As COVID-19 spreads through the country and with 37 confirmed cases in San Francisco as of 10 a.m. today, Convent & Stuart Hall is transitioning to online learning as means of students and teachers to maintain social distancing.

Students will be participating in their classes online using Zoom, a group video chat application and app, along with the school’s learning management system to continue classes while campus is closed. Teachers will work on their lesson plans and preparations for online instruction on March 16 and 17, with online classes officially starting on March 18.

“I’m still trying to figure it out, but I have some ideas on what I’m planning to do to teach,” mathematics teacher Caroline Norris said. “I will prerecord lessons where I teach the class and have it showing on my iPad so that students can follow along and take notes.”

Staying home and limiting social interaction is critical to slowing down transmission of the coronavirus, according to a March 10 panel of medical professionals at the University of San Francisco.  Their findings predicted 160 million people will be affected by the virus within the next 12-18 months and 1.5 million Americans will die, according to widely-circulated notes by Dr. Jordan Shlain on LinkedIn.

“I think it’s good that school’s closing, but it’s unfortunate because I would rather not miss school,” freshman Natalie Posner said. “I would much rather be face-to-face with all my teachers.”

While at home and not working on coursework, students can still stay active and occupied by doing outdoor activities as walks and runs as long as they keep at least a 6-foot distance from others, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

“I will do the Nike Training app as a workout because my swim team was cancelled and so was the school swim team,” Posner said. “I’m also planning to FaceTime my friends.”

Aside from social distancing, the best way to prevent illness spreading is by washing hands and not touching the face since coronavirus can enter the body through the eyes, nose and mouth. The CDC also recommends cleaning frequently touched surfaces.

“I think it will be crazy to see how our classes will change,” sophomore Finley Simon said. “For art class, we had to take home some art supplies because we won’t have any access to those things at home.”