Living with a highly contagious virus means that our routines will be disrupted to minimize spread until a treatment or vaccine can be fully implemented. 

Under current distancing guidelines, our campus square footage allows for 100% student attendance with physical distancing. If restrictions are imposed on a family or on the school at large, and Summit moves to a Hybrid Learning Mode, we will reduce student attendance on campus to minimize risk of transmission. 

If a family should need to shift their child off campus to learning from home, Summit has developed its Hybrid Mode. If a family encounters a situation where daily on campus attendance is not possible, the Summit experience will be delivered to those students virtually. We call this "hybrid" because it is a blend of the best on campus and off campus experience. 

For instance, a student may be required to learn from home due to a positive test in the family. In this case, the student will have an option for our hybrid program. 

While being apart is not ideal, we are confident that we can deliver the highest quality blended learning experience for students even within these face-to-face restrictions. 

While we value our independence, when it comes to delivering the best academic program for our students during a global pandemic, we must remain connected to the wider community and not act unilaterally in decisions regarding our students' and the larger public health. 

To that end, in addition to being guided by our task forces and community data, Summit will also continue to consult with local public and private schools, as well as regional and national associations, to gather data and make informed decisions.

Switching between operational modes will be decided using the following inputs:

• Governmental requirements/guidelines
• Science/health metrics: treatments, response capacity, virus spread
• Community (Forsyth, NC and Summit) health and outbreaks data 

Summit Athletics plans to offer a safe sports experience that contributes to a Summit education this fall beginning August 17. Any changes to our normal programming moving forward will be determined in partnership with our state and local organizations.

Our planning for the 2020-2021 school year is well underway and we intend to begin on our scheduled date of August 25 (as noted in our Key Dates Calendar) on campus.

In the coming weeks and throughout the summer we will be providing increasingly detailed information regarding our Re-Entry Plan for the 2020-2021 school year.

Our Re-Entry Task Force, comprised of administrators, staff, faculty, trustees, educational experts, and medical advisors, is addressing all aspects of the opening of school in August, including:

• Prioritizing the health and safety of our entire Summit community.
• Following specific health precautions in accordance with federal, state, and local requirements as well as the recommendations of our Summit medical advisors.
• Collaborating with leaders of sister Independent Schools from around the country and the world in examining a variety of scenarios—and their implications—for the coming year. We intend to begin the year together on campus. However, we will be prepared in the event we must shift to a combination of on-campus and distance teaching and learning.
• Planning that honors physical distancing and innovative space use. One of Summit’s gifts is our unique and expansive campus—along with creative and resourceful educators who are adept at making the most of it.
• Continuing our studied approach to Summit’s relationship-based distance learning model, including refinement of our work over the past two months through careful analysis and ongoing professional development throughout the spring and summer. Summit faculty have been nothing short of extraordinary during this crisis. As ever, this will continue—whether your child is on campus or off-campus.

Driven by Mission

As always, our school mission remains front and center, a driving force in shaping Summit's response to the pandemic. While this period is undoubtedly challenging, it also presents unique opportunities to respond with different learning modalities and approaches to relationship-based distance learning. 

Summit’s history of academic excellence and innovative spirit positions us to make the most of the challenges ahead with creative agility. The entire Summit community can rely on that fact.

Mission
Summit School provides a challenging curriculum within a caring environment to help students develop their full potential.

In planning for the next school year, we are operating under the following assumptions:

• we are going through a monumentally stressful and disruptive time in history, and we should not expect to flip a switch back to “normal;”
• there will be heightened attention to matters of wellness and public health which will impact our students, their families and the format which learning  needs to occur;
• various formal and informal forms of social distancing will continue; and
• coronavirus waves are predicted to cause future short-term, place-specific stay-at-home orders for the foreseeable future.

• Adjust academic schedules for maximum flexibility between on campus, hybrid, and distance learning modes
• Adjust physical environment for distancing and heightened public-health protocols
• Review programs, policies, and procedures for safe operations
• Identify tools and resources to make work easier and effective in this environment

We are beginning with what we can control in the spring and early summer. Working groups were created in April to review:

• School Calendar
• Re-Entry
• Academics
• Health and Safety
• Facilities and Operations
• Dining
• Financial Contingencies
• Policy Ramifications

These groups rely on guidelines from governmental and health bodies as well as business and medical experts within our community.

We want to accommodate all families in the safest and most seamless way possible. We will continue to work to deliver the safest and highest quality opportunities that we can. 

The Summit Afternoon Academy hopes to continue offering after-school activities for Eaglets (3s) to 5th Grade students. These high-quality, enrichment classes focus on meaningful experiences in a wide variety of topics. Our teams of teachers are exploring options for blended and distance learning should the need arise. 

Summit students have always engaged with their community with numerous activities and field trips. Within safe boundaries, we will continue to make every effort possible to get students off campus with museum partners, community organizations, and outdoor experiences. 

The Board of Trustees in concert with the administration of the school has established an Emergency Relief Fund (ERF). Effective immediately, the ERF provides emergency financial assistance grants, separate and apart from normal budgeted financial aid to current and future families in the Summit community who have been or will be adversely impacted by the pandemic. These grants are designed to support families with tuition for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.

The following criteria will apply as Summit considers assistance on a case by case basis:

1. Families experiencing financial stress should be in contact with Cindy Kluttz (ckluttz@summitmail.org) in our admission office. 

2. Complete SSS
.

3. Submit documentation as requested by Summit.

Conversations with Summit staff about a family’s financial circumstances are held in strictest confidence.

Several supporters of the School have stepped forward to contribute to this Fund. The School is also reaching out to the wider Summit community to humbly invite their participation. Of course, we do not expect current families who are experiencing financial stress to contribute to the Fund—indeed, the Fund has been created to support these very families. We are deeply grateful to those who are in a position to do so to contribute. If you would like to make a contribution, please contact Jeanne Sayers (jsayers@summitmail.org).

Donate to Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund

Thankfully, Summit entered this crisis from a strong financial position. As part of our strategic planning process in 2015, we developed several long-range financial planning models that give us the necessary flexibility to respond to and weather our current situation.

However, like many schools and businesses, Summit carries debt. Additionally it has experienced a number of unanticipated financial impacts resulting from Covid-19, especially as it relates to a sharp drop in ancillary (non-tuition) income that directly supports the academic program and general operational expenses. 

We anticipate additional costs this summer as we prepare the campus for social distancing and as our faculty works hard to build their distance learning plans.