in come August. 

We will also collect information and insight from you. By the end of this week, we will send a survey to you intended to get a sense of your concerns, priorities, and logistical needs. Knowing how many of you will be working from home, for example, or what percentage of our community have suppressed immune systems will help us to refine our plans and to ensure that those plans specifically suit the CSG community. We want to do what is best for our entire community, while also being flexible and nimble when necessary. 

In the coming weeks, we will share the scenarios with you along with our planned responses. As always, thank you for entrusting us with your daughter's education. Regardless of the status of this pandemic in August, we look forward to an empowering year of learning and leading that will be steeped in the rich and meaningful curriculum your daughter is accustomed to experiencing at CSG.  

In strength and grace,

Jennifer

Dear CSG Families, 

I write to you on a sunny spring day that belies the difficult circumstances in which we find ourselves. I hope that you are safe and healthy, and that the sunshine lifts your spirits. Tomorrow, April 21, is National Kindergarten Day, which commemorates the legacy of Dr. Friedrich Wilhelm August Frobel (b. April 21, 1782, d. June 21, 1852), who is credited with starting the first kindergarten in Germany in 1837. When my daughter, Perry, alerted me to this day (she has made a list of all the national celebration days for the month of April), I was immediately reminded of a book that I cherished at the beginning of my teaching career: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Dr. Robert Fulghum's collection of "uncommon thoughts on common things" reminds me of the ways I would like to live my life. A few of Dr. Fulghum's learnings include the following: 

 

• Play fair
• Put things back where you found them
• Say you're sorry when you hurt someone
• Wash your hands before you eat
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you
• Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some
• When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together
   

I appreciate both the simplicity and the wisdom of this little book. When figuring out how to navigate this "present normal" we are in, I find these suggestions to be just right. After all, don't you think that we should all "watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together" when we venture out into the world? Surely, at least metaphorically for now, sticking together is what we strive to do every day at CSG. 

As I am sure you have heard, this afternoon Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that all Ohio public and private school buildings will be closed for the remainder of the school year. Emphasizing the importance of physical distancing in fighting Covid-19, Governor DeWine has asked that all schools continue remote learning as our buildings remain closed to students. While the finality of this order does not restore the school year we anticipated or would have preferred, it does provide a path forward for many of our decisions. I know you share my disappointment in the reality that Governor DeWine's decision has brought: it stings. However, I am confident that we will navigate the coming weeks with strength and grace despite the sting. I guess that you are wondering about our end-of-year programming, which was up in the air until now. Given the governor's mandate, we will share with you details of CSG's end-of-year calendar by division tomorrow. Today, however, I would like to talk to you about the ways that we at CSG are expressing our desire to "stick together" as Dr. Fulghum suggests. 

Not being able to gather on the campus we love hasn't stopped us from reaching out, checking in, and supporting one another. Even through this distance, you have shared with me how you have experienced interactions with the CSG community that are infused with the gracious warmth borne of mutual respect. Each member of our community contributes unique experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives that are essential to creating the vibrant and unique learning environment that is CSG. Honoring the many benefits—academically and socially—of our shared community is what we have always done and what we will continue to do. To that end, we are launching Unicorns United, a series of actions to keep our community strong. Some of these actions are already under way, and include continued outreach to support all CSG students and their families; continued opportunities for connection and care, including virtual group and one-on-one meetings; and creative, fun opportunities aimed at infusing our lives with joy and even silliness. 

Other elements of Unicorns United have been devised to acknowledge our deep sense that we are all in this together. While that phrase may have become a bit trite, the important meaning behind it certainly has not. Every member of the CSG community has been affected by this pandemic in ways large and small. It was important for CSG's board of trustees and leadership team to figure out meaningful ways to demonstrate our understanding of the CSG community's collective hardship.

For this reason we have decided to establish the Unicorns United Fund, an emergency relief fund to provide tuition assistance for families and students who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we establish this fund, we are also establishing some immediate relief for all CSG families. To that end, we are rolling back the 3.75% tuition increase for the 2020-2021 school year for all families, restoring tuition for next year to the current rates. PYC families will also receive a partial refund of 2019-2020 tuition that will show up as a credit on the billing statement for the 2020-2021 academic year. During this period of virtual learning we recognize that, due to the developmental stage of our youngest students, a larger burden for guiding learning has been placed on their parents and guardians. That they have had to assume this new role has not gone unnoticed by us. 

