COVID-19 Information and Updates

This page is designated for information, updates, and resources related to COVID-19.

March 27, 2020 - Reminders & Tips For Remote Learning

March 27, 2020

COVID-19 Update

Hyde Families and Students,

I hope this finds you well and that most of your questions have been answered as we gear up to begin our remote learning on Monday!

We have put a lot of work into preparing what we hope will be engaging classes and a well-rounded schedule to keep our mental and physical wheels turning during this time of social distancing. With no doubt, some of us will likely run into issues as we navigate the first few days, so stay patient and know that we always welcome feedback to make this experience meaningful for all of you.

We go LIVE on Monday, March 30th at 10:30 am EST beginning with Discovery Group check-ins, followed by academic classes. You may elect to do your workout in the morning before we begin or in the afternoon.

Reminders And Tips:

You can find the schedule for the week here.

Hyde Schedule

This is a video tutorial of how to log into your discovery groups and academic classes. You should practice with Google Hangouts Meet before Monday to ensure you have webcam and audio settings ready to go.

Video Tutorial

Here is the link for the reoccurring Nightly Webinars that are on the schedule. You can join by clicking the link here or you may save the link and paste it into the address bar at 7:00 to join that night’s Webinar.

Webinar Link

https://meet.google.com/evn-frqp-vmd?hs=122

This link is also present on your Student’s Google Calendar. The link will be the same for every Webinar, it will not change, so feel free to save this link however it is easiest for you.

100% live class attendance is expected if you live in the Continental US.
Those in other countries will have access to the recorded classes in your Google Classrooms.
Those of you in China will be in contact with folks via WeChat and your email address.
Your Discovery Group Leaders and teachers will do everything they can to answer any of your questions as they arise.
Refer to our Remote Learning Student Expectations. Please read it carefully and follow the guidelines listed.

Remote Learning Student Expectations

Don’t forget about our community reading project.

Families and students need to pick a book to read and we will discuss them in groups as we go through the spring.

Students will begin with one of the following:

Educated by Tara Westover — A coming of age memoir and a portrait of resilience, courage and the power of education.

OR

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens — A mystery, a celebration of the natural world, and the story of a young woman’s commitment to being herself and to fighting for her passions.

Parents, Faculty, and Staff will begin with one of the following:

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell–an incredible novel that plays on the theme of isolation (in this case in 18th- and early 19th-century Japan) and tells a story about the courage of commitment and the meaning of truth. It is one of the best novels of recent years

OR

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. The title speaks for itself!

Stay safe, commit to starting this new adventure of remote learning in a positive manner, and we’ll get through this together!

Best wishes from all of us on campus!

Crystal Peltzer
Director of Studies

March 25, 2020 - Letter From Hyde's School Counselor

March 25, 2020

COVID-19 Update

It is certainly a different world from the time, a few short weeks ago, that we said goodbye to our students as they headed off for March Break. Like many of you, I have had plenty of time to think about what this change might bring and how we will all manage, grow, and support each other. I want to assure you that at Hyde School we are all committed to doing just that… Helping to manage the academics as well as the challenges of uncertain times, growing during a time of new schedules and supporting in any way that we can.

As the School Counselor, I will be offering my support to students and families by phone, emails, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and other video platforms.

In these times of chaos and uncertainty in the world, I find it helpful to remind myself that there are still many things that remain the same. For one, Hyde’s commitment to students and families. Though the path to get there currently looks different, our commitment to helping our students discover their unique potential is the same.

As parents and educators, we must bring the calm and regularity that our children need right now. There is very little that matters more than caring for and educating our youth. In any way that I can, I am here to support students and families as we navigate some unchartered waters. I feel confident that we will all come out stronger having shared this experience.

Remember to take time for yourselves, practice self-care, take a break from the news when you need to and reach out for support.

