COVID Protocols Update
Posted by Holly Hirst on February 10, 2022
The pandemic roller coaster is still running, but we’re hopeful that the end of the ride is near!
Based upon the ASM Health and Safety Task Force meeting held on February 4, here is some valuable information and a few updates to ASM’s COVID mitigation protocols:
- With the adoption of the new DESE/DPH at-home testing program, ASM currently has
- 91 students and
- 21 faculty/staff signed up to participate.
- The LE and UE classes may now enjoy the outdoors together during morning recess!
- As of February 28, LE, UE, and MS may be unmasked outdoors for recess and physical education classes.*
- The LE and UE/MS cohorts will take turns utilizing the American Room for All School Meetings on Friday mornings.*
- Spring Overnight and Day Trips:
- UE and MS overnight spring trips are on! In order to attend, students will need to have negative tests the morning of departure.
- As is tradition, 3rd years will be able to join the UE trip, for one day, with a negative test the morning of the visit.
- UE and MS day trips are also on! We agreed that, for now, these trips will either be outdoors, or indoors, masked while walking around (e.g. museums) rather than clustered, and seated for long periods of time (e.g. theater).
- LE field trips are on!
- More information on all of these trips is forthcoming.
- We are moving away from assigned seats, when not eating, and moving toward a more natural Montessori classroom environment with plenty of movement.
- The MS Coffee House, hosted by the middle school students, is on too! It will be an all-school, outdoor event, in late April/early May. More details to follow.
- Unvaccinated parents may now come inside the school for meetings and conferences, as long as they present a negative covid test on the date of the visit.
- Beginning Monday, February 14, LE, UE, and MS students may be dropped off in the car line and may enter the building through the front entryway. They will be happily greeted by members of the administrative team!*
- CH students will continue to be dropped off by their caregivers, at their exterior classroom doors.
We were excited to receive the DESE memorandum shared on Wednesday, February 9, 2022. To clarify, however, ASM does not fall under DESE’s purview. While we have been following DESE/DPH’s protocols around the COVID testing programs that we have adopted through them, the decisions made for the health, safety, education, and comfort of the ASM community falls to the Leadership Team, as advised by the ASM Health and Safety Task Force.
In that vein, we intend to continue with universal indoor masking, even after February 28, until the ASM Health and Safety Task Force can revisit this when they meet again on Friday, March 11. At that time, in order to make more informed decisions, we will have ASM COVID-related data from:
- The community’s return from the weeklong February break,
- At-home test results from 2/22, 2/28, and 3/7, and
- Unmasked LE and UE/MS outdoor recess and physical education classes.
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