Letter to Our Families and Donors

Dear Newark School of the Arts Community:

With our end-of-the-year performances, we completed our 2019-2020 school year. What an unusual year it was! Switching to all-remote lessons and classes would not have been possible without your adaptability, understanding and passion for your art form. Now as we prepare for our summer session and plan for the fall, we want to provide you with an update on our school’s plans going forward. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, March 14 was our last day of lessons and classes in our facility at 89 Lincoln Park, and at the Link School on Pennsylvania Avenue. Since then we have been providing lessons and classes remotely. We will continue with remote teaching over the summer. Our faculty has done an outstanding job learning new tricks, i.e. how to teach while being in a totally different location. We monitor the quality of the instruction and the progress of the students to ensure we are maintaining the high standards of instruction on which you have been able to count at the school. All we know right now is that a level of uncertainty will continue. With that in mind, we plan to begin the fall session with all lessons and classes being taught remotely. In late October we will assess the situation. If the pandemic has waned significantly, we will consider a partial opening of the facility for the spring session, mainly for instrumental lessons. This being contingent, of course, on guidance received from federal, state and local health officials. Voice lessons and wind instruments among other classes will still be taught remotely. Only lessons and classes where social distancing is possible will be taught in the facility. The building will be sanitized and spaces being used will be cleaned every day, more frequently as required. Temperatures will be taken on entrance and masks worn by all. Again, all of the guidelines provided by the City of Newark will be strictly enforced. The safety of the students, our faculty and staff will always be paramount. Once it is determined safe, either because the pandemic is depleted or a vaccine becomes available, we will begin moving instruction back into our facilities. Our hope is to be completely back in our facility by the fall of 2021. During this time open communication is crucial. We look forward to another exciting year of exploring art. We will continue to share updates with you. If you have questions, concerns or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us; the best way is through email.