August 4, 2020

Dear International Students and Families,

All of us at Gould Academy hope that you are doing well and that you are looking forward to a great school year.

We are happy to report that Maine is one of the safest states to be right now, with some of the lowest COVID rates in the country. Our spacious, 456-acre campus and beautiful countryside positions us well to create the best environment possible for our students and the greater community.

We know that there will be obstacles to overcome and getting here will be one of them. We are here to help you make the trip back to Gould as smooth as possible. Please let us know what challenges you are facing, and we will do our best to help find solutions.

We will be scheduling transportation from Boston and Portland for when you arrive. You will be able to quarantine on campus and get a COVID test upon arrival. A letter for immigration is attached to this letter that states that you will be able to quarantine on campus immediately upon arrival. We hope this helps if you are questioned about this by immigration officials at the airport.

Based on the American government’s proclamation that was established earlier this summer, students flying from China are required to quarantine in another country for 14 full days before arriving in the U.S. This is an added challenge, but we hope that a solution can be found to get you to school in a reasonable fashion. Again, we will do all that we can to help solve this for you. We remain hopeful that the government will change this requirement soon so that students can more easily get to school this fall.

It is important to double check the expiration dates on your passport, I-20, and visa before traveling. If the signature on your I-20 is more than 1 year old, please let me know so that I can send you a new I-20 with an updated signature.

We are so excited to see you on campus again soon. Please remember to get a COVID test with results that show you are coronavirus-free prior to your flight to the U.S. Also, please communicate your itinerary with Mrs Manning or Mrs Doughty so that transportation will be waiting for you when you arrive.

Please try to arrive on campus between August 14 and August 28.

See you all soon,