Many of you have asked what you can do for members of our community who might need extra support. If you would like to show your support for our community during this time, CLICK HERE to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Unicorns United Fund. If you have any questions about making a gift to this fund or if you would like to abstain from receiving the tuition rollback to ensure that more funds are available to support our community, please reach out to Amy Borntrager, Chief Development Officer, at

aborntrager@columbusschoolforgirls.org or 614-795-8681. If your family is in need of financial assistance, please contact Julie Eikenberry, Chief Financial Officer (jeikenberry@columbusschoolforgirls.org) or Chelsea Woods, Director of Enrollment Management (cwoods@columbusschoolforgirls.org).

I invite you to discuss Unicorns United or whatever else is on your mind at a virtual Parent Coffee for your daughter's division. These will be 60-minute sessions where you will have the opportunity to have your questions answered or just listen in to hear the information shared. The dates, times, and sign up links are below.

 

PYC/Lower School: Thursday, April 23, 12:30-1:30pm

Middle School/Upper School: Wednesday, April 22, 4:00-5:00pm

Open to all parents: Thursday, April 23, 4:00-5:00pm

As CSG faculty remain hard at work creating new and innovative opportunities for virtual learning, our students continue to stretch themselves, increasing their technological proficiency, independence, self-motivation, and confidence. Their flexibility and resilience serve as wonderful examples for us all. While we continue to do our part to ensure the safety and health of our community, I know that our tomorrows are full of possibility. Join me as we look forward to approaching each of them together—holding hands, watching out for each other and, when things get really tough, remembering that a warm cookie and cold milk can be just the thing!

In strength and grace,

Jennifer

Dear CSG Families, 

For the past several weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has had its grip on nearly every segment of our society. In the early weeks of the stay-at-home order, our primary focus at CSG has been on teaching and learning, but we know there is more on your minds. We, too, are thinking about many other dimensions of the impact of COVID-19. While CSG faculty and administration have been reworking how we deliver education, we know that many of you have been making your own adjustments personally and professionally. Some of you own businesses and have had to rework your business models and how you deliver goods and services. Like our faculty and staff, some of you are adjusting to working from home and navigating the challenges and opportunities of the sudden conflation of family and professional life. Some of you, as essential workers, have had to report to work despite the order, and are on the front lines of the pandemic. In other cases, you are dealing with job and business losses and being forced to look for new opportunities in an already tenuous situation. We want you to know that we understand the depth and complexities of these challenges. As we have continued our discussions around the impact of this pandemic and CSG's response, we, too, have been thinking about the future. 

A recent NPR article revealed that 4 in 10 teenagers in the United States haven't done any online work since schools closed. As you know, that is not the case with our students. Human capital is our greatest expense and a tremendous asset here at CSG. When it became clear that we would not return to campus after spring break, CSG faculty immediately started to shift gears, some working through spring break to re-write lesson plans, figure out the best way to integrate technology, and create methods of delivering instruction despite distance. They have been focused on their students, all while making adjustments at home for their own families. It is a juggling act that many of you, as parents, understand. Thank you for reaching out to us with gratitude and constructive feedback along the way. 

As the proud leader of a school where empowerment is an intrinsic element of the mission, it is not lost on me that the effects of this pandemic have left many of us feeling powerless. The long-term economic impact of this virus is something we won't know for some time, but if history is any indicator, the results will affect the financial situations of independent school families in central Ohio and nationwide. Thus, many independent schools, including ours, are having important discussions about the enrollment, tuition revenue, and resources that make our schools exceptional. While most of our public conversations have centered on teaching and learning, I have been meeting with CSG's administrative leadership team and Board of Trustees over the past several weeks to discuss the long-term effects that COVID-19 will have on CSG. I am grateful to have so many great minds to consider these questions with me. We have researched and reviewed past situations and are proactively planning for all possibilities. Still, it remains that any predictions, at this time, are just that: predictions. We are not sure how our present circumstances will change CSG's enrollment and operating budget, but we are resolved to proactively plan for the variety of possibilities. 

While the uncertainty can be overwhelming and can contribute to a sense of powerlessness, I am reminded of the power we do have. CSG is a strong school with a 122-year foundation upon which we stand. My predecessors built an endowment and an impressive academic reputation. They also forged the deep value we place on community. All of these mean that whatever challenges lay ahead of us, CSG will be fine. 

