Greenhill Closing After Spring Break

Dear Greenhill Families,As we have shared in the past, the health and safety of our community is our top priority. By now, you have likely heard that the City of Dallas has declared a state of emergency after Dallas County declared a ban on large public gatherings for the next week. With the spread of the virus continuing in North Texas, and after much deliberation, we have made the decision to close Greenhill for the two weeks after spring break (Monday, March 23 to Sunday, April 5). Proactive school closures have proven to be one of the most effective nonpharmaceutical interventions available because they limit the interaction of both students and adults.DETAILS ABOUT THE CLOSURE:

• The closure will begin Monday, March 23. At this time, we plan to resume normal operations on Monday, April 6.

• For Monday, March 23 and Tuesday, March 24, Greenhill faculty members will be planning and preparing to implement our remote learning plans. For these two days, students should finish any work that lingers from before spring break, and families should start preparing their home learning spaces if they have not done so already.

• Remote learning will start on Wednesday, March 25 and continue through Friday, April 3. On Monday, March 23, you will receive an email from your child’s division head outlining additional instructional details for your division.

• Preschool and Lower School homeroom teachers will start contacting parents with plans for the week late in the day on Tuesday, March 24.

• Middle and Upper School teachers will update Canvas pages by late afternoon on Tuesday, March 24.

• All activities that would typically be held after school, including athletics, arts, and extended day, as well as all weekend events will be cancelled through Sunday, April 5.

• All Greenhill School buildings and outdoor facilities will be closed. Students and parents will not be allowed on campus.

• During the closure, our facilities team will be deep cleaning our buildings as an extra precautionary measure.

SOCIAL DISTANCING:
Closing the school will limit the contact between our students and faculty, which will reduce the likelihood of the spread of the virus. School closures are only effective if we practice social distancing by restricting our social interactions during the period of closure. We all have a responsibility to avoid large gathering spaces, like shopping malls or movie theaters, and to limit our physical social interactions with each other.I am confident that despite our physical separation, we will all find creative ways to maintain our sense of community. Doing so feels more essential now than ever.FINAL THOUGHTS AND REMINDERS:
We are maintaining a full list of event cancellations on our coronavirus website. This page also includes helpful resources about the virus and educational resources for families. We encourage you to check this page often.Please reference our communication from March 10 for additional details about what will be available to support you and your family during the closure.As a reminder, our faculty and staff are on also on spring break from March 16 - 20, and they will plan to respond any emails when they return to work on March 23.We know that closing the school creates complications for all our families and particular hardship for some. In fact, the normal operation of the school plays an essential role in the lives of all of our families and employees. Because of that, we have waited to make this decision for as long as we possibly could. Unfortunately, the health and well-being of our community must take precedence, and as a member of our wider North Texas community, we must also do our part to slow the spread of the virus.During these uncertain times, we are grateful for your partnership as we strive to maintain a healthy community. If you have questions or need further support as we start remote learning, please contact your child’s home room teacher, advisor, or division head. Please continue to watch for additional information from Greenhill at the end of spring break.My best,Lee J. Hark
Head of School