SECOND-SEMESTER PLAN 2020–2021
EXPECTATIONS FOR OVER BREAK AND
In order for Berkshire School to support our safest and healthiest return to campus in January, and to meet Massachusetts DPH requirements for quarantining and arrival testing, we are outlining the following expectations and protocols for our students and families. Pre-arrival Quarantine & Testing: Students are asked to complete the REACH symptom survey daily for 14 days prior to arrival to campus in January. We require that all students follow CDC recommendations to quarantine at home or in one place, with limited contact beyond family, for 14 days prior to their arrival to campus in January. Students are required to bring a negative COVID-19 test result to campus the day of arrival. A link to a student’s prepaid VAULT home COVID-19 test will be sent to one parent/guardian via email in late December. Arrival Dates & Times: Student arrival dates and times for on-campus testing will be determined by a sign-up form that will be sent to families via email in December when housing assignments are completed.
Students must arrive over the scheduled arrivals dates of Jan. 15–17. We are not allowing any mid-winter returns in order to ensure our safest community. Students will arrive on the dates below based on their dorm assignment: Friday, January 15th:
CGR, MacMillan, Buck
Saturday, January 16th: Allen, de Windt, Spurr
Sunday, January 17th:
Godman, Eipper, Stanley International students may arrive on any of the three dates above. Day students will be assigned and informed of their arrival day for testing in early January.
Note: Students who encounter travel cancellations or who are not able to arrive on campus on their designated day, please contact Lisa Miller in the Student Life Office at lmiller@berkshireschool.org. Page 2
STUDENTS & FAMILIES
ARRIVING ON CAMPUS
Upon arrival, students will be retested on campus through the Broad Institute PCR test used on campus throughout the fall semester. Testing will take place at the Jackman L. Stewart Athletic Center before students move into their dorm. Students will then quarantine in their dorm rooms or at home (for day students) for 24 hours until the Broad COVID-19 test results are available. Meals will be delivered to the dormitories throughout the quarantine period. We ask parents, guardians, or caretakers to stay in their vehicles while on Berkshire's campus. Bathrooms will be available in the Jackman L. Stewart Athletic Center and are accessible through the facility's back entrance. Each dorm will have helpers to assist students moving into their dorms so that parents, guardians, or caretakers can remain in their vehicles.
Masks: In accordance with current state mandates, we require all Berkshire community members to wear face coverings or masks, with exceptions only for those for whom it is not safe to do so due to age, medical conditions, or other considerations. Students should plan to bring 10–14 washable masks to school. For acceptable types of masks, visit our FAQs on the website. Community Pledge: Berkshire School expects all community members (students, faculty, and staff) to review again and sign the Community Pledge that acknowledges each individual’s responsibility to establish and maintain a healthy and safe community on campus. Click here for the Community Pledge. QUESTIONS? ADDITIONAL FAQS MAY BE FOUND HERE: www.berkshireschool.org/FAQS
Note: Berkshire School will not be providing transportation to campus. Page 3
Self-Quarantine Requirement
All students are required to quarantine at home, or in a single place, and limit their contact beyond family and essential trips outside of the home (medical appointments, etc.) for 14 days prior to arrival. Families should count back 14 days from their arrival date to begin their respective quarantine, as follows: For arrival on January 15th: self-quarantine starts on January 1st. For arrival on January 16th: self-quarantine starts on January 2nd. For arrival on January 17th: self-quarantine starts on January 3rd.
VAULT Home Test Kit Schedule
Students who will take the VAULT home test will test on either January 11th, 12th, or 13th depending on their arrival date: For arrival on January 15th: take and mail the test on January 11th. For arrival on January 16th: take and mail the test on January 12th. For arrival on January 17th: take and mail the test on January 13th. *If an additional day is needed to ensure UPS delivery in your region, 5 days between testing and arrival is acceptable.
