Dear Perkiomen Community,
After 14 weeks of stay-at-home orders, Montgomery County moved to the green phase of re-opening on June 26. I am grateful for the cooperation and care shown within our Perkiomen community. We remained diligent, followed the expert advice of the CDC and the orders of Pennsylvania Governor Wolf, and our campus has remained a safe and healthy environment.
While campus was closed, our work did not stop. Our faculty and staff worked together to prepare and plan for our next steps, examining every detail from curriculum to cleaning.
As we continue to solve through living and stand ever strong, Perkiomen School is proud to announce our plan for fall campus opening – Perkiomen Resolved, a solution for meeting each student's goals, built for each student's situation.
This plan to return to instruction incorporates a four-part promise to each student and family.
We commit to provide you:
1. Options
2. Flexibility
3. Safety
4. Quality
We will continue to deliver the excellent, personalized Perkiomen education we all value, while prioritizing the health and safety of our students and employees. We recognize that there are many forces outside of our control, however we are committed to taking steps forward with confidence in our resilience and leadership.
I am excited to share that Perkiomen School's campus, including dormitories, will open for the fall term on August 27. Registration for Boarding Students will be held between August 27 and September 1. Day Student Registration will be September 2.
Perkiomen Resolved Overview
Our hybrid approach – including an on campus and online option – is a flexible, intentional plan allowing us to meet the needs of every student. The pedagogical strategy has a rhythm and cadence that will build from week to week aiming toward competency and promoting partnerships among students, faculty, parents, and advisors. This structure focuses on predictability for students during a time of uncertainty, which will lead to success either in the classroom or online.
To implement this approach, we have shifted to a seven-term schedule, to increase the number of pivot points should a student need to transition between online and on campus learning. There will be three classes per day, and class periods will not rotate during terms, providing continuity for each student. Two conferencing periods a day allow for one-on-one assistance or additional time for institute work, AP review, or Learning Center classes.
The hallmarks of a Perkiomen education – advisory, Purple & Gold Games, institute exploration, and after school activities – will continue and be accessible for both on campus and online learners.
Health and Safety
We will need everyone's cooperation in order to open a healthy campus this fall. Students will have a health assessment when they initially arrive on campus and will participate in monitoring throughout the year as well as testing, if available and recommended. Faculty and staff will also participate in health monitoring. As our partners, we ask families to discuss these changes and prepare students who reside on campus for a daily temperature check.
Face covering guidelines have varied from state to state. Perkiomen's plan will adhere to the latest Pennsylvania guidelines. The Pennsylvania Secretary of Health recently issued a Universal Face Coverings Order. As of July 1, the order requires individuals to wear a face covering in both indoor public places and in the outdoors when they are not able to consistently maintain social distancing from individuals who are not members of their household, such as on a busy walkway, waiting in line to enter a place, or near others at any place people are congregating.
Through adjustments to classroom occupancy and modifications to dining, we will be able maintain appropriate distance between community members. Shared spaces like Parents Hall and dormitory bathrooms will have barriers installed. Cleaning and sanitizing will continue. In addition to state guidelines, we are referencing the most updated information possible from the CDC while working closely with the Infection Control Specialist at St. Luke's Quakertown | Upper Bucks campus. We will release our full Health and Safety Plan in the coming weeks.
Even with strict mitigation measures in place, the success of our plan will lie with the willingness of our community to share responsibility for each other's health and safety. We ask for the commitment of the entire Perkiomen community to support these goals.
Registration and Campus Arrival
We are eager to welcome students and families back to Perkiomen's campus! Registration and arrival will be spread over a few days to adhere to our health and safety plan. Boarding students will arrive between August 27 and September 1 and will need to confirm their arrival date with the Student Life Department via our website. Day student Registration will be September 2 with an arrival time slot assigned to students.
Any family member who is not feeling well or has symptoms of COVID-19, which include a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, should remain home and not accompany your student to campus. If you are coming to campus, you will be asked to follow the Universal Face Coverings Order and adhere to social distancing measures.
Perkiomen has set new guidelines for dormitory occupancy. Only residents of that dormitory, dorm parents, or on-duty faculty and administrators may enter those buildings. Our families will be required to adhere to the same guidelines and while on campus, all visitors will have very limited access to buildings. Perkiomen staff will be available to assist students who are moving into their dorm rooms during Registration.
Please visit www.perkiomen.org/resolved to review our plan, including the daily academic schedule. We will continue to update the page throughout the summer. There are links to reference documents with recommendations and requirements for Day and Boarding Students, including links to updated travel information.
Perkiomen has always celebrated the differences within our community. What makes us special is the way our individual experiences, perspectives, and values come together. We understand each student and family may be facing a unique situation. We are flexible and eager to work with you to create a smooth transition this fall.
I couldn't be more excited to get back to school and see you all – whether in person or online. Know that Perkiomen is resilient and we are ready. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we take additional steps toward our collective success. Look for my next communication to come the week of July 27.
Sincerely,