Dear All Saints Families,
 
During a news conference last Friday, Governor Abbott shared the plan for reopening businesses across the state in the weeks ahead. As you know, he also addressed schools declaring it "unsafe for students to gather in schools for the foreseeable future," Abbott declared all Texas campuses – public, private, and higher education – closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Consequently, All Saints students will not return to campus this school year, but our exceptional faculty will continue to serve students via ASES e-Learning.
 
This announcement may not come as a surprise to you, yet it is nonetheless saddening. I know this is not what any of us had planned and I truly empathize. As many of you know our daughter Cailey is a graduating Senior at Sweet Briar College. She was scheduled to walk the stage in May, had earned the privilege to speak as Student Government President, and our entire family had planned to be in Virginia to celebrate together. However, this won’t happen. Yet, we have decided that we will take all the lessons we can from this and be grateful. It is my prayer that we can all learn to offer each other new levels ofgrace, positivity, and support.
 
On behalf of our incredible team of teachers, administrators, coaches and staff, I am grateful for the outpouring of support and encouragement. Your kind words in texts, emails, and social media posts have heartened and motivated us during a difficult time. Clearly, we are a united All Saints Family, and we are all in this together. 
 
Our ASES e-Learning program is the result of countless hours of planning and has featured some incredible examples of creativity, collaboration and compassion. Our teachers are committed to ensuring that all of our students are nurtured and nourished during these times apart. We plan to continue to lead with innovative practices, embracing positivity, and placing our students first, as always. We are convinced that our students are mastering the essential skills needed to go into next year and the many years to come with confidence and courage.
 
In closing, I want to assure you though we are physically apart, we have never been more connected. Though we are not on campus, we have never been more of a community. And though we miss being together we will not miss out on the love we share collectively as the All Saints Family.
 
Sincerely,
Dear All Saints Families,
 
As we are courageously facing new challenges, I am inspired by the unwavering commitment from our teachers to powerful, connected learning and the remarkable collaboration from parents to come together to support one another. The innovative shifts that we have been striving for over recent years have strategically advanced our school to deliver learning centered on creativity, collaboration, connection, and engagement. While we never imagined a situation like what we now face, a Coronavirus pandemic, the forward-thinking mindset of the past has prepared us well for the uncertainties of the present. 
 
On behalf of our team, I am grateful for the outpouring of support and encouragement. Your kind words in texts, emails, and social media posts have heartened and motivated us during a difficult time. Clearly, we are a united All Saints Familyand we are all in this together. Our ASES e-Learning program is incredibly thought out but it will not be perfect, as little is at this time. We will make improvements to hone it more and we assure you your feedback will help us continue to evaluate and refine, until our return to campus. Please share your experiences through the weekly ASES e-Learning surveys.
 
With the advice of local health officials and following Governor Abbott’s recent Executive Order regarding COVID-19, ASES e-Learning will continue through at least Friday, May 1It is our goal to have students back on campus as soon as it is deemed responsible and safe to do so. 
 
In moments that require resilience, we must be reminded that we shouldn’t pray for tasks equal to our strength, but rather we should pray for grace equal to our tasks. That’s what we’re praying for…that God would give you sufficient grace needed for what you are facingPlease keep the All Saints community in your prayers and remember that we must move forward as we live out our mission to Ignite Passions to Impact Our World. Our world needs us to continue to develop students ready to be resilient, innovative, and impactful leaders for the future.
 
Sincerely, 
Mike Cobb
Head of School

P.S. I am reminded of the incredible ways our school community is sharing and receiving Grace, Positivity, and Support. This is a message we have been sharing with a "GPS mindset" for a couple of years. Please checkout my past blog at https://www.all-saints.org/news-detail?pk=1020524&fromId=170751

Dear All Saints Families,
I want to thank you all for your support and encouragement during the current public health emergency. I realize that the decision to alter the school schedule and normal routine is disruptive, and I am grateful for your understanding. Together, we will navigate this challenge...calmly and courageously. Our children learn from us not only in formal teaching environments, like classrooms, but also by observing the way we respond to the challenges of life. This is certainly a unique challenge, but also an opportunity to teach as our children are certainly watching the adults in their lives now. Please join me and the All Saints team as we strive to teach positivity, flexibility, determination, and resilience as we navigate this unprecedented time.

