• All students, no matter their vaccination status, will submit a negative COVID-19 PCR test within a week of the first day of classes. Students can be tested on campus on Thurs., Sep. 2 for a fee of $35. If students plan to be tested off-campus, testing must be completed between Sep. 2-6 and a negative COVID-19 PCR must be submitted to covidtesting@rumseyhall.org prior to arriving on campus.
• Surveillance testing for COVID-19 will continue weekly throughout the school year for our unvaccinated students.
• Families will have the option of having their child tested for COVID-19 weekly for a fee of $35/test. Please reach out to Nancy Dalrymple, Director of the Health Center at ndalrymple@rumseyhall.org if you are interested in this option.
• Students who test positive for COVID-19 need to isolate at home in accordance with CDC recommendations. They may return to school after 10 days of isolation and with an improvement of symptoms. A medical clearance note will be needed by their primary care provider prior to their return to school and activities. 

• Drop off takes place between 7:40 and 7:55 a.m.
• Parents drive into campus through our main entrance where a person will be directing traffic into two lines.
• Parents remain in their vehicles while students go to their classrooms. Younger students will be helped by faculty and/or staff.
• The academic day begins at 8 a.m.

• Remote learning and teaching will only be available to those who need to isolate or quarantine due to exposure or illness from COVID-19 and upon approval from the Associate Head of School or Director of Lower School. International boarders may engage as remote learners during the interim period between Thanksgiving and the Winter Recesses if travel restrictions prevent them from leaving and then re-entering the United States.
• When a I^st–VII^th Form (Grades 3-9) student needs to learn remotely due to quarantine, they will be Zoomed into classrooms throughout the school day. When a Kindergarten-Primes (Grade 2) student needs to learn remotely due to quarantine, they will Zoom into class where appropriate and complete work asynchronously with guidance from home.
• In order for this program to be successful, the School needs your continued support and partnership. The administrative team, technology staff, your child’s teachers, and advisors are available to provide support where needed. 

Mask Policy

Beginning Monday, February 28, we will institute a mask-optional policy if there is no significant increase in COVID infections in our area. Mask use will be required on school buses beyond March 1, as per federal mandate.  

A couple of things to note as we move forward:

1. We will use Advisory and classroom time on the morning of February 28 to be sure the students understand that they should be very comfortable wearing a mask if they choose, and they should be respectful and supportive of each individual’s decision to wear or not wear a mask. It’s a personal choice based on any number of factors.

2. Please discuss your family’s choice about masking with your child as teachers will generally be unable to enforce mask wearing on a per-student basis.

3. We may require masks in the short-term on weekend trips to locations with greater population density, such as the mall.

4. We will continue to encourage vaccination as a way to combat the virus, and we will continue to emphasize hand hygiene.

5. We will encourage students to continue to self-monitor for symptoms and check in with the Health Center if they are not feeling well.  

6. The Lower School will no longer stagger lunchtimes; instead, we will start eating together as a community again. To begin, classes will eat at tables with their grade level with the goal of an early April transition back to our mixed-age group tables.

• Upper School classes will not be cohorted.
• When inside, Lower School classes will remain in their grade-level cohort. Students will not be cohorted when outside. 

Students will be spaced three feet apart whenever feasible while inside. 

• Hospital-grade air purification units are in each classroom where HVAC systems are not in place. 
• All classrooms have doors and windows that allow for fresh air to filter in throughout the school day. 

• Hand washing will continue to be a major focus, and proper hand washing techniques will be taught and reinforced throughout the school day.
• All buildings have hand-sanitizing stations installed at their entrance, and students wash or sanitize their hands whenever entering and exiting a building. 

• Recess will not be cohorted this year. In accordance with State of Connecticut Department of Public Health regulations.
• Masks are optional while students are outside.
• Snack is provided by the school during morning recess, though students may choose to bring their own (please, no nuts). 

• Lunch is now back in Farmen Hall and full buffet-style lunch service will resume. For Lower School students, faculty/staff will assist students throughout the serving process as food will not be self-service. 
• Additional seating under a tent and outdoor picnic tables will be added to the patio, allowing us to reduce the density in Farmen Hall.
• Lower School classroom arrival and departure from Farmen Hall will be staggered to reduce the number of students in the dining hall at one time. Lower School classes will eat as a cohort and students will wear masks when up from their table or not eating. A maximum of four students will be seated at a table.
• All Upper School students will be assigned to tables by dorm and Form. At the beginning of the year, there will be a lower number of students per table and additional tables set up outside.

• When circumstances require campus or classroom closure, teachers will use various forms of technology to continue instruction and engage students in learning.
• Students in the lower elementary grades (K-Primes) will have a very different experience from upper elementary (I^st-III^rd Form) students since younger children will need more parental support and less screen time.
• Our 100% Distance-Learning plan will be a blend of synchronous and asynchronous learning. This blend of instruction balances academic growth with a child’s need for maintaining relationships and community connection.
  • Asynchronous learning: Class interactions happen via the Blue Dog Portal without real-time interaction. Students engage in class materials and complete work at their own pace, typically within a given timeframe.
  • Synchronous learning: Class interactions happen in real-time. Students will virtually attend class via Zoom video conference. 
• 100% Distance Learning Schedule Overviews
  • Kindergarten-Primes (2nd Grade) Distance Learning Schedule Outline
  • I^st-III^rd Form (Grades 3-5) 100% Distance Learning Schedule Outline
  • IV^th-VII^th Form (Grades 6-9) 100% Distance Learning Schedule Outline

This year, students will not be screened daily with a temperature check. If students have a fever or are symptomatic, parents should follow the School’s health procedures (stay home and call the Health Center to report the absence, call your primary care physician for guidance and clearance to return to campus).

The Health Center team worked extensively to develop policies necessary to treat students in the setting of the ongoing pandemic. The Health Center added staff and expanded in size to allow for a Surge Space that will accommodate students with COVID or COVID symptoms. Additionally, we updated access protocols to reduce risk of exposure to students and staff. Students who become ill on campus are sent to the Health Center and screened.  Please see our Communicable Disease Policy and Covid 19 Policy.

After a rigorous review of available transmission and COVID-19 case data, lengthy and repeated consultation with our Medical Director, Dr. Matthew Abel, and extensive conversations at the senior administrative level, we have decided that in order to return to campus, all boarding students must have a designated emergency contact who resides within 300 miles driving distance to Rumsey Hall School. Further, and importantly, this emergency contact must be willing to pick up your child from campus within 48 hours in the event of a school shutdown, a mandated quarantine, or if the student is diagnosed with a communicable disease (i.e. COVID-19, strep, or Influenza).  All boarding families who plan for their child to return to campus must complete the Emergency Contact Form.