Dear Maple Village Waldorf School Parents and Caregivers,

As many of you know, plans surrounding COVID-19 can change from day to day. Yesterday I had a private meeting with LBUSD and was told they were remaining open and would close each school as needed. I was prepared to share with you that we would also remain open, following the district's guidance from the LB Health Department. This morning LAUSD announced a full district closure, and then LBUSD soon followed. LBUSD is closing all schools on Monday, March 16 and reopening April 20.

With the recent declaration of a global pandemic, U.S. health authorities have asked us all to support the health of the wider community and mitigate the spread of this illness, and embedded in our philosophy as a Waldorf school is to support our wider community. Following the lead of the district and independent schools across California, we have made the decision to begin an organized, temporary campus closure, beginning on Monday March 16. Our Spring Break dates will remain April 6 - 17, and we plan to resume Monday, April 20th. This date is subject to change depending on the status of the outbreak and further health department recommendations. We do not have any presumptive or confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in our school, but we are taking this step to help protect public health.

Monday and Tuesday, March 16 and 17 will serve as in-service days for our faculty and staff to prepare for Learning Beyond the Classroom, which we expect to begin on Wednesday, March 18th and run through Friday, April 3rd. We are also meeting as a faculty tomorrow in lieu of the Open House, which has now been postponed. We will be communicating with you as soon as we have the details in place.

The grades children will be told as a group today that we are closing our campus for a while. We will only give them simple facts and reassure them that we have no known cases in our Maple Village community. We are also asking them to take home their lesson books and supplies. (If you need to come by on Monday or Tuesday to pick up anything, our faculty and staff will be on campus.)

During our time away from campus, it is recommended that students should stay home and minimize social contact as much as possible to keep caregivers and adult family members safe. Children have not been shown to be a high-risk group for serious illness from this virus. However, they can transmit the virus to those most vulnerable. Public health officials recommend that families make arrangements for childcare during closure that avoids leaving children with elderly people who are more vulnerable to the impact of the virus.

The City encourages all residents to visit www.longbeach.gov/COVID19 for up-to-date facts on COVID-19, and to avoid misinformation. You can also follow updates, tips and notices on the City’s social media pages @LongBeachCity and @LBHealthDept and by following hashtag #COVID19LongBeach.

If anxiety arises, please also keep in mind the numbers as of today:

1. 4 confirmed cases in Long Beach with a population of 467,354
2. 224 confirmed cases in California with a population of 39,512,223
3. 1,629 confirmed cases in the United States with a population of 329,386,385.

Thank you so much for your understanding and support during this difficult time. Please also notify our school office of any confirmed family COVID-19 cases that arise during the weeks ahead.

I’m sure you will have many questions. Please know I will be in touch again soon.

Yours,

Lisa J. McCarthy
Dean of Education