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 Back-to-School Information for Families We are excited to welcome all Bearcats to campus in a few weeks! Please take note of the following in preparation for the upcoming academic year, as a number of actions are needed.
COVID-19 Health and Safety Updates
We are carefully monitoring the pandemic situation as the Delta variant circulates through the U.S. and other areas of the world. In light of these changes, we have added layers of protection as we welcome students to campus. We ask that you read the updates below carefully as some will require your action.
Pre-Arrival Testing for All Students
All students, regardless of vaccination status, should have a PCR or molecular test for COVID-19 completed within three (3) days of arrival on campus. If you are scheduled to arrive on the weekend and testing turn around times necessitate additional time, tests may be obtained up to five (5) days prior to arrival.
All students will also be tested upon arrival to campus. We will be completing pooled saliva testing and students should refrain from eating, drinking, or chewing gum for 30 minutes prior to their scheduled arrival time at the MAC.
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Masking
For the start of the school year, masking will be required indoors for everyone, with the exception of in a student's own dorm room. We anticipate relaxing this requirement and masking will likely become optional indoors for vaccinated individuals depending on pandemic conditions and public health requirements in schools. While we expect this to evolve, there is currently an executive order in Connecticut requiring indoor masking in schools. Outdoor masking remains optional.
Move-In, Visitation, and Weekends
For arrivals, families are welcome to accompany their students through Registration at the MAC, however, they should otherwise remain outside of campus buildings including dorms and the Main Building. Light refreshments and restroom facilities will be available.
The campus will then remain closed until the weekend of September 18 as we ensure the vaccination of those who do not have access in their home countries. Visitors will not be permitted and requests to leave campus will not be approved prior to this date.
As we move through the school year, we anticipate continuing to both remove and add layers of protection as pandemic conditions and public health guidance evolve.
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Reminder: Move-in Dates and Times
Arrivals on campus will be staggered on the following dates. All students should arrive at the Mars Athletic Center (MAC) for registration according to their designated date and time (GPS address: 22 Lime Rock Road). Students should make every effort to arrive on campus by the dates outlined above. If your arrival will occur beyond these timeframes, please contact Amber Jordan in the Deans' Office at (860) 435-3739. Sibling Students with Different Arrival DaysIf siblings are scheduled for different arrival days, they may both arrive on the day that works best for your family. Note that all new students should arrive on September 3. Please contact Amber Jordan at (860) 435-3739 to confirm the arrival date for your siblings. |
Updated 2021-22 Travel Calendar
Click here for the 2021-22 travel calendar (as of August 1, 2021).
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Course Enrollment Confirmation
This is now available in the Parent Portal. Please login to access your student's information, then click on your student's name to find the link labeled "Current Course Enrollment."
Ordering 2021-22 Textbooks
Students and parents will find textbooks on our website HotchkissSchoolStore.com. All textbooks are located by course number on the bottom left-hand side of the website. When ordering textbooks, please put the student's full name in the customer field. Questions regarding textbook orders should be sent via email to [email protected] or call (860) 435-3670 for assistance. |
Roommate Information
Roommate assignments will be sent via email to students on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. Within the email students will find the name(s) and contact information of their roommate(s) for the coming year. For new students, having this information gives them an opportunity to get acquainted with their new roommate. For all students, it allows dorm room planning to occur prior to the start of School. Please note, if there is no roommate listed within the email, your student is currently assigned to a single room for the 2021-22 school year.
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If you have not already done so, please submit all required COVID-19 vaccination records and health forms to the Health Center Portal. |
 Laundry Options for 2021-22
All students have access to free laundry machines on campus, but students need to provide their own laundry supplies (soap, dryer sheets, etc.).
An optional laundry and dry cleaning service, E&R (The Campus Laundry), is also available. Please note there is a fee for this privately arranged service.
How to Ship Items to Campus
If you are shipping items or supplies to campus, please do not send packages until August 20. We accept packages sent via all common carriers--e.g., U.S. mail, UPS, FedEx, DHL.
Please send mail and packages to students (using their legal name if possible) at this address:
Student's Name (first and last)
The Hotchkiss School
11 Interlaken Road
Lakeville, CT 06039
Any shipped parcel or package will be available for student pick-up at the Hotchkiss Post Office during Orientation. Please note the School does not deliver packages directly to the dorm room.
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The "Opening Days Transportation Pilot Program" offered in 2019 and 2020 was highly underutilized and, therefore, has been discontinued. The number of students using shuttles was so small that the service is not feasible. If you need transportation to campus at the start of school, please contact an area car service.
Transportation schedule information is also included in each month's Family Update.
The first School break is Family Weekend, October 15-19. Reservations for return transportation from New York City at 6 p.m. on October 19 will be available beginning in mid-September.
Questions may be directed to Laurie Grusauski.
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Update Your Contact Information
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 Reminder: Required Summer ReadingPlease note that all students have required summer reading assignments. These must be completed before the start of the school year. Books by Class Level
Prep (9th Grade): Septembers of Shiraz (2007) by Dalia Sofer Lower Mid (10th Grade): Educated (2018) by Tara Westover Upper Mid (11th Grade): A Lesson Before Dying (1993) by Ernest Gaines Senior (12th Grade): The Things They Carried (1990) by Tim O'Brien All-School Reading Assignment (to be completed by all students):
This summer, we will read a selection of shared essays from Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Beyond this common set of excerpts, you will choose one of three strands for further reading within the book: field, woods, or water. Each set of essays corresponds to a natural space on our campus.
Details about the All-School reading assignment are outlined in this helpful study guide.
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For Families New to Hotchkiss
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August Webinar: Getting Ready to Come to Hotchkiss
Join us and learn more about getting your student ready for Hotchkiss from a panel of School administrators. Topics will include: what to bring to campus; what to expect on move-in day; the role of the advisor, class dean, and dorm faculty; and other common questions from new parents and guardians.
DETAILS
Tuesday, August 17
7:30 - 8:30 p.m. ET
Click here to register and submit your question in advance.
New Student Advisor Assignments
Advisor information will be sent to students via email on Tuesday, August 10. Students, families, and advisors are encouraged to reach out to each other in August in preparation for the upcoming school year.
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 Save the Date for Family Weekend 2021!
We are still hoping to host an in-person Family Weekend in October, though we are following the current COVID surge closely and may modify the event as necessary. A more detailed schedule will follow soon, but please mark your calendars to join us in Lakeville on Friday, October 15 and Saturday, October 16.
A few important details to help you prepare:
Thursday, October 14: If your schedule permits, please join us for an early evening parent reception. This event has no formal programming and is a great opportunity for parents and guardians to meet and engage with one another.
COVID Protocols: We are fine-tuning our campus visitor policy and may have special protocols surrounding Family Weekend given the size of this event, depending on how the pandemic develops over the coming months. Unvaccinated visitors may have restrictions and additional safety protocols required of them.
If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Brown, director of events and special projects, at (860) 435-3188.
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 The College Corner Testing Information
Senior families click here for fall testing information.
Upper-mid families click here for fall testing information.
College Handbook
AP Exam Update Advanced Placement exams will be administered May 2-6 and May 9-13, 2022. All AP exams are optional. College Board/AP requires registration and payment in the fall. Detailed information and instructions will be included in the September Family Update.
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