As we have all been reminded over the past few weeks, we are living in very uncertain times. The situation with the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be fluid, and we are working as rapidly as we can to respond to new and changing information. Long Beach public school campuses are now closed until at least May 3rd.  We have not made a final decision about when we will reopen campus, but with the latest news, we know we will also be keeping the Maple Village campus closed until at least May 3rd.  We may be looking at learning “Beyond the Classroom” until the end of the school year; however, no formal determinations have been made.  We’re all in this together, and we will continue to be in touch with you as we gather more information and are able to share a more detailed plan with you. Here are the important updates we can share at this time: 

• We need your help to make sure our school has the resources it needs to continue to educate your children and pay our teachers and staff. That support will come from your continued tuition payments, which are necessary in order to continue to cover the costs of paying the teachers and staff. Additionally, we are asking anyone who is able to consider a special donation to the school specifically to support those families who are directly impacted by the ongoing crisis with job and income loss to please step up and help. In times like this we must all support each other. 

• We want to make sure you understand exactly what you will be receiving for your tuition payments and donation as you continue through this period of virtual learning.  Our teachers and staff essentially created a new school online within 4 days and rolled it out. They are learning new technologies and growing each day, while striving to understand what works and what is needed in these new learning environments. Our staff is delivering education and services to you and your child(ren). Teachers will continue to build out their Google Classrooms with content and ways to connect. Additionally, we anticipate more parent education to be made available to your family. You will receive more pedagogical information in the days ahead.  

• We want to hear from you - please let both the teachers and the administrators of MVWS know how you feel we can best serve your child(ren) and your family during this period, which is evolving as each family acclimates to their new circumstances. If you have specific comments or ideas about how the school can work with your child(ren) during this period, please reach out directly to your teacher(s) and also know that our Dean of Education, Lisa J. McCarthy is available to you via email: lisa.mccarthy@maplevillageschool.org

• Many of you have inquired over the last few days about your concerns for the faculty and staff at the school, especially our part-time and hourly employees.  It was wonderful to see how quickly your thoughts turned to them as we all face this together. To answer that concern for you, Maple Village Waldorf School is committed to paying all of our employees, both full and part-time, hourly and salary, their regular pay for as long as we possibly can.  We are working to determine the best options available for those employees whose daily duties are no longer possible due to campus closure. We hope that most of you will be able to continue to support the school through your regular tuition payments, allowing us to continue to support the very lifeblood of the school – the faculty and staff.  

• To be transparent with you, and as many of you know from our State of the School just a few weeks ago, we are an organization that depends on tuition (approximately $115,000 monthly) to fund our expenses, and although we are beginning to build reserves, we do not have the level of savings that we will need to continue to pay employees without continuing tuition payments. It will be tight, but we believe we can do it with your continued commitment. We hope you want to support our faculty and staff through this time, especially given the hours they are putting in to stay connected to your children and families and given the content they are providing via the Beyond the Classroom learning environments. 

• We understand many of you are having to pay for alternative childcare while our campus is closed, are facing job or pay loss yourselves, and are trying to plan financially for your families. “School” now looks very different, especially depending on the age of your children and their ability to be independent in their learning. Each family’s circumstance varies, and we want to be mindful of that as we move forward together.

• With all of this in mind, we also want you to know: 

• We are communicating with the church officials and our insurance company about the property to understand if lower payments can be negotiated since we are not physically on campus. We are working to reduce costs in as many areas as possible. 

• Tuition payments for April, May, and June will proceed as planned, and we will continue to evaluate the services being delivered. 

• If you are experiencing financial hardship or wish to contribute more than your expected payment to assist the school at this time, please contact Pam Villano and Angie Hendrix directly to make arrangements. If we do not hear from you by noon on Friday, March 27th, we will process payments for April as usual.
  

Please know we respect and honor each family’s personal situation and that you are an important part of our Maple Village Waldorf School community. We thank you for everything you are doing to help us sustain the type of school and education you value.

We appreciate your consideration of all of these matters, and please remember, we are all in this together. 

Thank you, 

Pam Villano, Business Administrator
business.admin@maplevillageschool.org
# 562-765-9874

Angie Hendrix, Treasurer/Board of Trustees

angie.hendrix@maplevillageschool.org

# 310-990-1624