There are many things we can do as our circumstances continue to evolve. We can have open conversations and we can support and help the members of our community who need it. The CSG community is socioeconomically diverse and there isn't a one-answer-fits-all solution to the challenges each community member might face. There is however, our tried and true commitment to working with each individual family whenever a family shift happens. Parent partnership has always been fundamental to fulfilling our mission at CSG, and whatever the situation, this will be no different. With that, I ask that if you have concerns and haven't reached out to us, please do so as soon as possible. The goal is and always has been that learning will continue at CSG. That is our goal for each of your daughters. Moving forward, we want to ensure that our students do not experience another major life interruption in the coming school year— at least where their education is concerned.

At the end of this--and I assure you, there will be an end--I hope that each of you says, "This was a tough time, but CSG did everything they could to keep their promise to deliver an empowered educational experience to my child." We have tried our best to keep you informed along the way, and we will continue to keep you informed as we grapple with these questions and are able to answer them. In the meantime, if you are experiencing economic hardship, please reach out to Julie Eikenberry, Chief Financial Officer, or Chelsea Woods, Director of Enrollment and Financial Aid, as soon as possible. Please also view this video message from CSG board chair and parent, Michael Glimcher, who wanted to connect with all of you during this time.

As we so often hear from local and state leaders these days, we are in this together, and we hope that when you think of the community you have here at CSG, you also know that to be true. 

Forte et Gratum,

Jennifer

Dear CSG Families, 

I hope you are doing well as we near the end of spring break. The sunshine and warmer temperatures here in Bexley yesterday and today certainly make it feel like spring! Earlier today, CSG's dedicated faculty met virtually for a final discussion before we begin digital learning Monday. While all members of our community—students, faculty, and yes, even you, dear parents—will experience a period of adjustment over the coming week, I am confident in our ability to continue to deliver the high-quality, compelling instruction that you and students expect from CSG. As we all adjust to this new way of delivering curriculum, please do not hesitate to reach out so that we can make any necessary shifts to help ensure your daughter's optimum learning. 

 

While our most recent communications have focused on distance learning, we know that you might have questions about other aspects of CSG life and how we will all move forward. We have comprised this list of Frequently Asked Questions (and answers!) to address concerns we predict you may have and to offer some guidance on the best place to get answers to any questions we did not anticipate. We are also including a quick reference contact list below so that you know whom to contact when other questions arise. This list can also be found on the CSG COVID-19 update page. It is so important to all of us at CSG that you feel our commitment to you and our desire to support your family. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have. Next Thursday, you will receive a survey where you can give your feedback on the first week of distance learning.

The special relationship between student and teacher is truly a hallmark of a CSG education. It is also an aspect of CSG that brings us great pride. This year, for our admission video, we focused on that connection. We planned to share this video once we returned from break, but as we venture into another week of physical distance, now seems to be a fitting time to remember how connection is a cornerstone of the CSG community. You can see the video here. I hope it serves as a reminder of the powerful relationships your daughters have with their teachers and confirms your decision to send her to CSG. We will be offering many creative and fun ways for students to connect with each other and with their teachers and advisors next week. The connection will be virtual, but meaningful nonetheless!

As always, we appreciate your patience and partnership as we all work together to support students through a different phase in their learning journey.

Jennifer Ciccarelli
Head of School

Contact list:

Tech help
Head of School, Jennifer Ciccarelli
PYC Director, Jamie Schiff, PhD
Lower School Division Director, Betsy Gugle
Middle School Division Director, Pam Hartshorne
Interim Upper School Division Director, Sarah Brewer
Director of Counseling, Sean Delaney
PYC and Lower School Counselor, Betsy Esser
Upper School Learning Specialist, Serena Lett
Athletic Director , Megan Henry
Co-Director of College Counseling, Cari Schultz
Co-Director of College Counseling, Trish Priest

March 23 Email
Dear CSG Families,

It is hard to fathom that just over a week ago our community was together, celebrating Senior Day and preparing for spring break. Since then, so much has happened. Through it all, we have witnessed connections that defy physical distance. Some of our faculty have provided virtual sing-alongs and read-alongs, central Ohio residents have supported small businesses and restaurants while maintaining physical distance, and virtual get-togethers and meetings have become a new normal. CSG administrators and I have also continued to meet virtually as we prepare for the first week of digital/remote learning to commence March 30th. These are unprecedented times, but I am encouraged by witnessing the best of humanity, even if from afar.  As we embark on this final week of spring break, please read this email in its entirety to prepare your household and your daughters for digital/remote learning. I also shared this video message with Upper School and Middle School students, and PYC and LS parents are  encouraged to share the message and my well wishes with your daughter as well. 

