COVID-19 Protocols to Begin the School Year

8/10/2021

Aug. 10, 2021

Dear Collegiate Parents:

We are excited for the start of JV and Varsity athletics on Monday, Aug. 16 and for the first day of school on Tuesday, Aug. 31. My colleagues join me in a shared commitment to harness all that we learned last year, and we strive to provide an even greater array of programs, including community gatherings and full experiences of athletics, arts and activities for the 2021-22 school year.

In recent weeks, many community members have expressed passionate and divergent opinions on our mitigation strategies. One area of agreement for all of us is that in-person learning, including robust classroom and extracurricular experiences, is best for our children.

In order to prioritize health and continuity of in-person learning, we will begin the year with all Collegiate students JK-12, faculty, staff and campus visitors required to wear a face covering indoors regardless of vaccination status.

The prevalence of COVID-19 and the Delta variant in our region, breakthrough spread amongst vaccinated individuals, advice from our medical advisors, the CDC and the Virginia Department of Health’s contact tracing parameters requiring quarantine for exposures - all of these combined with our school’s size, experience with summer programs, and the full array of offerings we hope to deliver - led us to this decision. In the instance of a COVID-positive case, VDH’s contact tracing does not consider students who are masked and distanced at least 3 feet to be exposed. We are trying to preserve health and limit exposure-related absences as much as practical and possible while providing a full educational experience for our Cougars.

As we begin our year,

Face coverings will be required indoors, but will not be required outdoors - including outdoor recess, outdoor PE, outdoor athletics, outdoor performing arts and meetings/gatherings occurring outside.
Everyone is asked to conduct a daily self-screening before coming to campus and to stay home if sick.

We will offer food service as previously announced. Expect frequent lunch periods outside. More specific information will be sent by divisions.

As we discovered last year, outdoor learning is a welcomed opportunity and thus will be maximized.

Students will be spaced at least 3 feet apart while seated in indoor classrooms.

We will support any community members who choose to wear face coverings outside.

While these updated protocols are welcomed by some and disappointing to others, they are necessary for us to uphold our goal of in-person learning during current conditions. We appreciate your understanding as we all share a deep commitment and care for our students and our learning community. We hope health conditions improve during the year, and we will continue to monitor and adjust protocols as appropriate.

I would like to express my gratitude to our medical advisors, Dr. Meera Pahuja ’97, Dr. Carolyn Port and Dr. Bo Vaughan ’97, for sharing their time and expertise. I offer continued thanks to our own school nurses and all Collegiate employees, volunteers, parents and students. Your patience, understanding and positivity are critical factors as we continue to forge ahead for our children.

Collegiate’s Family Handbook and Pandemic Policies via DocuSign will be emailed this week, and we appreciate your return of acknowledgement by Aug. 22. In addition, communications from Division Heads and the Athletic Department regarding specific operational details are forthcoming. As always, feel free to reach out to specific administrative leaders with any programmatic or individualized questions.

My colleagues join me in appreciation for your ongoing flexibility and support. Without pause, we are eager to welcome you and your Cougars back to campus.

Sincerely,

Penny B. Evins

Head of School

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