Far Hills Country Day School Fall 2020 Reopening Plan, Volume 2

RISE UP

Far Hills Country Day School Fall Reopening Plan, Volume 2

Dear Parents,

Georgia S. Zaiser, Head of School

As we embark on this new journey as a community, it is essential that we all view the school year through a lens of positivity, empathy, and resilience. One of our faculty and student communities’ key attributes is our shared growth mindset—the belief and the will to persevere, to approach challenges with creativity, and find light where others may see darkness.

We have much to be grateful for—the myriad ways in which we have defined ourselves as Falcon Strong this spring and the advancements we have made over the summer to return to campus Falcon Safe.

Our student-centered approach to education using creative and thoughtful pedagogies continues. The strong relationships between teachers, advisors, coaches, and students will remain at the core of our program.

We understand that students will return to us with complex emotions. Rest assured, we will welcome our students back with the care, time, and support they so greatly deserve. As we’ve stated before, they’re our pride and joy, too!

I look forward to seeing you soon. Until then, be well…

In This Edition: 3

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

6 ACADEMICS

6 FOODSERVICE

7

STUDENT ACTIVITY

HEALTH AND WELLNESS Overview Our plan promotes the safety, health, and welfare of our entire school community. This plan is subject to change as new information becomes available, and as government mandates are imposed.

Daily Health Symptom Surveillance Far Hills will utilize a new easy-to-use app for families to record and manage health symptom surveillance data. Volume 3 (publish date: September 1) will introduce features and functionality.

Signage Abundant, easy-to-understand signage, including digital displays, posters, and floor decals will reinforce health and safety protocols—hygiene, social distancing, mask-wearing, traffic patterns, and more.

Arrival Student entrance assignments are determined by grade level of students by carload.

• • •

Piazza Entrance: students in the vehicle are all in Lower School Main Entrance: students in the vehicle are in Lower AND Upper School AND/OR expected for early arrival between 7:30–8 a.m.

Upper School: students in the vehicle are all in Upper School

> CHECK-IN:

Students will have their temperatures checked PRIOR TO EXITING the vehicle every morning. At each entrance, parents/guardians will pull into a drive-thru tent. Please put your vehicle in PARK and have students MASK UP! FH staff will take the digital temperatures of all the students in your vehicle and record the temperature using a pass/fail system.

Students with a normal temperature (100.2 or below) will exit the vehicle and enter the school.

< HANG OUT:

If a student’s temperature registers above normal (100.3 +), parents will have the option of leaving with their student immediately or pulling forward to a recheck area. FH staff will recheck a student’s temperature after a 10-minute wait. There is a well-marked recheck area at each of the three entrances.

^ MASK UP:

All faculty, staff, students, and visitors are required to wear masks.

“Mask Up” before temperature checks to keep everyone safe! fhcds.org | 3

HEALTH AND WELLNESS Students may wear a mask of their choice. Their selections cannot be ripped or torn or contain any offensive logos. Masks must be within the spirit of appropriateness and good taste. Masks are now available in our Lands’ End uniform offerings.

It is the expectation that parents will wash reusable face coverings daily, and the student will come to school each day with a clean face mask. The School will have extra face mask coverings available for emergencies or if students arrive at school without one.

Cleaning We have partnered with our commercial cleaning service, Dublin Maintenance Contractors, to implement a rigorous and thorough sanitization program. This program employs schedules, cleaning products, and machinery they have vetted for other clients, including pharmaceutical companies. We will have three (3) full-time porters for regular cleaning of high traffic areas, rooms, playground equipment, surfaces, and door handles throughout the day.

Restrooms will also have an occupancy limit. Should an infection be reported, Dublin will deploy a crew equipped with specialized machinery to disinfect the contaminated space and surrounding areas.

Health Office, Hygiene and Isolation We will open campus this fall with two nursing suites equipped with a traditional sick room for students who need care and an isolation room for students who display symptoms of COVID-19.

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Nebulizer Use Students will not be able to use nebulizers at school this year.

Parents of students who require the use of a nebulizer must contact their physician now to put their child on a different regimen— MDI’s or spacer devices—before the start of school.

Returning to School After Illness After illness*, students (and siblings of the ill student) may return to school when either: •

• • •

At least three (3) days have passed since the resolution of all symptoms (including fever without the use of fever-reducing medications); AND At least ten (10) days have passed since the start of symptoms; AND The student feels well enough to participate in all classroom activities.

OR After the duration of quarantine for a positive test—14 days from the date identified by the health department, the student shares documentation of negative test.

*Students with specific documentation from a pediatrician that illness is not COVID-19 may return to school when at least three (3) days have passed since the resolution of all symptoms (including fever without the use of fever-reducing medications).