In a COVID-19 update to the public yesterday afternoon, Governor Mike DeWine issued a ‘Stay at home’ order for all of Ohio.  He has also indicated that given experts’ projections, Ohio schools may not reopen for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year. If this is the case and the mandate to close Ohio schools is extended beyond the current end date of April 5th, CSG is prepared to continue our digital/remote learning plan for the duration of the 2019-2020 school year. We also urge parents to prepare for an extended campus closure by reviewing our remote learning plans and considering the items below. 

Preparing for Digital/Remote Learning 
Second only to the health and safety of our community, continued learning will be a top priority in the coming weeks. We appreciate how nimble our faculty have been in preparing for distance learning.  As we put these plans into place next week, flexibility will be key. Please review the letters below from each division outlining the learning structure and schedules your daughters should expect. You will also receive a message from your division directors Friday. 

 

• Updated Middle and Upper School Online Learning Structure
• PYC and Lower School Remote/Online Learning Structure 

Retrieving Essential Items and Medication 
At this time, we are continuing to limit access to campus to essential employees only. All students should have taken their books and other materials with them when leaving school March 13th, but if students need to retrieve essential items (books, devices, or other necessary educational tools), arrangements can be made to retrieve item(s) through your division director. Division directors have also worked with the school nurse to ensure that families had essential medications returned; however, epi-pens and inhalers are still in the nurse's office. If these are essential to your family at this time, please contact your division director. Otherwise, they will be stored safely. We ask that the retrieval of items not essential for learning be left for a later time. 

Contacting Faculty and Staff
Faculty and staff are reachable by email or through office phone messages. If you need contact info for a CSG employee, please use our online directory. If you call and leave a message, those messages will also go to the recipient's email. Faculty and staff will be happy to set up a time to speak with youWe appreciate your patience as we work to respond to all questions. We have put a communications plan in place that will include all-school messages going out Mondays and Thursdays and divisional messages going out Tuesdays and Fridays. These will go to the email addresses you have listed as your preferred contacts and will also be posted, when appropriate, to CSG’s COVID-19 Update Page and the parent/division portals.

Support Services/Counselors
College counseling, advisory/life skills classes, and support services will continue during the campus closure. Faculty responsible for delivering these classes and services will work directly with students and families. Should you or your daughter need to reach out to our counselors, please do so through email.

Though the situation is changing daily, we hope that you are enjoying your spring break and this opportunity to slow down and connect with those closest to you. While it is important that we listen to the recommendations and mandates issued by our government and health officials, it is equally important that we mind our mental health at this time. I hope that you are not only taking care of one another but also taking care of yourselves. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if we can be helpful in any way, and watch your email and CSG’s COVID-19 update page for ongoing communication from us. 

Sincerely,

Jennifer Ciccarelli 
Head of School 

March 12 Email Update 

 

Dear CSG Families, 

 

This afternoon, the Ohio Department of Health announced that there are five cases of confirmed COVID-19 in Ohio. At this time, Governor DeWine has ordered that all Ohio schools close for three weeks starting at the close of school Monday, March 16th. The Governor has also issued a ban on all large gatherings of 100 people or more in a single room or space. Check state updates here.

 

Columbus School for Girls is closed for spring break, March 14 - March 29. Per the state mandate for public and private schools, CSG’s campus will also be closed March 30 - April 5.  However, during the five school days, March 30 - April 3, we will deploy our digital/remote learning plan, which was sent by email this afternoon. You can also find the plans on our COVID-19 update page here. Instead of having a separate pick-up day for Lower School and PYC materials, we will send all materials and devices home with students in Lower School and PYC tomorrow, Friday, March 13th. In addition to in-person classes being cancelled, all extracurricular activities, including athletic practices and contests, will be cancelled March 22 - April 5.  

 

Due to the state’s school closure and large gathering mandate, the following events  happening between now and April have been postponed or cancelled:

• Spring Break Camp - Cancelled

• Middle School Dance - Cancelled 

• Father Daughter Dance - NEW DATE April 18

• Form V Chapel - NEW DATE April 21 

• Women’s Leadership Breakfast - Cancelled 

• Empty Bowls - To be determined 

 

Please watch your email and continue to check for more information here. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me directly. Thank you for your patience and flexibility as this situation evolves. 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Jennifer Ciccarelli 

Head of School 

March 12, 2020

Dear CSG Families, 

I am writing to share an update on our response to COVID-19 and the preventive and proactive measures Columbus School for Girls is taking to ensure the health and safety of our students while maintaining the continuity of learning. Please know that nothing is more important to us than the safety of our students, faculty, staff, and families. Be assured that this is at the forefront of our decision making.