If you would like to schedule a time to “meet”, please reach out to me at lhobart@hyde.edu.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Lori Hobart, LSCW
Director of School Counseling

Office: 207-443-7195 | Cell: 978-302-9208 | Email: lhobart@hyde.edu

March 24, 2020 - Video Update From Bath, Maine

March 24, 2020 - Alumni, HAPA, and Friends Update

March 24, 2020

COVID-19 Update

Dear Hyde Alumni, HAPA, and Friends,

On behalf of all of us here in Bath, I truly hope that this letter finds you and your loved ones
well and moving forward. As we continue to navigate through a changing world, we want to
connect with our Alumni, HAPA, and friends to provide support, challenge, encouragement,
and a sense of community while also updating you on what is happening here at school.
Please continue to visit this page to see the updates posted on our ongoing communications.

Here at school, life has changed dramatically just as it has all over the world.

While most of our students were on spring break when the news of nation-wide school closures
took place, there has been a group of international students who are still on campus working
with a few faculty members who were not able to travel home. They have shown caring,
courage, and creativity as they enjoy some downtime and make the most of their situation.
Most of the faculty have returned from spring break and are self-isolating in their apartments
here on campus while some are isolating off-campus. The team continues to work tirelessly
to put into place our new remote educational program, which will begin on March 30th. Most
of the staff are working remotely but we will continue answering our telephones, receiving
mail, processing gifts and checking in on our Hyde family. Our employees are active,
engaged, and working as hard as ever on your behalf.

Hyde has always been committed to building and serving our community.

In times like these, that means more than ever. We have already begun working on some
opportunities to connect remotely as a community and look forward to sharing more details
about these opportunities in the coming weeks. Long time Hyde veteran Bob Felt is working
with our founder Joey Gauld to set up remote Hyde conversations and many alums and
HAPAs are offering to help our current students and families during this time. First, we want
to ensure that those interested can receive news and information.

We encourage each of you to click on this form to update your contact information.

You can also email us at alumni@hyde.edu (whether you’re an alum, HAPA, or friend)!
Please follow us on Facebook @HydeSchool and @HydeAlumni and on Instagram
@HydeSchool and share with us using the hashtag #wearehyde.

We are deeply grateful to the Hyde community during this time. Whatever we face in the
coming weeks and months, we will face together. Stay safe, follow health guidelines, and I
know that we will take care of each other. #wearehyde

Sincerely,

Laura D. Gauld ’76
President & Head of School

March 20, 2020 - Employee Update

March 20, 2020

COVID-19 Update

Team,

I hope this email finds everyone safe and hunkered down for a weekend of rest and isolation. First, I want to thank everyone this past week for the incredible attitude and willingness to adjust our work model in order to stay safe and also to keep our school moving forward. We have had productive phone calls, email, Blackbaud training, and video conferencing throughout the week. The facilities team along with the Dining team has been doing amazing work on the campus cleaning and disinfecting buildings. The faculty that have worked with the International students on campus along with Fang Jiang have taken such good care of the students here. So many of you have worked tirelessly to get communications out, answer phones, deal with short and long term planning and it is truly making a difference as we face this crisis together.

For the coming week, we will continue in this new model, with most staff working remotely and faculty preparing for the remote learning which begins March 30th. There will be no meetings on campus but there will be a google call on Monday at 2 pm for those who will be working with the students and families. Please work with your direct Supervisor as to where you will be working this week and make sure that Sarah Clifford is aware so we can know where our team is. Also, remember that many of the buildings and the gym are closed so we can keep the campus closed off for now. Walks out at the track and on the edge of campus are fine if we all keep our distance from the Renewal Center where the students are located.

Another reminder is to keep our health and handwashing in place and reach out if anyone needs groceries or supplies. We will continue to monitor the situation and review each week as it comes. I suspect that we will know more if a student return before June is possible in the next week. We are also planning for the summer and for the date when we will be able to have students back on campus.

Thank you. Whatever we face, we know that we have a better chance to face it when we work as a team. We do not need to be standing next to each other to be a team.

