Creek Campus Planning Update

Virginia Luff, Director of Elementary Program
Dear Creek Campus Families, 

So many of us continue to juggle childcare with work and are missing school, pools, and possibly vacations, yet I hope that we are all finding moments of laughter, connection, and calm. I am grateful to have had a week to play with my family and completely unplug from screens, and am now ready to walk with you all into this next phase of our journey.

While seven-day averages in Austin are decreasing, we continue to exist in an uncertain and shifting landscape with COVID-19. Given the frequent changes in state and local orders, we have organized a panel of medical and scientific professionals connected with the school to help us make the most informed decisions related to external health, safety recommendations, and data.

We currently plan to begin the fall semester with a modified model that incorporates learning at home and on-campus connection. We will deliver academics through our Headwaters@Home program, and also provide regular opportunities for children and guides to gather on campus in small, stable groups outdoors, with a focus on connecting, relationship building, and social-emotional learning. We will prioritize having our K-1 students on campus as often as possible. We will regularly assess how long we will remain in this modified model. As of now, we plan to continue this until at least Friday, September 18.

We will have staggered start dates for K-1 (Kindergarten and 1st Grade) and Early Elementary (2nd and 3rd Grade). This will prioritize building new connections between guides and students before welcoming the rest of the group. Here are some important dates for the start of school:
  • Tuesday, August 25: 
    • Upper Elementary (4th and 5th Grade) students begin school
    • Students new to their K-1 or Early Elementary classroom begin school
  • Monday, August 31: Studentsreturning to the same K-1 or Early Elementary classroom begin school
  • Monday, September 7: Memorial Day - Student/Staff Holiday
  • Please stay tuned for dates and times of Parent Orientations for your child’s program.
Schedules & Class Rosters
We will send you your class rosters and on-campus meeting schedules by mid-August. 

Early Arrival, Creativity Club, and Shuttle
Due to our modified model, we are not able to offer Early Arrival, Creativity Club, or the Shuttle at this time. The Business Office is working to adjust billing for families that have already signed up for these programs, pausing all payments for CC, EA, and the shuttle through September at this time. If you would like to fully withdraw from these programs for the year, please email Alex Penry at a.penry@headwaters.org. If you wish to be on the list if these programs are able to be offered later in the school year, please click here to sign up for Early Arrival and/or Creativity Club or click here to sign up for the shuttle. Your deposit lets us know who is interested if we are able to offer these programs later. 

Option for All-Virtual Learning 
Earlier in July, I sent an email requesting a response if you wish for your child to participate in only virtual learning. If you did not submit a form, please take a moment to complete this form at this link if you are interested in a virtual-only option for all or part of the 2020-2021 school year. 

We believe that given our planning for Headwaters@Home along with maintaining small, stable groups for in-person gatherings, we will deliver an excellent program for our families. 
 
We will remain in contact with you as we get closer to the school year. Please expect another email on Thursday, August 13. This will contain further logistics related to schedules, drop/off, and safety protocols. In the meantime, we invite you to visit our webpage for '20-'21 School Year Planning. Feel free to send along questions, suggestions, or resources to us at planning@headwaters.org.
 
Thank you, 
 
Virginia
 
Virginia Luff
Director of Elementary Program
v.luff@headwaters.org
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