At this time, there are four cases of confirmed COVID-19 in Ohio, all in northeast Ohio. There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in central Ohio. As we prepare for spring break, the administration and I continue to monitor the rapidly-evolving situation and to follow the recommendations of Franklin County Public Health, the Ohio Department of Health, and the CDC.  We are also tracking the international travel of our families, faculty, and staff and in the process of making decisions about school-related travel, including international trips and Senior May Program trips. At this time, we have cancelled school trips to countries with a CDC travel notice of Level 3 or higher. The status of other trips will be decided on a case-by-case basis. We will notify those affected by other cancellations should they arise. 

There are already a limited number of people on campus during spring break, and we will make decisions on a case-by-case basis for events (CSG hosted events, rentals, etc.) planned after we return. At this time, Spring Break Camp will continue with all health and safety precautions in place.  There are no athletic events planned during the break. Practices planned for the second week of break are outdoor and will continue. Of course, many of these decisions could be made for us if state and health officials make a different determination. We will follow those recommendations if they are made. 

While on spring break, we will send updates if necessary. We have also created a webpage where you can find all new communications regarding CSG’s response, resources about COVID-19, and other information in one place. Please watch your email and check the page regularly for future communications. 

While we have not made the decision to close our campus at this time, there is a possibility that a campus closure will become necessary either before returning from spring break or afterward. This week, our faculty and students have been preparing for digital and remote learning in case of a campus closure. With that in mind, we have asked that all students in Forms VI-XII take their books, devices, chargers, and musical instruments home with them over the break. If CSG decides that school closure is necessary, PYC and Lower School is prepared to deploy a remote learning plan that will include prepared “to-go bags” for students with materials for continued learning at home. Those bags would be available for pick-up at several designated times at the beginning of the week.  In Forms III-V, the “to-go bags” would also include a Chromebook device, which the girls currently use in class. You will receive more information on this process from your division director.

In the meantime, as faculty prepare for digital and remote learning, we encourage you to help your daughters to prepare as well, by doing the following: 
 

• Ensure you have proper internet connectivity to support digital learning. If securing internet connectivity is an issue for you and your family or you need help connecting, please contact our helpdesk itdepartment@columbusschoolforgirls.org. 

• Make plans for childcare in case a closure is necessary.

Of course, we all have a responsibility to minimize the potential spread of COVID-19. As we emphasized in previous communications, the best way to prevent the spread of infectious disease is to maintain basic hygiene practices, which we are enforcing at school. 

We also remind you, as stated in the email sent March 9th , to let us know if your family travels to a location with a CDC travel notice or is in contact with anyone suspected of having or confirmed to have this novel coronavirus. If your daughter is feeling sick, the American Academy of Pediatrics gives these guidelines to help you to decide whether to keep her home. 

Finally, we hope that you enjoy spring break! Despite the uncertainty, this is a fun time and a well deserved break for you and for our students. Thank you for your patience, partnership, support, and diligence as we continue to navigate this changing situation together. Please remember to continue to check our website and your email for future updates. 

Have a healthy and happy spring break!

Jennifer Ciccarelli
Head of School

March 9 Email to Families 
 

Dear CSG Families, 
 

As you have likely heard, this afternoon, Governor Mike DeWine confirmed that there are now three cases of COVID-19 in the state of Ohio, and the state is currently under a state of emergency. According to state health officials, the current cases are all in Cuyahoga County.  
 

As we continue to monitor the updates from local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the administration at CSG has been meeting regularly to discuss the evolving situation regarding COVID-19. We are aware that many of you will be traveling, domestically and internationally, in the coming weeks, especially as spring break approaches. The CDC has issued travel notices for certain countries to reduce travelers’ exposure to COVID-19. Travelers’ consideration of these restrictions will be important as health officials work to limit the spread of the virus.
 

Typically, CSG would not issue travel restrictions. However, as we continue to follow the CDC recommendations, we have decided to issue the following guidelines and requirements effective immediately.
 

