Dear Cushing Families,
Opening week is finally here! After a summer unlike any other, we are excited to welcome students back to campus this Thursday and Friday. As you know, registration this year will be a new process, and in order for the day to run smoothly, please note the following reminders:
- Arrive at your scheduled time. We cannot make accommodations for arrivals outside of previously-scheduled time slots. Please plan to arrive a little early and find a place to wait until your scheduled time.
- Everyone on campus will be required to wear masks at all times.
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Your child MUST have a negative COVID-19 test prior to arrival. This must be a SARS-CoV-2 test (nasopharyngeal swab or saliva sample for PCR, NOT blood antibody testing, NOT rapid antigen testing). Please send copies of your results to healthcenter@cushing.org and bring a copy with you to campus.
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Please be advised that without proof of a prior negative test result, a student will be permitted to get tested upon arrival on campus but will need to leave campus thereafter. If necessary, the student can stay at the Doubletree by Hilton hotel in Leominster at your own expense until a negative test result comes in. Please email Brittani Cruz at Doubletree (Brittani.Cruz@Hilton.com) to inquire about a reservation.
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Registration will take place at the Iorio Ice Arena on campus. Please follow the signs to enter campus by the School Boy statue off Route 12.
- We can only accommodate one parent and one child on campus. Please plan accordingly.
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If a student's on-campus COVID-19 test comes back positive (tests from this Thursday and Friday are estimated to be returned on Monday, August 24), the student will need to leave campus with a parent or guardian. Parents who live at a distance may want to consider staying in the local area until it's confirmed their child can remain on campus.
Cushing staff will be on hand to assist with registration. Once your child has had a drive-up COVID-19 test, you will be called to enter Iorio Ice Arena to meet with Health Services and review forms. If you have not completed your forms in Magnus Health (by logging in to MyCushing), it is imperative that you do so prior to arriving on campus. Similarly, please be sure your account is up to date prior to registration. Questions about Magnus Health forms can be directed to healthcenter@cushing.org. If you have questions about billing, please direct them to billing@cushing.org.
Once you have made your way through registration, you will be directed to the residential area of campus, where you should proceed to your child's dormitory to unload belongings. As noted in earlier communications, parents will not be allowed into the residential buildings. Dorm parents and other Cushing faculty will be outside the dorms and will assist with unloading; dorm parents will help students get their things into their rooms. Once your car has been unloaded, please plan to say goodbye and depart campus.
There will be refreshments available by the Fisher-Watkins Student Commons, as well as Campus Store items available for purchase. If you would like to buy a sweatshirt, t-shirt, or other Cushing item, you can stop by the Student Commons, and we will be sure to deliver any items to your child's dorm room if you'd like.
Prior to arriving on campus, all students should watch the brief, informal videos in this folder (accessible with Cushing email addresses), which outline the major changes to daily life on campus this year.
While in any other year we would look forward to opening our campus to all of you as we begin the school year, at this time we must pay attention to the world health situation and do our best to keep our community safe as we finally reopen our campus. Thank you for your patience, understanding and continued partnership as we enter the final march to Bring the Penguins Home.
Sincerely,
