Head's Weekly Message — April 17, 2020
Dear Parents,
I hope you had a beautiful Easter despite all the challenges that we are facing. I know many of us missed gathering together in person to celebrate this holiest day of the year and spending the holiday with our extended families. Skip and I “virtually” attended the most uplifting Easter morning liturgy celebrated by our cherished Past and Honorary Trustee, Msgr. Clem Connolly, of Holy Family Parish in South Pasadena. Clem’s homily focused on the identity of the “beloved disciple” as not a specific person but all of us, when we seek to connect through love with the heart of Christ—a message filled with hope and healing. We also enjoyed a Google Meet party with all our children, including baby Maddie, as she engaged in her first Easter egg hunt. Certainly, this will be an Easter that we all remember.
When we learned late last week that the “Safer at Home” order has been extended until the middle of May, it became clear that we would need to continue remote learning for the duration of the school year. With this realization, it also became clear that we would need to rethink our schedule to make sure that it would be sustainable for both our students and teachers.
To that end, we have spent this past week collecting data and analyzing options to determine the best schedule for our community going forward. Based on all the information we gathered, we have decided to keep the block rotation intact but make some substantial changes to the school day. Starting next week, classes will begin at 8:50 a.m., and blocks will be 60 minutes long with at least a 15-minute break between classes. Additionally, we will not have classes on Wednesdays.
Here is the new schedule for Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Block 1—8:50-9:50
Block 1—8:50-9:50
Break—9:50-10:05
Block 2—10:05-11:05
Break—11:05-11:20
Meeting Time (Advisory on Fridays)—11:20-11:50
Lunch—11:50-12:15
Block 3—12:15-1:15
Break—1:15-1:30
Block 4—1:30-2:30
We are hoping that this schedule will reduce stress for both our students and our faculty while allowing everyone to remain engaged and moving forward.
While we cannot predict when we will be able to get back on campus together, last Tuesday, Department chairs met to make some academic decisions about the end of the year. At that meeting it was decided that:
- we will not have final (cumulative) exams
- the last day of instruction for seniors will be May 15
- the last day for instruction for underclasswomen will be May 22
- AP classes will finish with their exams
We continue to hope that we will be able to celebrate our seniors in person together on June 7 and to go forward with at least some of our cherished traditions. I think we will know more by the beginning of May. In the meantime, I remained committed to holding our graduation ceremony even if it must be postponed or scaled down.
Thank you for your continued support. Please join me for a “virtual happy hour” this afternoon at 4:30 p.m., when we can connect as a community and I can answer questions and hear suggestions.
I continue to pray for the health and safety of our community—holding you all in the Light with love.
With Love and Gratitude,
Kate Morin
Established in 1931, Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, CA is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for young women grades 9-12. Noted for its rigorous academic program, which includes 28 Advanced Placement and Honors courses, Mayfield’s curriculum is underscored by a philosophy of educating the “whole child,” which also encourages commitment to and excellence in the arts, athletics, community service and spiritual growth. The nurturing environment at Mayfield Senior School allows each student to flourish in an atmosphere of personal attention.