All CSG students, faculty, and staff returning from a country designated with a Level 3 or Level 4 travel notice or having had contact with someone who has visited one of those countries must take the following actions:
 

• Self-report your travel to the Head of School’s office prior to your daughter returning to school

• Self-monitor for symptoms

• Self-quarantine and not return to campus for at least 14 days

• Return to campus will require a letter from a physician stating that no COVID-19 symptoms are present 
   

Those returning to the United States from countries with a Level 2 travel notice are urged to closely monitor travel.state.gov and cdc.gov for updates as the situation is changing regularly. 
 

We are finalizing a plan for remote learning in case health officials order a campus closure. In the meantime, faculty, staff, our facilities team, and our professional cleaning crew have increased efforts to disinfect and sanitize campus. We cannot stress enough that the best way to prevent the spread of infectious disease is to regularly observe basic hygiene practices:
 

• Wash your hands for 20 seconds or more with soapy water (if unavailable, use hand sanitizer)

• Cover your mouth/nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands

• Stay home if you are ill 
   

We know that your children may have questions regarding COVID-19, and the announcement that the virus has reached Ohio could lead to more questions. You can visit the Ohio Department of Health for the latest information. The National Association of School Psychologists  has also compiled a list of resources to help guide your conversations as the situation continues to change. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me or to our nurse, Jen Salamon, if you have questions. We appreciate your partnership as we all work together to keep our community safe and healthy.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jennifer Ciccarelli
Head of School

February 28 Email to Families
 

Dear Parents and Guardians,
 

As you surely know, China is experiencing an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially changed the name for the disease involved in the current coronavirus outbreak to “coronavirus disease 2019,” abbreviated as COVID-19. This virus emerged in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December 2019. The first case in the United States was announced on January 21, 2020 in the state of Washington, and the CDC announced the first case of unknown origin this week.  
 

There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio. However, whenever a new virus or other infectious disease emerges, increased levels of anxiety and speculation can ensue. It is important to stay informed. As a school, CSG strives to be proactive and thoughtful about any risks that may affect our community. CSG is in close communication with Franklin County Public Health, the Ohio Department of Health, and therefore The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and will inform you of any additional public health concerns and/or recommendations. Although COVID-19 poses no immediate risk to our community, we want you to know that we are monitoring the situation and are prepared to take precautions should any of these agencies advise that we do so. We are also developing a contingency plan to ensure continuity of teaching and learning should health officials close central Ohio schools or issue any other directives.
 

Coronaviruses can spread from an infected person to others through respiratory droplets in the air (coughing, sneezing, talking) and direct contact. People who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 have reported symptoms including fever, cough, and difficulty breathing that may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days after exposure to the virus.  
 

According to the CDC, for the general American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus at this time, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low, but individual risk is dependent on exposure. Travel history is key. The CDC has continued to issue travel warnings. Please keep these in mind as spring break is approaching, and reach out to  our nurse, Jen Salamon, if you plan to travel to or through the listed countries. 
 

In the meantime, please join us in reminding your children of the importance in reducing the spreading of germs as they regularly interact throughout the day. The Ohio Department of Health advises common sense precautions to prevent the spread of all infectious diseases, including common illnesses like colds and flu, as well as COVID-19:
 

- wash your hands for 20 seconds or more with soapy water - if unavailable use hand sanitizer

- cover your mouth/nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing

- avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands

- stay home if you are ill 
 

For more information on COVID-19, please visit www.odh.ohio.gov/coronavirus or www.cdc.gov/coronavirus. The health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff are always our top priority at CSG. We will certainly be in touch if the situation surrounding COVID-19 changes. In the meantime, if you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me or to Nurse Salamon. 

 

Sincerely, 

Jennifer Ciccarelli

Dear Upper School Students, 

Just over a week ago, we were all gathered together in the Unicorn Theater for the Senior Skit.  Grace imitated my “intermittent knee-bends” while making announcements, and in that moment, I was filled with so much joy.  It was a perfect depiction of my antics and I felt a true part of the upper school. Senior Day helped so many of us feel the magic of the CSG community, and I am eternally grateful. 

Today, I am working in my make-shift office in my bedroom.  (You will likely receive a couple of videos from this space, with special guest appearances of my kiddos and our new puppy!)  It is a stark difference to the warmth of the community in the Unicorn, and marks just how much has changed in the past week.  

Next week, we will begin online learning, and we will all be working through the challenges and advantages of that platform together. I know it will be different, but I also know you will rise to the challenge!  I will be looking to all of you for ways we can continue to socialize online.  