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Swiss Cheese Model of Pandemic Defense
"The metaphor is easy enough to grasp: Multiple layers of protection, imagined as cheese slices, block the spread of the new coronavirus, SARSCoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. No one layer is perfect; each has holes, and when the holes align, the risk of infection increases. But several layers combined—social distancing, plus masks, plus hand-washing, plus testing and tracing, plus ventilation, plus government messaging— significantly reduce the overall risk. Vaccination will add one more protective layer." Excerpt from "The Swiss Cheese Model of Pandemic Defense" by Siobhan Roberts, The New York Times (December 5, 2020)
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TIME
PHASE
Phase 1
Phase Phase22
Pre-arrival Quarantine & Travel
Welcome to Campus! COVID-19 Testing
January 15–17 January 15–17
January 1–14
Fourteen days prior to travel or arrival to campus, students will begin the self-quarantine phase at home or in one place.
All students must arrive on campus with a negative COVID-19 PCR test. Upon arrival, students will be retested on campus through the Broad Institute PCR test used on campus throughout the fall semester. Students who have tested negative will enter the "quiet" phase.
*All students are required to quarantine at home, or in a single place, and limit their contact beyond family and essential trips outside of the home (medical appointments, etc.) for 14 days prior to arrival.
Students will arrive on the dates below based on their dorm assignment:
Families should count back 14 days from their arrival date to begin their respective quarantine, as follows:
Friday, January 15th: CGR, MacMillan, Buck
For arrival on January 15th: self-
Saturday, January 16th: Allen, de Windt, Spurr
quarantine starts on January 1st. For arrival on January 16th: self-
Sunday, January 17th: Godman, Eipper, Stanley
quarantine starts on January 2nd. For arrival on January 17th: self-
Note: International students may arrive on any of the three dates above, and day students will be assigned their arrival day for testing in December.
quarantine starts on January 3rd. Page 6
LINE
S 1–5
Phase 3
Phase 4
Transition to Quiet
Emerging
After the arrival testing is complete, we will enter the quiet phase through the second round of COVID-19 testing the week of January 25. Should we have positive tests in this second round of oncampus testing, we may stay in the quiet phase through the next round of testing.
Introduce modifications to protocols across school life and continued surveillance testing. Roommates may each invite a guest from the dorm to their room for a total of four students in a dorm room. Day students are welcomed to their dorm common room. Options for study hall outside of the dormitory including evening group study Inter-squad athletic scrimmages (if supported by MA state guidelines Regular in-person Form meetings.
Once we have completed a full round of negative tests and feel comfortable with the community's infection rate, we will move to the emerging phase.
Surveillance testing is a smaller sample of our Berkshire community (30%–35%) that will be tested weekly, emphasizing those who come and go daily.
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TIMELINE
PHASES 1–5
Phase 5 Emerging 2.0 We continue with further modifications across school life and continued surveillance testing.
Second-Semester Activities Lunar New Year
Interdorm visitation, four students to a room across dormitories Interdorm common room visitation Athletic competition with MA opponents(if supported by MA state guidelines) Celebratory meals by Form in dining hall Outdoor All-School, in-person meetings (if supported by MA state guidelines) Parent visitation to campus
Outdoor Open Houses Winter Carnival Pro Vita Green & Gray Competitions Winter Musical Winter Music Concert Winter Dance Concert And more ...
New Spaces Indoor Turf
Note: More information for Phases 3–5 to follow in the SecondSemester.
Outdoor Skating Rink Soffer Social Spaces
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WHOM SHOULD I CONTACT?
COVID-19 & Arrival Requirements
Jean Maher
jmaher@berkshireschool.org
Arrival Dates & Times
Lisa Miller
lmiller@berkshireschool.org
International Students
Lissa McGovern
lmcgovern@berkshireschool.org
Day Students
Jen Gaenzle Smith
jgaenzlesmith@berkshireschool.org
III Form Academics
Chris Perkins
cperkins@berkshireschool.org
IV Form Academics
Mike McCabe
mmccabe@berkshireschool.org
V Form Academics
John West
jwest@berkshireschool.org
VI Form Academics
Jeff Depelteau
jdepelteau@berkshireschool.org
Athletics and Afternoon Programs
Dan Driscoll
ddriscoll@berkshireschool.org
Health
Brooke Humes
bhumes@berkshireschool.org
Counseling
Tess Adams
tadams@berkshireschool.org
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Akilah Edgerton
aedgerton@berkshireschool.org
Enrollment Status
Dana Anselmi
danaanselmi@berkshireschool.org
Financial Matters
Robert Boyd
rboyd@berkshireschool.org
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