Onward,

Laura D. Gauld ’76
President & Head of School

March 18, 2020 - Update For Families

March 18, 2020

COVID-19 Update

Dear Hyde Families,

As we continue to navigate through a new world, it seems that our only constant is the change that is unfolding each day. No doubt many of you, like many of us at Hyde, are staying at home and balancing both your professional roles as well as your biggest job as parents! While our adult children are no longer in residence, Malcolm and I are in regular communication with them and Harrison just came for a visit. There are certainly many opportunities that his autism presents, but it was clear that he is blissfully unaware that the world is in lockdown mode. He helped me to see that life is still about making connections even if we cannot hug or even stand too close to each other right now.

Here at school, life has also changed dramatically. The faculty who are returning from spring break are self-isolating in their apartments here on campus and some are at home off-campus. Most of the staff are working remotely so that we can limit human contact on campus. There is a small crew working to thoroughly clean and disinfect each building on campus. And finally, there is a team meeting remotely to put into place our new educational program, which will begin on March 30th.

In the midst of all this, there is a group of international students who are still on campus working with a few faculty members who were not able to travel home. They have shown caring, courage, and creativity as they enjoy some downtime and make the most of their situation.

As we practice social distancing, we are forced to learn some new skills. Hyde has always been about the concept of community. Simply put, everyone does everything. So much of Hyde life happens during school meetings, performing arts shows, academic presentations, and family weekends. As we have imagined the key components of our new remote learning program, there is one thing we all agreed upon: we need to maintain some sense of community and create some activities that we are all going to commit to – students, parents, faculty, and staff. We are also going to have to reach out to each other through calls, texts, webinars, etc. to continue the support and challenge that is essential to the Hyde education.

The schedule that we are developing includes aspects that we will all be involved in:

Everyone will commit to their work – the students will have academic work and the parents will be facing their own new work schedules.
Everyone will be on one Wolfpack athletic team – We will be running, walking or engaging in exercises if we are limited in getting outside. (more details to come)
We will read – We will start with fiction and nonfiction options.
Students will begin with one of the following: Educated by Tara Westover — Both a coming of age memoir and a portrait of resilience, courage and the power of education OR Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens–a mystery, a celebration of the natural world, and the story of a young woman’s commitment to being herself and to fighting for her passions.
Parents, Faculty, and Staff will begin with one of the following: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell–an incredible novel that plays on the theme of isolation (in this case in 18th- and early 19th-century Japan) and tells a story about the courage of commitment and the meaning of truth. It is one of the best novels of recent years OR The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. The title speaks for itself!
We will learn from each other – There will be weekly webinars on college counseling, family education, the senior evaluation process, making healthy choices, and more.
There will be human voice contact – Once a week, each family will have a phone check-in with their Discovery Group leader, as well as having other opportunities for individual calls for academics, family support and mentoring.
We will share our learning! – Using the hashtag #wearehyde we will share our photos, messages, and inspiration to encourage and support each other.

The challenge before us will continue to test us. We can do this, for our families have already embraced a character approach. Know that our team, both here and remote, will go to the ends of the Earth to help you and your child, not just to endure this period, but also to embrace the opportunities that we may not be able to envision at this moment. As Helen Keller said, “When one door closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us”.

While the Hyde schedule template (linked below) is still in development, I thought it would be helpful for all of us to start to envision what lies directly ahead. Next week, our faculty team will be preparing for remote lessons in all of Hyde’s subject areas. You can always look for updates on the Hyde website, but soon as we know if there might be a potential return date, we will communicate that to our families. In the meantime, we must prepare for the reality that a return date this year may not happen. Whatever we face in the coming weeks and months, we will face together. Stay safe, follow health guidelines, and I know that we will take care of each other.

Onward,

Laura D. Gauld ’76
President & Head of School

Hyde Schedule

March 13, 2020 - Letter For Employees

March 13, 2020

COVID-19 Update

Dear Hyde School Employees,

As the world-wide coronavirus outbreak continues to dominate our news each day, we know this may be a source of growing concern for our employees. We want to assure you that keeping our staff safe and well is our top priority during this time. To that end, we want to share with you some important information about coronavirus (COVID-19) and how we can all work together to minimize its impact in our communities.