Last night, Ms. Ciccarelli sent emails to all our parents and shared the following video with messages to you:  We are All Unicorns. 

Ms. Ciccarelli mentions that we may be mandated by Governor Mike DeWine to continue online learning past April 5th.  I realize this may feel overwhelming, especially for seniors, but let’s just take this all a week at a time. The teachers and I are prepared for this and thinking creatively about what this may mean for the remainder of the year. 

To get ready for next week, please be sure you have all your essential learning tools--your laptop and your books.  (All of you should have picked these up prior to spring break, but if for some reason, you forgot something, just let me know).

On Thursday afternoon, I have a virtual upper school faculty meeting and we’ll work out a couple of additional details to make sure we are ready to go for next week.  If we make any changes, we will update this attached document: Updated Middle and Upper School Online Learning Structure

In the meantime, remember that your schedule for next week will be very similar to what your schedule has been previously.  You should plan on “attending” classes virtually throughout the day. However, because classes will meet “asynchronously” (not live), or will be recorded “synchronously” (live), you may choose to work through your class work at different times throughout the day.  Some of you may have responsibility for taking care of younger siblings or other household duties, and we want to respect that. Faculty, will, however, be taking attendance through various means and will communicate those with you. 

I’ll send more later in the week.  In the meantime, please have some fun in your second week of spring break! Don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions or concerns.  

-Ms. Brewer

Hi, all!

I have missed you and can't believe that Senior Day was only 10 days ago. It seems like SO much has happened since then. I'm sure many of your spring breaks looked a little different than you'd imagined - I know that mine did!  

When we come "back to school" on Monday, I'll send you daily video morning announcements and make sure that we find some fun ways to connect. (Student Council - feel free to brainstorm some fun ideas!!)

In the meantime to keep busy, I'm sure you won't be surprised to find out that I've been baking... a lot... like almost 100 dozen cookies! (Don't worry, I didn't eat them all... we found a place to donate them to schools that are handing out lunches.) I've also been playing with my granddaughter, Jessa, and doing yoga every day. I can't wait to hear what you've been up to. If you're bored and want to send me a note, I'd LOVE to hear from you!

Take a few minutes and watch this video from Ms. Ciccarealli. She is sending it to your parents (along with an email that they should read). I thought you might like to see it as well. In that email is also the plan we have for online instruction. Here is a link to it if you'd like to read it.

I miss you all lots!
Ms. Hartshorne

March 23, 2020
Dear PYC and Lower School Families, 

Columbus School for Girls’ campus will be closed March 30 - April 5 as mandated by Governor Mike DeWine. The PYC and Lower School has initiated the following guidelines to provide students with continuous learning experiences remotely. In both divisions, our primary goal is to provide consistent and predictable communication with families to enable students to review, practice, and extend skills. As a part of the activities sent home, technology recommendations will be made in a way that is age appropriate. We seek to achieve a balance of technology-based learning experiences and hands-on experiences that do not depend on devices. This aligns with our belief that screen time should be limited for preschool and elementary age children. 

As we left for spring break, teachers put together and distributed “to-go bags” to provide the materials your daughter will need at home. The “to-go bags” include physical materials in PYC-Lower School, with the addition of Chromebooks for students in Forms III-V.  If you experience technical needs, please email itdepartment@columbusschoolforgirls.org for IT support.   

Your daughter’s teacher will be available by email if you have questions during the school closure. Each teacher will be checking email regularly and will respond within the day.  You may also reach out to your Division Director by email at any time.

We deeply appreciate your partnership and support as we navigate this unprecedented situation for our schools nationwide.  

Best regards, 

Betsy Gugle, Lower School Director
bgugle@columbusschoolforgirls.org

Jamie Schiff, Program for Young Children Director
jschiff@columbusschoolforgirls.org

Program for Young Children Online Learning Plan
3/4 Class
Teachers will post recommendations   for activities through the 3/4 Google Classroom for each school day.  

Teacher Contact Information
Elizabeth Pattison, epattison@columbusschoolforgirls.org
Tammy Pedon, tpedon@columbusschoolforgirls.org

4/5 Class
Teachers will post recommendations for activities through the 4/5 Google Classroom for each school day.  

Teacher Contact Information
Jenn Li, jli@columbusschoolforgirls.org
Christa Reurink, creurink@columbusschoolforgirls.org

5/6 Class
Teachers will post recommendations for activities through 5/6 Google Classroom for each school day.  

