Fall 2020 Parent Meetings & FAQ

There are several layers to our plan here. The first is to work toward even smaller class sizes than usual, by creating extra sections as needed, and taking advantage of all existing spaces, even if they have not traditionally been used for academics. Our goal is to provide appropriate social distancing within classrooms, providing 36 - 49 square feet/student. Second, we are working to place sections/grade levels in particular areas to minimize transitions between classes and periods.

We are significantly modifying our approach to our regular sit-down meals next year. While all the logistics are still being finalized, we plan to eat meals in three shifts, Meals will be by dorm family, and we will be sitting no more than four to a table to help maintain social distancing. We have a great partner in Flik, our contracted food service vendor; they bring a wealth of industry experience and resources to help keep us safe.

We have formed planning groups comprised of members of our health team, administration, and our board of trustees to move our planning forward and refine details in a number of important areas. Cardigan will share the extensive work these groups are doing through a series of parent Zoom meetings we will host throughout the month of July. Each Zoom meeting will take place on a Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. (EDT)

The recordings, materials, and frequently asked questions from all previous meetings are at the bottom of this page.

We are well aware of the potential risks of having students come and leave campus on a daily basis, and are working with individual families to understand and mitigate those risks. 
In terms of scope, we currently have 19 day students, nine of whom are sons of current faculty/staff, and three live in a similar boarding school environment. Given the size and make-up of this population, we feel comfortable working closely with individual families to discuss protocols and expectations for safety, while also supporting them as valued members of our community.

Next year will not be "business as usual" for out day student families. We are asking day students to consider themselves as "boarders who live at home." We will be asking families to limit their movements outside of school, and avoid interactions with others as possible, just as we're asking our boarding students and families. Day students will avoid dormitories this year, and undergo daily screenings, including temperature checks and screening questions. We are of course also asking families to reach out when they have questions or concerns; this transparency will be incredibly important in keeping us all safe.

Cardigan will be offering remote learning opportunities for those students who are not able to get to Cardigan in person at fall opening, and we will work with individual families to make plans for late arrival.  We are sensitive to time zone and other issues related to remote learning, and are working to address these concerns. We have learned a great deal from our experience this past spring (and professional development work this summer), and will utilize family feedback to inform our approach this fall.
Grades will be assessed, and will match our on-campus scale. Our goal will be to assess students in ways that allow them to demonstrate their learning, and ease the transition to in-person, on-campus learning.

We are very aware of the travel and visa challenges for international families, both new and returning, and are monitoring the situation closely. We have made our updated report to SEVIS regarding Cardigan's plans for the fall, and are re-issuing revised I-20s to all new families in support of upcoming consular appointments. New families are encouraged to reach out to the Admissions Office with questions about their I-20s.

Advisors will be reaching out during the summer to ask students about their preferences for fall sports. This will be a preliminary tally to help us understand where students are leaning and get ready for establishing and supporting our fall athletics plan. Based on sign-ups, students will be given a list of things to bring with them in preparation for the fall season.

Please feel free to bring fall and winter sports equipment when you arrive on campus in August. There are a variety of locations where equipment can be stored until it is needed.

If you have specific questions about what you can do to prepare for athletics, please feel free to reach out to our Athletic Director Ryan Frost (rfrost@cardigan.org) or our Assistant Athletic Director Julia Ford (jford@cardigan.org).

While we are still working to develop the best possible plan for fall athletics, we know our program will be based on skill development and teams/groupings based on skill ability within each sport, similar to our standard team assignments. Our focus will be on regaining and developing fitness; physical, mental, and emotional wellness; sport-specific skill development; and intramural gameplay and competition. We plan to have several offerings in the fall: soccer, flag football, sailing, mountain biking, and cross country running.

With the cancellation of last spring’s season, there is demand from coaches and students alike to find ways to play and develop skills, be it in baseball, lacrosse, tennis, or sailing. 
While our immediate focus will be on fall sports (there are a lot of adults and student interested there, too!), we will be looking for opportunities through clubs and weekend activities to tap into this interest and find opportunities to help build skills, get ready for next spring, and have fun.

Given the rapidly changing situation, we are still considering options for the winter. We understand how important winter sports like basketball, hockey, skiing, snowboarding, and wrestling are for our boys, and we will be developing a program to support their development, working within our own safety policies, and official guidance from the government and athletic governing bodies.

We hope to get the rink up and running as soon as we can (likely mid- to late-October) in order to make ice time available for players, coaches, and the Cardigan community. 
The timing for initiating our winter season is still being discussed based on ever-changing circumstances.

