SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Independent School (S.I.S.) has worked diligently since the spring preparing for the 2020/2021 school year. The school’s top priority is the health and safety of every member of the school community. Equally important is maintaining the quality of education and sense of community that S.I.S. provides, whether in-person or remotely.
The school’s administration, faculty, staff, and board members have developed a school-wide in-person learning plan and remote/hybrid learning plan. The in-person plan includes new health and safety measures, policies, and procedures, including new outdoor classroom spaces, reconfigured indoor classrooms to allow for proper social distancing, plexiglass table dividers, daily temperature checks and health screenings for all staff and students, and much more. The remote learning plan includes daily learning schedules, student engagement goals, and plans to address the emotional health of each student.
To help communicate the new plan to the school’s families, S.I.S. has hosted several tours for families and students to visit the school to learn about the new measures that are in place, and have questions answered.
Head of School, Lisa Brown, stated, “it has been wonderful to see so many families come through for our tours. Our goal has been to provide as much information and reassurance to our families as possible during this unsettled time. We are lucky to have such a strong school community and are excited to welcome our students back in the fall, and we will continue to involve students in our curriculum in person or remotely, and will carry on S.I.S.’s values of leadership, respect, creativity, active engagement, and meaningful learning.”
Jayne Kirber and Geoffrey Hill, MD, parents of S.I.S. intermediate and fifth grade students, said “after visiting SIS today and talking with Brown, we are feeling safe and ready to send our kids back to school. The small class sizes, large class spaces, ample outdoor space, and general creativity and flexibility of the faculty and staff make S.I.S. particularly suited to keeping kids both safe and engaged this fall. We can tell that the administration is prepared to adapt quickly, as state and local guidelines will undoubtedly change throughout the year. S.I.S. is staying well-informed, adaptable, and positive, and we know that this will help our kids stay adaptable and positive throughout the school year.”
After work by faculty, administration and the Board over the past year, SIS has a new mission statement. Brown said, “the new mission statement incorporates much of the language of our original mission, while reflecting a stronger sense of the spirit of the school and its commitment to the values of diversity and inclusion.”
The new mission of Saratoga Independent School is to empower students to be curious and confident learners, capable of critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and articulate expression. As an inclusive, nurturing community that values diversity and mutual respect, we strive to cultivate in our students the knowledge, skills, work ethic, and character to lead purposeful, healthy lives.
The full reopening plans for in-person and remote learning for S.I.S. can be found on their website at www.siskids.org/about/covid.cfm.
