Important Start of School & COVID Mitigation Information

Dear Friends,

It is my honor and privilege to serve the Villa community as the Interim Head of School during the 2021-2022 academic year. The faculty and staff are ready for an enriching and joyful year ahead even as we navigate new COVID-19 challenges. Each Villa student, from our youngest preschool student through our eighth grade leaders will travel through developmental milestones this year and it is the job of our entire community, faculty, staff and parents, to support and encourage our children in their growth as independent, thoughtful, compassionate young people. We are all privileged to be part of each child’s journey in the year ahead.

As you saw earlier this summer in Mr. Milroy’s June 25 Update to Villa families the majority of our Covid safety protocols will remain in place this year. The June update is part of our Back to School page on Villa’s website which will serve as a hub for updates and information this fall. In late July, the state Department of Health updated their Fall 2021 Requirements for Schools and while a few protocols have changed, much remains the same so that we can all work together to keep our entire Villa community as safe as possible amid the growing Delta variant outbreak in our area and across the nation. 

Please read, print and post this summary of Villa’s Fall 2021 Covid safety practices. Villa’s outstanding administrative team has articulated these important practices and policies in order to respond to the Delta variant and the important need to work together as a community for the good and safety of our students, faculty, staff and families. Please read the summary and note important details for topics such as: mask use, employee and volunteer vaccination requirements, state requirements for domestic travel and remote learning for Covid illness or quarantines.

Villa’s wonderful food service program will be offered to families again this year. In the next several days, you will receive information regarding our new online ordering system for student lunches. Chef Allison Hill is creating box lunch menus and families will be able to pre-order lunches that will be delivered to student classrooms at the start of each lunch period. We are happy to be able to offer this service to families and appreciate your patience and understanding as new procedures and processes are put into place at the start of the year.

As often happens in schools over the summer, we have experienced a recent change in staffing. Ms. Mandy Underhill, fourth grade teacher, is leaving Villa in order to teach in a public school near her home. Ms. Michelle Sullivan, Interim Lower School Director, has begun the process of hiring a new fourth grade teacher and we will share that information once the process is completed.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership with Villa’s faculty and staff as we launch our new school year. We are all looking forward to seeing your child(ren) very soon and wish you all a safe and restful August.

All the best,

Julie Thenell Grasseschi, Interim Head of School