Our initial focus will be on developing fitness; physical, mental, and emotional wellness; sport-specific skill development; and intramural gameplay and competition. Our approach in evaluating opportunities outside of Cardigan will be grounded in our goals for safety, not only for the players, but for the coaches and our community as well. Every decision that we make will be based on the current situation and involve input from our health center staff.

We play an active role in the Lakes Region and meet regularly with other school administrators. There have been discussions about potentially running limited competitions between schools as circumstances hopefully improve and where folks feel safety can be adequately addressed, but this is still preliminary. Our approach in evaluating opportunities outside of Cardigan will be grounded in our goals for safety, not only for the players, but for the coaches and our community as a whole. Every decision that we make will be based on the current situation and involve input from our health center staff.

Our Secondary School Counseling Office has been and continues to be in touch with a number of secondary schools on a regular basis, and is monitoring their approach to the fall visit and application process. Collectively, it is our sense that secondary schools will not be welcoming families on campus for traditional interviews and tours this fall. As such, we will be working closely with schools and families to ensure that schools have as much information as possible about your child as they make their admission decisions for 2021-2022. This will include opportunities for virtual tours and interviews, and sharing video when available. The Secondary School Counseling Office sees Cardigan students as relatively well-placed for the challenges of next year’s process, and will be working closely with the boys to develop strategies for what is coming.

Generally, we are attempting to limit student exposure to anyone outside the community, though we will absolutely support outside medical and dental appointments. All requests to leave campus should be filtered through the Dean's Office who will work with our Health Services team and Head of School.

This is one of those questions that is so difficult to answer as we try to find a balance between the safety of our community and the legitimate requests of our families. We know that you love your kids and will miss them.

We will welcome parents on campus for socially distanced visits, preferably outside if possible. 
We ask that you wait until after the first three weeks of school, however, to allow your children to acclimate to Cardigan. This is a typical request in any school year. Obviously, video and phone contact can and should happen regularly.

We are very sensitive to this issue, and have thought carefully about our approach. First, every day student and employee at Cardigan will be tested prior to the beginning of the school year to establish a community baseline. 

Second, every employee and day student will be subject to a heightened “stay home if sick” protocol, and go through daily screenings, including temperature checks and questions. 

Third, we are creating policies and procedures to limit any and all interactions between staff and students. Staff who can work from home will continue to work from home; staff will maintain social distance from each other and students; and staff will utilize masks when this is impossible or when they are in contact with students.

At drop-off, we will ask all adults accompanying students (ideally one and no more than two) to wear masks and maintain social distance from those outside their family unit. 

On an ongoing basis, we will welcome parents on campus for socially distanced visits, preferably outside when possible. 

Obviously, if parents are showing any symptoms, they should stay away from campus.

There will be no open weekends in the fall. We will revisit this policy as the school year continues.

Day students will be tested prior to the beginning of the school year, and undergo daily temperature screenings before entering the community. We will ask day student families to be especially thoughtful about our “stay home if sick” directive. 

Day students will be asked not to enter dormitories this fall, but will be given a special location on campus to drop their belongings.

Day students will essentially be treated like boarders who sleep at home. That is, we expect day students, when away from campus, to follow the same heightened safety expectations of our boarding students - i.e., isolating themselves from those outside the Cardigan community.

At this time, there will be no on-campus Fall Family Weekend. We will work to set up clear methods of remote communication between families and teachers to discuss student progress, and will work to accommodate secondary school connections for ninth graders.

Since March, our housekeeping department has implemented a heightened approach to cleanliness and disinfection, utilizing CDC-approved cleaning supplies, and focusing on all public areas (including community bathrooms). This approach incorporates scheduled and documented cleanings.

Yes. From a residential perspective, we will have doubles, but will follow CDC guidelines in placing students head to foot and separating students as much as possible within the room. We are establishing easy-to-understand guidelines for dorm families to follow – e.g., the number of people in the bathroom at a time, hygiene, respect of others, etc.

In Mr. Day’s email of July 1, he outlined our plan for coming back in stages, by grade, over a four day period from August 21 - August 27. Please refer to that email to see what day you should return to school. In terms of times, the Student Life department will be reaching out to set a time of day to arrive at Mascoma Community Health Center for testing before coming to campus. Scheduling times for arrival will allow us to be efficient and safe in working through the testing process, and we appreciate your support.

Yes. A comprehensive survey will be sent to every adult at Cardigan, asking of their summer plans and home circumstances; a member of the Health Center will be in touch as necessary with adults based on the results of that survey. In addition, every adult member of the Cardigan community (faculty and staff)) will be tested immediately prior to the beginning of the year. 

