COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

September 20, 2020

Dear Tapestry Families,

We have completed our second week of school and we have many reasons to celebrate!

The partnership between our teachers and families in these first two weeks has been extraordinary and the results have been inspiring to watch.  In our K-4 building, we have had two weeks of teaching and learning happening between happy students and caring and dedicated adults.  Our remote learning programs have been buzzing with activity and our attendance has been so strong.  Operationally and instructionally, our Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade teams have found so much success that we have been able to accelerate into our 5-day per week in-person instructional model two weeks earlier than originally planned.

This past week, our in-person/hybrid 5th grade crews have successfully paved the way to welcome back our in-person/hybrid 6th grade crews into the Middle School, where all of our grade level teams have been artfully balancing their remote and virtual instruction with teamwork and creativity.  Our high school’s remote live classes are now well underway, students are following their daily schedules, turning in assignments and having meaningful and important Crew discussions with talented, loving, hardworking educators. Our teachers and staff that haven’t yet had the opportunity to welcome their in-person students back to physical school cannot wait to do so.

Tapestry has been able to position itself as a model school of resilience, stability and strength in this community.  Thank you to all our incredibly dedicated staff, teachers, parents and community members who have given so much of themselves to our school over a trying number of months so that we could reopen safely and successfully.  We have been a living and breathing embodiment of “we are crew.”

I’m also writing today with a few reminders and updates:

COVID-19 Report Card:

Every day, New York school districts are required to provide the NYS Department of Health (NYSDOH) with daily data on the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19. The information is publicly available on the COVID-19 Report Card which can be found here and via a link on our Tapestry website. If your child tests positive for COVID-19 please contact the school nurse ASAP so we can inform the ECDOH and assist them with contact tracing.

1:1 Technology Device Delays:

Delays in shipments of Chromebooks and other devices have been prevalent across the country and the globe, and unfortunately Tapestry is experiencing the same manufacturing and distribution delays.  Our technology vendors notified us this week that our new Chromebook shipments have been delayed until mid October.  We will persevere together to continue to try and find creative ways to offer solutions to our students and families who are in need of devices so that they can find success in this first few months of school.  If you are a family in need of Technology Assistance, please use our Tapestry Family Technology Assistance form on our website, here.

Staying diligent:

As we are moving into our first semester of school, and routines are beginning to harden in the lives of our families, please continue to be diligent about mask wearing, physical distancing, and respiratory and hand hygiene.  We have recently learned that many confirmed cases of COVID-19 in WNY schools could have been avoided.  If your child is experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, has traveled internationally or to a restricted state in the last 14 days, please do not send you child to school.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

We are crew.

Thank you,

Eric Klapper

Executive Director