HEALTH AND WELLNESS Health Forms, Additional Forms, and Travel Guidance Please remember that the Health Form packets for all students are due on Friday, August 14. Upper School, be advised that there is an update to Page 1 of the Health Form Packet from the Department of Education. If US parents have already submitted the Health Form packet, please fill out the additional form. All necessary links are listed below.

Additionally, please be advised that all parents are required to submit a COVID-19 Protocol Acknowledgement Form.

Forms Checklist • Lower School Health Form Packet • Upper School Health Form Packet • COVID-19 Protocol Acknowledgement • Self-Report Travel Plans

All FH families are strongly encouraged to avoid travel to high-risk areas 14 days before the start of school. If your family travels to an area where there are high amounts of COVID-19 cases, including the states listed in the Travel section of the New Jersey COVID-19 website, notify the school nurse and self-quarantine at home for 14 days. We ask that families limit exposure and interactions with those outside of their “close circle” for 14 days before the start of school.

fhcds.org | 5

ACADEMICS While we are reopening with an invitation to all students to join us on campus, we understand that some families may need to keep their student(s) at home due to health concerns. We also realize that in the event of illness, or if we need to decrease our campus density, we may have multiple students learning from home at any given time.

Our upgrades on the FH campus and the enhanced use of technology will allow us to keep all learners fully immersed in the student experience, despite their location. While students can continue their learning remotely, please remember the core of the FH experience is in-person learningâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;grounded in relationships, interactions with peers, and support from faculty and staff. Families should understand that remote instruction will require a greater level of independence and self-accountability on behalf of the student than is necessary for the in-person setting.

Sharing and Supplies Students and employees in every department will have their own supplies/materialsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;sharing supplies will not be permitted.

Students will not share devices, school supplies, food, water bottles, or any other personal items.

Adventure Trips and Field Trips We have decided to postpone all Adventure Trips and field trips until the spring. We will reevaluate the health situation within our community and in the broader area on January 1, 2021. Until that

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time, faculty will engage students in virtual trips that serve to deepen the academic experience and strengthen their understanding of new content.

Music and Performing Arts Music and theater arts are key components of our co-curricular programming. That said, we also know that singing, voice projection, and wind instruments are considered higher-risk activities that promote viral spread through droplets and aerosols.

Our faculty, in concert with local health experts, are considering ways to continue performing arts while also maintaining the highest level of safety possible for our students and employees.

FOODSERVICE Our very own version of Door Dash for Grades 1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;8.

We will add a feature to our app that enables parents to order lunches to be delivered to each classroom or cohort. Our Fall Reopening Plan, Volume 3, will include details about this new feature.

For the first trimester, Preschool and Kindergarten students must bring their own lunches. We will revisit Foodservices for these students after the first trimester.

STUDENT ACTIVITY Physical Education Continuation of PE-related activities is key to promoting physical health and wellness. We will move forward with a modified Physical Education curriculum: • Students in Grades 4–8 will not change clothes for PE. Please send your child to school with appropriate attire and outerwear for the day’s weather.

• Many PE activities will be low-impact, focused on individual skills while staying physically distant.

• PE teachers will take students outdoors as frequently as possible.

• Locker rooms will be closed, and the area used for restroom breaks only.

• Shared equipment will be minimal, if used at all, and will be thoroughly disinfected between use.

Dress Code

WHAT’S NEXT? Key Dates: August 17 Handbook Acknowlegement Form, Acceptable Use Agreement Form and Community Compact emailed.

Parent Portal updated with back-to-school information.

August 24 Class Lists, Conferences, and Teacher Greetings emailed.

September 1 Fall Reopening Plan, Volume 3 emailed.

Because students will not be changing for PE, we have modified the dress code for the 2020–21 school year. All students may wear standard uniform or spirit wear clothing tops with standard dress code bottoms. On the days students have PE class, they may wear active wear bottoms, such as athletic shorts, joggers, etc. Boy short styles or other short-inseam shorts are not appropriate. Students may also wear athletic shoes and sneakers during the school day. Light-up sneakers, however, are not included in our dress code.

Visit our school store, Falcon’s Find (now on our app!), and shop Lands’ End.

September 3 All-School Meeting.

September 10 School begins.

Enrichment and Extended Day Program While Far Hills will not offer enrichment classes this fall, the Extended Day Program will be available for families who need after-school childcare. EDP students will be kept in small, age-based cohorts and enjoy a mix of indoor and outdoor play, fun activities, and quiet homework time. fhcds.org | 7

IN-PERSON TOURS NOW AVAILABLE! Schedule one today!

697 Mine Brook Rd., Far Hills, NJ 07931