All students - day and boarding - will be tested prior to their arrival to campus, and we are considering a second round of testing at the end of the initial quarantine period. 

Day students and all commuting adults will be screened daily, including a temperature check, prior to coming into the community.

Unfortunately, we will likely not have immediate test results at the time of arrival, so all students will be quarantined in their “pod” or “family” until such time as the test results are back. At present, and based on our current testing plans, we believe this will be two days.   

If a student has symptoms, they should NOT be arriving on campus. If a student develops symptoms while we are waiting for the test results, they will likely stay in the health center.

We are requesting that all students be quarantined for 14 days at home before traveling to Cardigan.

We apologize for the confusion. Day students will need to be tested at Mascoma Community Health Center on August 21, after which they will be invited to campus to complete registration. After that, we ask that they quarantine at home to await the testing results and not visit campus during the other registration days. 

Like previous years, the boys will find out who they are rooming with on registration day.

Yes. In fact, student leaders will be incredibly important next year in setting an example for other students, helping new and returning students navigate expectations, and serving as another pair of eyes in monitoring the health and safety of our community. While they will find plenty of support from faculty and staff alike, their efforts will be incredibly important in making next year successful.

We ask that everyone self-screen prior to coming to MCHC. If anyone in your family exhibits symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, sneezing, etc.), please get in touch with the Health Center and we will work together on a plan for the next steps. In the interim, we ask that you avoid coming to campus.

If during screening the student or family member exhibits symptoms, we will discuss the next steps with the family. In all cases, and out of an abundance of caution, we will ask that a family member who exhibits symptoms avoid coming to campus. We will evaluate the next steps for the student on a case-by-case basis; it is likely that the student will be asked to isolate until we can get test results and before he can interact with his dorm mates and others.

We highly recommend that students come with one, but not more than two adults on registration day. Everyone will be asked to wear masks and remain physically distanced from others outside their family unit both at the Mascoma Community Health Center and on campus. This policy is to limit exposure for everyone and to keep the numbers inside individual dormitories to a minimum.  We will not be able to make any exceptions.

• After listening to health experts, we have embraced the “layers of safety” approach that they advocate. That is, we will thoughtfully bring our community together using testing and quarantine, but we will layer on top of that other approaches – increased focus on cleaning/disinfecting, hygiene/cough etiquette, flu shots, daily screenings, social distancing when practical, and masks as needed. 
• There are a number of metaphors out there to describe this approach – if you layer slices of Swiss cheese on top of one another, you “plug the holes”, providing a better barrier of protection. Or, you could look at this as each strategy adding a few more cumulative percentage points in support of the safety of our students and our community. Whatever the metaphor, our understanding of this virus is still evolving, and we want the best chance to keep it out of our community, and limit the spread if and when it comes to our campus.
• Specifically, though, we feel these additional layers of protection are necessary given the nature of our community – i.e., while the majority of our community lives together on campus, we will have employees commuting to campus every day (maintenance, housekeeping, food service, and others). Further, our day students will be commuting daily to campus. While they will go through a daily screening process, we want to do everything we can to keep the kids safe and limit transmission if anything ever does get through.
   

• No. We are asking families to quarantine at home (wherever home is). 
• We will test students upon arrival, and likely conduct a second test before beginning our normal programming.

• The medication policy is available for review in Magnus Health. No medications or supplements are allowed in the dorms except for inhalers and dermatological creams. Medication distribution is done in the health center.
• We encourage you to reach out directly to the health center to discuss any individual student’s needs. 
• The health center is working on revised protocols for next year to ensure the safety of students coming to the health center.

• It is our goal that all students get a flu shot either before their arrival at Cardigan (as possible and available) or during the fall. 
• Students showing any cold symptoms should go immediately to the health center to be screened. We will follow appropriate protocols from there.

• Yes. NH hospitals have access to negative pressure rooms and ventilators. 
• Cardigan is located close to Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital in Lebanon, NH, a state-of-the-art facility that has been on the front lines of COVID-19 research. We feel confident in our access to world-class care as and if needed.

• Yes. Cardigan will supply PPE and other hygiene supplies for students to stay safe. 
• We ask that all students come to school with several cloth face coverings that they feel comfortable with. These coverings will be utilized by the students as needed, and will be laundered regularly.

• While our protocols are still being finalized, we are looking at social distancing (in classrooms, in the dining hall, and during athletic activities) as another layer of protection for our students and community. Students will be given clear instruction about what that looks and feels like, and in what circumstances social distancing (and mask use) will be expected.