Teacher Contact Information
Devie Hiller, dhiller@columbusschoolforgirls.org
Kasey Neer, kneer@columbusschoolforgirls.org


Lower School Online Learning Plan
Homeroom teachers would provide daily communication with families with assignments and projects for math, language arts, and social studies. Throughout the week, Special Area Teachers would also provide assignments for students.  

Form I
Teachers will email parents through the Class Distribution List each morning with the daily assignments.

Teacher Contact Information
Jenna Blackwell jblackwell@columbusschoolforgirls.org Shelby Heider
sheider@columbusschoolforgirls.org

Form II
Teachers will email parents through the Class Distribution List each morning with daily assignments.

Teacher Contact Information
Nicole Anosike, nanosike@columbusschoolforgirls.org
Leigh Kane, lkane@columbusschoolforgirls.org

Form III
Teachers will email parents through the Class Distribution List each morning with daily assignments. Students would have access to borrow a CSG Chromebook for usage.  

Teacher Contact Information
Nichole Bondi, nbondi@columbusschoolforgirls.org
Amanda Bunten, abunten@columbusschoolforgirls.org 

Form IV
Teachers will email both Form IV parents, through the Class Distribution List, and Form IV students, using their CSG email account, each morning with daily assignments. Students would have access to borrow a CSG Chromebook for usage.  

Teacher Contact Information
Laura Dolce-Bun, ldolce-bun@columbusschoolforgirls.org 
Tracy Kessler, tkessler@columbusschoolforgirls.org 

Form V
Teachers will email Form V students using their CSG email account to share daily assignments in each subject area. Students will access materials and submit assignments in their respective GoogleClassrooms, which are organized by subject. Students would have access to borrow a CSG Chromebook for usage.  

Teacher Contact Information
Staci Schulte, sschulte@columbusschoolforgirls.org 
Lisa Meuse, lmeuse@columbusschoolforgirls.org 
Meghan VanCleve, mvancleve@columbusschoolforgirls.org 

March 23, 2020 
Dear Middle and Upper School Families, 

We hope that you are doing well, and that you are finding ways to have fun during this unusual spring break. In anticipation that Columbus School for Girls would need to close for a prolonged period of time, the Middle and Upper Schools established the following guidelines to provide students with continuous learning experiences remotely. As part of our contingency plan, all students were instructed the week prior to Spring Break to take home their laptops, chargers, instruments, and any textbooks. 

Teachers will communicate with students via email, Google Classrooms, and/or Moodle about class expectations. We ask for your partnership to reiterate to students that school is still in session, just in a different space. To keep as much of a sense of consistency and normalcy as possible, we will run as close to a regular schedule as possible. As you can see in the sample Middle and Upper School student schedules below, the designated time slot for each class period indicates when teachers will make their content available to students each day. Faculty have a number of options for synchronous (live) and asynchronous methods of instruction. Understanding that families may need flexibility, faculty who conduct a synchronous class will provide a recorded version for students to view later, if needed. Students do not necessarily need to login at their specified class time; however, they must complete all posted work by the end of the day (or by the assigned deadline). Students also need to check email on a regular basis throughout the day.

Students are expected to “attend” every class by logging into either Google Classroom or Moodle and completing the assigned work for the day. Attendance will be taken by a variety of methods--asking students to participate in a chat on a Google document, to reply to a prompt on a discussion board, to submit work or to complete an entrance or exit ticket, etc. Because we understand that not every student will be online for every class at a specific time, we will simply record attendance by the end of the day. 

If your daughter is ill and cannot participate in school on a given day, please contact either Elise Skaggs (MS Assistant) at eskaggs@columbusschoolforgirls.org or Alisa King (US Assistant) at aking@columbusschoolforgirls.org. Similarly, if a faculty member is ill and unable to meet virtually for office hours and/or classes, they will communicate that to students. If you need any assistance with technology, contact our IT Department at ITDepartment@columbusschoolforgirls.org.

Please know that your daughter’s teacher is available by email if you have questions during a school closure. Each teacher will be checking email regularly and will respond within the school day.  You may also reach out to your Division Director by email at any time.

We will seek out feedback from you and your daughters as this first week progresses so we can make changes as necessary. We deeply appreciate your partnership and support. 

In partnership,

Sarah Brewer
Interim US Director and Dean of Faculty
sbrewer@columbusschoolforgirls.org

Pam Hartshorne
MS Director
phartshorne@columbusschoolforgirls.org