Dear Mountain Laurel parents, 

We hope all our families enjoyed a merry Holiday time, are well and are staying safe as we are embarking on our 3rd CoVid year with a dizzying climb in CoVid infections over the past week, with no signs of slowing down in the immediate future.

Sensing the urgency of the situation, the MLWS CoVid Task Force met on Tuesday December 28th, to discuss a safe return to school after the holidays. Different scenarios were considered, including a delayed return with some remote learning.

Prioritizing in person learning for the children’s well being in general and the quality of Waldorf experiential learning in particular, we plan for all students to return to school on Monday, January 3rd, with increased testing in place. 

Testing Requirements: please read carefully

Given the short incubation period of the new Omicron variant, we need tests to be taken within the shortest possible time period as logistically feasible:

Week of Jan 3rd:

• Test #1 - must be taken and a negative result sent CoVid Confidential the morning of  Monday January 3rd, prior to arrival at school. Rapid Antigen Tests & at home kits accepted. All students, faculty & staff must test, regardless of vaccination status.

• Test #2 - must be taken and a negative result sent to CoVid Confidential on the morning of Wednesday January 5th prior to arrival at school. Rapid Antigen Tests & at home kits accepted. All students, faculty & staff must test, regardless of vaccination status.

Week of Jan 10th:

One test to be taken and a negative result sent to CoVid Confidential the morning of Monday January 10th, prior to arrival at school. Rapid Antigen Tests & at home kits accepted. All students, faculty & staff must test, regardless of vaccination status.

Your child shall not be admitted to school without proof of a negative CoVid test result.  If any students arrive without our receiving a test result, their parents will be contacted to come and test their child. Mountain Laurel Waldorf School does not have a nurse on staff and the administration will not be administering tests at this time.

Note: Free rapid tests (1 test per car) will be distributed today 12/29 in Kingston at Tech City, 300 Enterprise Dr. Kingston at 6:00pm and tomorrow 12/30 at the Ulster County Fairgrounds, 249 Libertyville Rd, New Paltz.

We have, as yet, been unable to secure any free test kits for the school from NYS. If any family has a surplus and would be willing to donate for other families use, please let us know.

Masking Requirements:

Due to the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, which is now the more prevalent CoVid variant in our area, face masks are our first barrier of protection from infection. For their optimum efficacy, it is imperative that face masks are worn properly, without any gaps around the nose and sides. We therefore strongly urge all our students and staff upgrade to wearing KF94 or KN95 masks. Your child will be provided with a KF94 mask on Monday if they do not have one and advised on its proper use.  Please help support mask wearing best practices by reminding your student how to wear their mask for maximum efficacy.

Travel

If you have returned from International or domestic travel please be sure your child has adhered to the CDC Travel Guidance 

If your child will be returning to school on a different date, please let us know. The above testing protocols will apply to their first day back on campus.

Our CoVid mitigation measures are being reviewed and we will share updates with you ahead of our return.

We are looking forward to seeing your children back on campus for their continued engagement and inspiration.

Thank you for support,

Sincerely,

The MLWS CoVid TaskForce