In this newsletter:

  • Campus Update from Joanna Brown, Gould's Director of Health Services
  • Head of School Coffee Chat Summary from November 2
  • Upcoming Events, Opportunities and Notes
  • As Seen on Social Media This Week

Campus Update from Joanna Brown, Gould's Director of Health Services

It's hard to believe that it's already November, and we’re going to turn the clocks back this weekend! We are quickly entering the season of colds, influenza and COVID. In the last few weeks, COVID case rates and hospitalizations are increasing in western Maine, and we have seen an uptick of cases on campus. Oxford county is currently designated as a “High” COVID Community Level.  Because of this, it seems like a good time to send a reminder of our COVID policy and other information that will help our community stay healthy this winter.


Masking

With a “High” COVID Community Level, the Maine CDC recommends community members wear a mask while in indoor public settings. In the past, Gould has required masking based on this recommendation; however, going forward, the decision to change to universal indoor masking will be made after an assessment of the CDC risk designation, the number of active cases on campus and upcoming school events (such as graduation).  


We will continue to ask students and employees to mask:

  • If they are designated as a close contact.
  • If they are returning from COVID infection (days 6-10).
  • If they are sick but testing negative for COVID.


Communication of Campus Illness Trends

The Health Center will be sending out a weekly email to students and employees to share trends we’re seeing. This will include the number of COVID cases and close contacts. We are hoping this information will be helpful to individuals when they are making the personal decision to wear a mask.

  

Testing

We have plenty of antigen tests available in the Health Center. If you have any COVID-like symptoms (cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue, chills), you should test as soon as possible. Serial testing is most effective when using antigen tests. 


Vaccines

Please check to see if you are eligible for a COVID vaccine booster dose. The new bivalent booster has shown good ability to protect against the Omicron variants of COVID. If you have questions about COVID vaccines, this is a good resource from the Maine CDC.  

Covid boosters are available locally at:

  • Walgreens in Bethel. They take walk-ins Monday through Friday from 10am-1pm and from 2pm-5pm. 
  • Walk-In COVID Clinic at the Gem Theater, November 17th from 2pm-5pm. The vaccines AND the popcorn are free!


Flu Vaccines 

At Gould’s flu clinic in October, we administered 186 vaccinations! That is a great start to ensure we don’t have an outbreak of influenza at Gould this winter, but we still have more to go. Walk-in appointments are available at the Bethel Walgreens (hours above). Even if you aren’t worried about getting the flu, trust me, it's no fun. Getting vaccinated protects you and your community. 


Isolation on Campus

As a reminder to all students and families, we have a very limited ability to care for students who test positive for COVID. Boarding students will be expected to get picked up within 24 hours if they live within driving distance of campus.  


Thank you all for your willingness to adapt to the constant changes that COVID has brought us.  


Joanna Brown, RN,

Health Services Director

brownj@gouldacademy.org 

Head of School Coffee Chat Summary from November 2

During the Head of School Coffee Chat Zoom call on November 2nd, Stephanie Montgomery and Maggie Davis joined Tao Smith to talk about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Gould. 

 

Ms. Montgomery introduced herself and welcomed the group, and then asked Ms. Davis to tell the story of how Gould's DEI Task Force formed three years ago to show the historical context of her role. She explained the successes she has had this year, the work she is doing with our community, and the outreach she does with a lot of individuals and groups.

 

Mr. Smith added his thoughts about how transformational the DEI work has been for Gould this year, how much it has improved our community and our school, and how it's not always easy work. He explained the "Golden Rule 2.0", gave examples of some of the professional development training Gould has done for employees, and talked about the next steps for the DEI Task Force. 

 

Parents asked other questions about the Planned Parenthood trainings, final exam schedule, campus departure logistics, and registering for AP exams. 

 

Lindsay Legare talked about holiday travel plans for students, why we usually have students return to campus on a Monday rather than on the weekend, and what the winter class schedule will look like with athletics in the morning instead of in the afternoon. 

 

The recording of November's Head of School Coffee Chat can be found here (Please note that this link will expire on December 4th.) We had an issue with Zoom, people were having trouble getting onto the call, so the recording begins at the point where we had finally settled in and moved on from Tao Smith's welcome message to Stephanie Montgomery's introduction.

 

The next call will be on December 7, 2022. 

