Superintendent's Letter: September 1, 2021
Dock Parents and Students,
We have enjoyed a great beginning to our school year. We have appreciated being back together with our students. I trust your children have experienced a positive beginning as well.
As you may be aware, Governor Tom Wolf announced yesterday (Wednesday, August 31, 2021) that the PA Department of Health has issued an order requiring masks to be worn inside all K-12 school buildings (public and private), as well as childcare facilities, in Pennsylvania beginning Tuesday, September 7, 2021. This order now becomes a state order that we are obligated to follow – even though we are a private school. Additional details are provided by the state in this FAQ document. This order does not apply to sports or outdoor activities.
Dock will comply with the state order and will require masks of staff, students, and visitors when indoors as we return to school on Tuesday, September 7. We know that any decision related to COVID mitigation measures impacts each of you differently. This is an emotional topic. We wish this year would be easier to navigate.
Dock will do what we can to work with you and make this journey as easy as possible. We want to be supportive of you and help our students find ways to reduce anxiety and to stay safe. We will work to maximize our time outdoors and provide frequent mask breaks. We look forward to the time when we will no longer need to wear masks.
We appreciate your encouragement for your students in complying with this change of rule at Dock. Continue to let us know as you have suggestions or questions.
We encourage you to pray for the physical and emotional health of our students and staff. We are grateful for God’s presence in our school every day.
Let’s have a great year together!
Sincerely,
Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber
Superintendent
Additional Information
Watch the Zoom parent presentation from July 29
View the parent presentation Powerpoint
Read our FAQ about the Reopening Plan
View Dock's Health and Safety Plan
Download and print the Covid-19 waiver
Read all of the Superintendent's Letters:
"I just want to take a moment to say thank you. It is obvious that Dock has spent time and prepared a plan that takes into account the many different thoughts, opinions, concerns, and frustrations of all families during this pandemic. While it is impossible to please everyone, it is clear the two options you have outlined have the biggest probability of satisfying the majority of your families. Providing two options is so refreshing and I realize this will be much extra work for your staff and teachers…thank you! This will be our oldest child's first year at the school, and we could not be more pleased with our choice of Dock!"
Dock Elementary Family
"I am confident in the decisions made by the administration, board and pandemic team. There are two options, on-campus learning or remote learning, for Early Childhood through 12th grade. Thank you, Dock administrators, for spending your summer planning for the fall. I know many families from other schools are concerned about the options available to them. Dock has a large facility with a smaller number of students, so safety, academics, and social interactions will not be compromised!"