Dear FVS Families,
Hello and welcome from the Deans’ Office at Fountain Valley School. We are excited to welcome you to the FVS community and to meet you in person when we return in August. The Dean’s Office includes me, David Racine, dean of students; MacKenzie Kuiper, assistant dean of students; and Dawn Baldwin, Deans’ Office administrative assistant. We oversee all student arrivals and departures from campus, the residential and advising programs, student behavior, weekend and weeknight programming, and the student life curriculum.
We look forward to the coming summer months when we will work with you in preparation for your arrival. Moving forward, the Deans’ Office will be your primary contact at FVS until you are assigned an adviser in August.
This message includes details about steps you will need to complete between now and your arrival in August, as well as a timeline for communications related to these various items. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to
deansoffice@fvs.edu or 719-391-5213. Our summer hours are M-F 8 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., and we typically respond within 24 hours during this timeframe.
In addition, an archive that includes this communication and that will include all subsequent Back-to-School Communications can be found on our website in the BTS 21-22 section.
PLANNING YOUR AUGUST ARRIVAL
We are excited to welcome you to campus! Please note the following below when planning your arrival.
-
New international students may arrive beginning August 18 and must be on campus by August 21 at Noon.
-
New domestic boarding and day students should arrive on August 21 by noon.
- As soon as you have your travel itinerary for August, please email it to deansoffice@fvs.edu. Once you have submitted your arrival date, Mrs. Baldwin will send you a confirmation so that you can move forward with your planning.
- All students will participate in Registration Day on Saturday, August 21, which takes place between 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and is our official welcome to campus event.
- Parents are welcome and encouraged to accompany students for their arrival and registration, and should plan to depart campus at the end of the day on August 21.
- For students whose parents are not accompanying them to campus, FVS provides shuttle service from the Denver and Colorado Springs airports. Shuttle fees for trips from DIA are $25.00; shuttles from COS are free of charge.
- When booking air travel for children under 15, some airlines may require that they fly as an unaccompanied minor, which requires an adult to meet them upon arrival. In these cases, FVS will arrange to have a representative meet your child at the airport. A fee of $150 will be billed to your account for this service.
- It is our hope that the coming school year will proceed as planned and as indicated on the school’s Major Events Calendar. However, due to uncertainty arising from the ongoing pandemic, we strongly advise that any travel arrangements be made so that they may be changed without penalty.
COVID Vaccinations & Post-Arrival Quarantines
FVS does not at this time require COVID-19 vaccination for students; however, unvaccinated students will be required to quarantine for seven days in their assigned residence hall (boarding students) or at home (day students.) If you are fully vaccinated, you will need to upload a picture of your vaccination card or record to the SchoolDoc Website in June when you submit health information and forms. Parents of students who are unvaccinated for COVID will need to create a contingency plan when completing Health Center Forms that is subject to approval by the Deans’ Office and Health Center.
SUMMER COMMUNICATIONS & TASKS
The following is an anticipated timeline for important communications from the school that will arrive this summer. Each section outlines what will be included, any response required, and information about preparations that should be made in advance.
Academics & Course Selection- Ongoing
A member of our Academic team will reach out with an invitation to connect one-on-one to discuss the academic program and begin the course selection process. This process has already started, and if you have not yet been contacted, please expect for that to happen in the coming weeks.
Summer Reading & Assignments- Early June
Students and families will receive information about their summer reading assignment, as well as any work to be completed over the summer for their courses.
Health Forms and Medical Information- Mid-June
The FVS Health Center provides or coordinates all care for FVS boarding students, and works closely with day student families to support the needs of those students on campus and during school events, which includes off-campus excursions. The Health Center uses a secure and confidential web-based service called SchoolDoc to collect and store student health information, consent-to-treat authorizations, and documents such as allergy or other action plans.
Mid-June, parents will receive a link from SchoolDoc to begin the process. All required forms and consents must be complete BEFORE a student arrives on campus. Through SchoolDoc, parents will need to:
Deans’ Office Forms & Student Life Info- Early July
Families will receive a detailed communication from the Deans’ Office with several steps to be completed by students or parents, including the following.
- Campus permission forms, media release, and release of liability to be completed by parents and information about how to do so on the fvs.edu Parent Portal.
- Boarding student roommate placement form to be completed by the student. This questionnaire asks students to provide information about their habits, likes, dislikes, and personal preferences that will be used to make matches between roommates. In early August, students will log onto the fvs.edu website where they will be able to view their roommate and residence hall assignment.
- Advisor placement questionnaire to be completed by the student, which helps us gauge interests and learning preferences to make the best possible match between adviser and advisee. In early August, students will log onto the fvs.edu website where they will be able to view their adviser assignment. Advisers will reach out to connect by phone and/or email shortly thereafter.
- Day student bus route information and transportation request form to be completed by parents
- Day student car registration and parking permit request
- Student Handbook
- Technology guidelines and device requirements
- Packing list for boarding students
- Questions related to any of these areas should be directed to deansoffice@fvs.edu
Athletics & After School Activities Information- Mid-July
Students will receive a welcome and introduction from the Athletics Department that includes:
- An overview of the athletic and after school activity requirements and options
- A signup form to be completed by students to indicate their preferences for each season and information about any additional fees for participation.
- Instructions for parents to create an account on BigTeams.com, which is a web-based service that is used to collect and store all forms required for athletics or after school activities.
Course Schedules- Late July
The Academic Coordinator will share information about how students may access their schedule via the Student Portal on fvs.edu. This message will also contain information about how and what books to order, as well as the process for requesting changes to one’s schedule.
THANK YOU!
We hope that the information above will be helpful in planning for your arrival at Fountain Valley School. We hope you will have a restful and enjoyable summer break, and please feel free to reach out with whatever questions you may have.
Sincerely,
David Racine
Dean of Students
MacKenzie Kuiper
Assistant Dean of Students
Dawn Baldwin
Administrative Assistant, Dean’s Office
