Welcome

• Throughout this year, our plan is to maximize in-person learning within the context of community health as well as any governmental constraints. Our planning for next year has been guided by three key priorities:

1. Relationships. Prioritize the continuity, connectedness, and wellbeing of our students. This includes relationships with teachers and peers and care for their emotional, mental, and physical health.

2. Health & Safety. Prioritize safety in consultation with public health experts, the medical community, other schools including colleges, and leading organizations.

3. Flexibility. Prioritize creative options to maximize learning, especially face-to-face.

• We will continue to be guided by the recommendations of local authorities as well as international and national public health organizations (e.g., the CDC, WHO) as we develop and implement our safeguarding measures to guide campus re-openings.

• We recognize that we will need to adjust and adapt our plans, including schedules and processes, as we stay responsive to changing health climates, directives from key authorities, and learn from our own experiences.

In addition to the safety policies and procedures detailed on the “SAFETY” tab, Avenues has configured student groups and spaces to protect the health of our students and colleagues at the Studio.

First Principles of Design

• Limit group size: By limiting the size of a gathering, we reduce transmission opportunities.

• Minimize mixing: By minimizing mixing across cohorts, we reduce transmission opportunities, enable effective and rapid contact tracing, and create a greater likelihood of containment.

• Maximize outdoor learning: By conducting daily activities outdoors as much as possible, we reduce transmission opportunities.

Operating Strategies for 2020–21

• Limiting Group Size

  • The Studio has capped its total enrollment at 60 students

  • The student group size is targeted to be 15 students with a maximum capacity of 17

• Minimizing Mixing

  • Each self-contained student group has its own dedicated learning space used exclusively by that group.

  • Each learning space has its own entrance/exit and private bathroom.

  • Each student group has a dedicated Studio faculty member who works exclusively with that group.

  • Each student group also works with a second faculty member who either works exclusively with that group or with only one other additional group.

• Maximizing Outdoor Learning

  • Each student group has its own covered outdoor space. Weather permitting, lunch and recess will always be outdoors. Classes, project work, and community activities will be conducted outdoors as appropriate.

• The Studio plans to be open for all students to be on campus for standard Studio hours, 9:00 a.m. – 3:30.p.m., Monday through Friday. The Studio remaining open is dependent upon health conditions and circumstances and will be based on expert guidance or government mandate.

• Flexible scheduling is a distinguishing feature of the Studio. While students in each cohort are provided with a structured daily schedule during the standard Studio hours, students are not required to follow a prescribed, standard-issue schedule. Instead, schedules can be adapted to meet the individual needs of students and their families. Students partner with their Studio Mentors to tailor their daily and weekly schedules to meet their individual goals and optimize their learning. Through the process of co-designing and constantly refining their flexible schedules, students learn to manage their time comfortably and effectively to fulfill their responsibilities, achieve their goals, and pursue their passions.