Dear Parents,
 
Serra has updated its testing guidelines in response to the recent changes in county guidance and the increased use of the campus with all grade levels on site, athletic events increasing and activities restarting. 
 
Testing requirements and testing intervals for students are as follows:

  • Any student participating in academics or any extracurricular programs (athletics, campus ministry, clubs, Tri-School Productions, etc.) -- Students are required to test every other week in coordination with the academic schedule. For example, Blue Cohort students in their distance learning week should test in preparation for returning to campus the following week. Similarly, Gold Cohort students in their distance learning week should test in preparation for their return to campus the following week.  

  • Any student participating in volleyball, water polo or football and includes players, coaches and team managers -- Weekly testing is required.
 
Serra is pleased to have partnered with Eurofins and Total Swab, both well-regarded testing services, to provide on-site testing to all faculty, staff and students. We piloted our first testing day this past Friday, and it went extremely well. We want to encourage you to make weekly appointments for your sons before they fill-up. 
 
All testing will be administered by Total Swab on the Serra campus each Wednesday from 8am-6pm. Please ensure that you schedule your son’s COVID test outside of their scheduled class time. Please sign-up for a specific time using the link below. 

Sign-up for a COVID test time on Wednesday, March 17 -- 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  
 
You will need to complete your profile with Total Swab before arriving for the test. Follow these instructions:

1. Click the link above to register for an appointment and follow the prompts to create your profile and to select an appointment. You will add your son to the appointment.

2. Total Swab uses the healthcare ordering platform DragonflyPHD which meets encryption standards and HIPAA standards.

3. Once your appointment is scheduled, you will receive an email and text message from DragonflyPHD prompting you to complete your profile (name of your son(s), date of birth, address, and consent). 

4. Please have your insurance card ready. Your insurance will be billed for the test. Please note that some insurance companies Blue Cross, Cigna, Anthem may not cover surveillance testing, therefore families may check with their provider for specifics.

5. The process should take no more than 10 minutes and can be done on your phone or computer. 
 
Additional details on testing day:

  • Testing will be done using the main entrance on 20th Avenue after 11 a.m.
  • Testing done between 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. will be walk-up testing for faculty, staff and students already on campus.
  • Students driving themselves and parents driving their son should park in the upper level of the structure. (Parents should not exit the vehicle. Testing should not take more than 5-10 minutes.)
  • Students getting tested should walk up to the tents between the parking structure and the football field.
  • All tests will be administered by a medical professional, will be a mid-nares swab (not the more uncomfortable posterior swab reaching further up the nose) and will take only seconds.
  • Your son will only need to provide his name and birthdate on the day of testing - as long as you have completed your profile beforehand.
  • You will receive an email and text message with your son’s results within 24-48 hours after completing the test.  
 
Reporting Results:
The results of the test will be communicated to Serra, eliminating the need for parents to send the results to Serra. This process will streamline communication moving forward.
 
Other Testing Options:
Please note that this is not the only option for testing. If you choose not to use the onsite testing, there are a number of available testing sites. Feel free to go through your provider or you can test at the various locations in San Mateo County, please see links below:

If you use any of these sites, please email your results to covid@serrahs.com by noon the Friday of your testing week. 

Thank you for your collaboration in this important effort to keep students, faculty and staff safe as we increase activity on the Serra campus.  

Sincerely,