No All Saints Episcopal School student, faculty, or staff member has reported direct exposure to COVID-19. However, in consultation with local health officials and in light of the precautionary measures being taken all around us,  we will launch our e-learning program on Monday, March 23 and keep the campus closed through Sunday, April 5.

As you all know, we have been working hard over the last few years to leverage innovative approaches to distance and digital learning. While we never could have expected the current situation we have long anticipated the importance of remote learning.  This week the faculty and staff have been putting in countless hours tofinalize the launch for e-learning and create new opportunities for our students. Our guiding principles in the ASES e-learning program focuses on flexible, simplicity, and personal connection while building off our common expectations to develop the most effective feedback loop for students. I am so proud of this team and the passionate work that has gone into ensuring the continued delivery of our mission and vision during this time.

Our first priority is to care for our students and offer them productive learning opportunities. We will continue to do this as we all try to find ways to keep kids active and engaged as we grapple with how to be a supportive and caring community absent the luxury of proximity and face-to-face interaction.

Our teachers will focus on current learning goals and look to cast into new opportunities for our students to master curricular areas in a very new setting. We have so many tools that our students at All Saints are familiar with to help deliver high-value lessons and engaged learning. We will be using our myALLSAINTS to communicate regular lessons and our google tools for sharing. You will receive detailed information and instructions on Friday from division heads, department heads, and teachers specific to your children. We have tutorials and guides available for you as well.

 Again, most of all, we want to make sure that all students feel supported during this confusing time. All of us – students, educators, parents – should make sure we are doing things to take care of ourselves. We will continue to expand our ASES e-learning portal page on myALLSAINTS with additional resources, favorite books, and much more to share fun activities for the whole family. You can also stay up-to-date with all school communications viahttps://www.all-saints.org/covid-19-updates.
 
I am grateful for the passion, encouragement, and support that is ever evident in our All Saints community. We will continue to live our mission to ignite passions to impact our world, especially now.
 
Sincerely,
Dear All Saints families,
 
As we come to the close of a Spring Break that has included travel for many of our families, we want to be proactive to do our part to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19)  and protect our community.All Saints Episcopal School will extend Spring Break for students through Friday, March 20 with the planned return to campus on Monday, March 23. This extension will create social distance, which is one of the best preventative methods to prevent the impact of the coronavirus and other pathogens.
 
We will continue to closely monitor the situation concerning the coronavirus (COVID-19) with reports from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Net-Health and other agencies. We want to remind you that at this time, cases of the virus in the United States are very rare with no known cases or patients among All Saints students, faculty, and staff or in the Smith County area.
 
As we return to campus please know that we are taking additional precautions. All Saint’s cleaning service, Office Pride, has initiated heavier cleaning on hard surfaces such as door handles and other areas. It is also important to continue our normal preventive actions for disease and illness. These are everyday habits that can help prevent the spread of several viruses.
 
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. There is a correct way to wash your hands.
  • Stay home when you are sick
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
The CDC also has recommendations for talking with children about COVID-19 that you can reference here if needed.
 
We understand the implications and the impact of an extension of Spring Break on your family and take this decision very seriously. We believe that being at school is of utmost importance and that the learning our students experience every day is invaluable. However, our teachers have already been thinking of ways we could continue our learning outside the classroom and preparing for “e-learning” from home. We will dedicate even more time this next week for planning and “e-learning” development to be even more prepared in the case of extended absence from campus. 
 
We believe that being leaders in our community means taking every precaution for the health and safety of everyone into account. Thanks for your prayers and support.
 
 


All Saints Episcopal School
2695 S. SW Loop 323 Tyler, TX 75701 
903.579.6000 www.all-saints.org