Upcoming Events, Opportunities and Notes

Events

Let's Go Huskies!

Friday:

  • XC Running: MAISAD Champs @ University of Maine Augusta
  • Girl's Varsity Soccer: Away vs. Hyde
  • Boy's JV Soccer: MAISAD Semis vs. Hebron
  • Field Hockey: MAISAD Semis vs. Hebron

Saturday:

  • Mountain Biking XC: Really Rad CX Festival

Monday:

  • Boy's JV Soccer: MAISAD Champs

Wednesday:

  • Boy's Varsity Soccer: MAISAD Semi Finals
  • Field Hockey: MAISAD Semi Finals
  • Girl's Varsity Soccer: MAISAD Semi Finals vs Hyde
  • In-House Horse Show at Deepwood Farm

Find the complete Gould athletic schedule on our website.


Tuesday, November 8: The "Richard Blanco Reading Series" is hosted annually by Gould's English department. This year on November 8th, author Doug Rawlings will read from 7-8PM in Bingham Auditorium (required for all students and open to the public). The reading will be followed by a book signing and dessert reception in the Marlon Family IDEAS Center from 8-9PM (optional for students and open to the public). Reach out to your student's advisor or Courtney Eichacker with any questions.


Friday, November 11 and December 9: Admissions Open House. Do you know someone who would like to attend Gould?


Gould To You, Boston, on Thursday, November 10 and San Francisco on November 17. It's a social gathering for alumni, staff, and past and current parents to connect and share stories about Gould. Learn more


Want to learn more about what's going on at Gould? Gould’s Head of School Coffee Chats are hosted via Zoom on the first Wednesday of every month from 8:00-8:30am EST. The next one is on Wednesday, December 7. If you're not able to attend "live," or if you'd like to send your question in advance, please enter it in the form link below and we'll do our best to answer it during the session. Zoom sessions are recorded and the link is shared in the News area of MyGould and in our weekly parent email newsletter.

Question submissions ---  Zoom Meeting Link 

Opportunities

College representatives visiting Gould next week include Champlain College, Paul Smith's College, and Lasell University. Juniors and Seniors are encouraged to meet with them in the college counseling office for casual conversations. View the full college visit schedule here 


Be a host family! Learn about a different country and culture while giving a Gould international student a real Thanksgiving experience! We are looking for Gould families to host our international students over Thanksgiving Break.  Please contact Peter Moses to sign up or learn more.

Notes

For boarding-student parents: We are streamlining the Leave Request process to make it even easier to use. Reach will now coordinate Leave Request procedures for Parents, Hosts, Advisors, and Boarders with an easy-to-use, paperless system that you can access from anywhere at any time and from any device.  Read more about the system upgrade and learn how it works


Please note the following about class schedules:

  • We do have classes on Veteran's Day, Friday, November 11th.
  • Finals week begins with Gould's traditional "Study Hall Extravaganza" on Sunday, November 13th. The exams for DOT 1&2 will be held on Monday, 3&4 on Tuesday, 5&6 on Wednesday, and 7 on Thursday.
  • The winter class schedule originally published in August has been edited. The major change was adding time after lunch on Monday to give advising teams and the advising counseling team dedicated time to meet. Monday is the only day that has changed with the addition of advising teams/advising counseling time and adjusting the time that assembly and office hours are on Monday. The rest of the week remains the same as originally published.

These classes can be seen on your student’s schedule in MyGould. Find instructions to add your student's class schedule to your Google Calendar here 


Dorms close for domestic students on Saturday, November 19th. Be sure to connect with Marya Vincent if your student needs transportation.

As Seen on Social Media This Week

From Bob Ross to Nacho Libre, the Gould students (and faculty) outdid themselves again this year, kicking off Spirit Week with some epic costumes. #GhoulLife #shakeandbake 🎃

Bonus question: What's your favorite scary movie? 👻

Author and Veterans For Peace Founder Douglas Rawlings will be visiting campus on Tuesday, November 8 as part of the Richard Blanco Writers Series. ✍️ 📓

We're looking forward to writing workshops for our students, but there will also be a reading in Bingham Auditorium that evening at 7 p.m., followed by a book signing. Free and open to the public.

Read more

Mountain Bike Championship Race at Kennett High School, North Conway, New Hampshire on October 29


View the photo album

Environmental Science at Pine Hill


View the photo album