ACM Families,
As you all know, Roy Cooper announced a mandatory closing of all schools beginning Monday, March 16. We were relieved to hear his message as research shows that proactive school closures are one of the most powerful interventions we can employ at this time. We have been watching closely and agonizing over making the right decision for our community. Over the past ten days, it feels like we have read every article out there on COVID-19. What our research is telling us, without a doubt, is that the time to act is now. We all have an obligation at this time to use social distancing as much as we possibly can. We know that many people do not have the option to work from home and that our healthcare workers certainly do not have that option. This makes it even more important for those of us who do have the option to make the right decision at every opportunity. For this reason, we feel that it is our responsibility to close our doors for all programs for at least the week of March 16-22.
For now, we are taking it one week at a time. We are hopeful that North Carolina’s testing capacity will increase this week and that, by the end of the week, we will have a better understanding of the situation in our area. As we continue to navigate these waters, we will follow the guidance of the CDC and our local health department along with taking our own look at what is helping in other countries as they battle this pandemic just a few weeks ahead of us. We will update you on our decision each week.
Our current plan is to postpone the start of our spring session and proceed with an 11 week session once we are able to re-open. We will maintain a liberal make up policy if you are not comfortable returning at that time or if you are not able to attend classes in the early summer. We will do whatever we need to do to make sure you get all of your classes. In the interim, we are working on creating short and fun lessons for your kids to participate in from home. We have lots of ideas for resources that will make your time at home more fun and will help your kids maintain a feeling of connection with their community.
As you all know, this is the time we would normally begin preparing for Spring Show. Everything is currently too unknown to make hard plans regarding the show, but we have decided that we will continue planning and, when we are cleared to gather in large groups again, the show will go on. It may end up being a summer show, but we promise that it will be a fantastic party to celebrate making it through this difficult time. Let’s give the kids something awesome to look forward to. The online programming we are working on will include videos to begin learning the choreography. We predict that this will be an especially fun way to keep the kids involved while they’re stuck at home.
Please know that closing our doors temporarily is the hardest business decision we have ever made. We are worried about how long we can sustain a closure but we are trying to be brave and make the best decision for our community. We’ve dedicated our lives to this business for the past eight years and it’s hard to imagine even a day with our doors fully closed. It is even harder when the timeline is so unknown. Please remember that there are so many incredible small businesses in our town and many of them are facing the same hard decisions. Let’s do everything we can to support them through this time and of course to support each other. Remember that the more we all stay home now, the shorter this time period may be. Spend some time in the sun and enjoy the extra time with your kids. We know first hand that they are fantastic at lifting spirits. :)
Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Becca and Angie