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Dear Mountain Laurel families,
As we prepare to welcome our students back on campus tomorrow we would like to highlight a few salient points. .
Test to Return/Test to Stay
Test on Monday, 3rd January - before arrival at school
Please test your child/children prior to their arrival at school tomorrow morning. Email the result to CoVid Confidential
Test on Weds, 5th January - before arrival at school
Please test your child/children prior to their arrival at school tomorrow morning. Email the result to CoVid Confidential
Proof of a negative CoVid test result is required to be admitted to school.
As mentioned in our recent communication, we will temporarily be tightening up some of our CoVid mitigation measures. This guidance will be reviewed after we receive the third round of tests on Monday, January 10th
Masking
- We urge students to upgrade to wearing a KF94 mask. We will have some on hand to provide to students who need them and KN95/N95 masks for staff.
- Please send your child to school with an extra mask, labeled with their name.
- Masks will be worn outside as distance cannot be guaranteed.
- Mask breaks may be taken out of doors when students and staff are spaced 6 ft or more from each other.
- Nursery and Kindergarten children may remove their masks at nap time, provided other mitigation measures are in place (distancing, ventilation)
Hand Hygiene
- Upon arrival at school
- Before/After snack
- Coming back indoors after recess
Ventilation
- Each classroom is equipped with a HEPA filter. New filters have been installed.
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Windows will be open. If it is too cold, windows may be open & closed every 20minutes. Dress warmly, bring a blanket!
- Window fans in place
- Doors open as much as possible
Distancing
- Desks spaced at least 3ft apart and 6 ft where possible. Distance from adults to students should be at least 6 feet.
Eating
- 6ft spacing is optimal. Students and staff to remain seated and distanced while masks are removed.
- Students to face in the same direction while eating.
- Food not to be shared
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Nursery and KIndergarten children should be seated 6ft apart to the extent possible. They may sit around a table together but need to be spaced.
Bathrooms
- Only 2 students should use the bathroom at any one time.
- Bathroom windows to remain cracked open at all times.
Hallways & Communal areas
- One way system will be in effect for going up/down stairs. Groups not to congregate in the lobby, hallways or stairs. Cohorts to be separated coming in/out of the building to the extent possible.
Singing, Chorus, Recorder
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On hold until we receive the third round of test results on Monday, January 10th. This includes no recorder or singing in class cohorts either indoors and outdoors. Nursery and Kindergarten teachers may hum.
Visitors to Campus - Indoors &/or Outdoors
- No in-person class meetings with parents, even if held outside.
- No parent visitors for now
- No external staff mentors, evaluators etc
- No in-person faculty meetings, even if outside. All moved to Zoom with immediate effect.
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Exception; Substitute teachers - who will take a Rapid Antigen Test on the day they work at MLWS
No Mixing Class Cohorts - indoors or outdoors
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Exception: Orchestra, a structured setting with distancing
- Eurythmy - teacher is absent this week. Will be addressed for next week.
Field Trips
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Involving car travel or public transport (including as a class cohort) on hold for now.
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Walking and biking trips are ok only with masks worn.
- If a parent chaperone is required for the safety of the trip, the chaperone will need to be a vaccinated individual and take a rapid test beforehand (morning of, or night before trip.)
School Closures?
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If there is evidence of widespread in-school transmission we may temporarily close to reset things, the same way we did in March. It is less about any particular exact metrics at this point but instead a sense that there might be significant transmission across cohorts. If there’s evidence of that, it may be necessary to close while everyone is tested. it was very obvious last spring when that was a concern
- The thinking is now that if it is at all possible to keep school open, we should prioritize that.
- If NYS mandates a closure, we will automatically close.
Be Prepared…
- For sudden staff and student absence. This could mean needing to move online, providing hybrid learning for students who remain home in isolation/quarantine and/or providing at-home kits for students.
Omicron symptoms
- The top five symptoms for omicron infection are runny nose, headache, fatigue (either mild or severe), sneezing, and sore throat. This initial analysis was based on positive cases in London, which was selected because of its higher prevalence of omicron than in other parts of the UK.
- Any cold-like symptoms, including fatigue, fever, runny-nose could be consistent with CoVid infection and need to be tested and/or see a health care provider. No one should come to school until they are improving, even with a negative test. There’s no way to say, just by symptoms, whether people have CoVid or not and it’s currently one of the most common circulating respiratory viruses.
Boost Your Immune System
Quarantine Protocols for Students and Siblings:
- If a household member tests positive, contacts, even if vaccinated, should remain at home for 5 days from last exposure, then test on day 5.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us,
Thank you for your ongoing support,
Respectfully,
The MLWS CoVid TaskForce
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