As of 3/13/2020, there have been several reported positive cases of COVID-19 in Maine. Infectious disease experts have yet to see evidence the virus is spreading through our communities, and therefore the current risk of getting COVID-19 here is still regarded as low.

Obviously, this can change as it has in other communities across the country. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to minimize your chances of contracting the virus and limit its spread. Here is what the CDC recommends:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds;
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, especially when out in public;
Avoid contact with people who are sick and stay home if you are sick;
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue away;
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend the general public wear a mask to prevent COVID-19.

Older adults and people with serious chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and lung disease are at a higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19. If you are in this high-risk group, the federal Centers for Disease Control is now recommending that you reconsider travel and avoid crowds. If you are not in a high-risk category, there are also some recommendations and warnings about traveling to places in the world with ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19. Please continue to monitor CDC’s website for the latest developments.

What is Hyde School doing now in response to COVID-19 developments?

We are keeping surfaces clean and practicing and promoting good hand hygiene in all offices and working spaces.
Our dining hall will remain closed until March 23^rd. When we reopen the dining hall, there will likely be newly established protocols that we will ask employees to follow.
We are asking all employees who have traveled away from campus for spring break to provide travel details to the Business Office (sclifford@hyde.edu or ahennin@hyde.edu) as soon as possible. We will need to ask you questions about where and when you have traveled, including airports you have passed through.
For employees who reside in on-campus housing and who have traveled away from campus, there is a possibility that you will be asked to self- quarantine in an off campus location for 14 days prior to returning to campus.
We are asking all employees to stay home from work if they experience a cough or flu-like symptoms accompanied by a fever.
Employees who miss work due to illness will be allowed to receive an additional four (4) paid sick days if they need it between now and June 30, 2020.

As noted above, if you have flu-like symptoms and experience shortness of breath or are otherwise concerned about your symptoms or have reason to believe you were exposed to someone known to have COVID-19, call your health care provider.

To keep up with the latest information, consult trusted sources such as the CDC. You can also get updates on our website here.

We will be monitoring the situation closely and providing regular updates to all employees.

Take good care,
Sarah Clifford, CFO

March 12, 2020 - Letter To The Hyde Community

March 12, 2020

COVID-19 Update

Dear Hyde Community,

Over the last few days, we have watched, listened and felt all the emotions surrounding our new reality unfolding. Following conversations with Maine educators, webinar discussions with national colleagues and multiple meetings on campus, I am writing to inform you about our most current plans in light of the evolving reality of COVID-19.

Given the uncertain trajectory of the virus and our responsibility to support public health efforts and our own precious students, we have determined the following and will adjust our schedule as needed:

We will have an extended spring break for our students through Sunday, March 29.
On Monday, March 30, remote learning will begin for our students.
Our current plan is to bring students back on campus Monday, April 13, however, this is pending developments in the coming weeks.
In response to directives from the larger health community, we will be canceling the Spring Family Weekend (April 24-26) along with the traditional Spring Sports schedule.
In addition, the three spring on-campus FLCs dates of March 26-29, April 2-5, and April 21-23 will be canceled.

Beginning tomorrow morning, we are deploying veteran Hyde faculty members to reach out to each family to check in and share more in detail of our plans as we move forward with the learning modifications needed to meet our educational goals. We are currently meeting around the clock to discuss long distance learning, Discovery group meetings, college counseling, and parenting support as we adjust to the new normal in front of us.

Thank you for your flexibility, support, and understanding as we all prioritize health and safety, both within our community and in the communities that we are all a part of. Our school motto has long been #hydetough and we believe that there are opportunities in these obstacles that will be uncovered.

Following our one-on-one phone calls, we will post frequent updates both here and through email. As always, we welcome the opportunity to get on the phone and process any thoughts and feelings.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all those in the world who are affected by this crisis and also to our Hyde families and employees who make up this amazing community. We truly will practice the spirit of Brother’s/Sister’s Keeper to help everyone get through this and emerge stronger.

Sincerely,

Laura D. Gauld ’76
President & Head of School