Reopening Update (August 14)

 
Dear Families,
 
We have been working hard the last few months to plan for our students’ safe return to school in September. There are only three weeks left before we welcome them back. For everyone’s safety, please adhere to Governor Baker’s travel requirements:

“… all visitors and Massachusetts residents returning home, including students returning to campuses for the fall semester, must fill out a “Massachusetts Travel Form” and quarantine for 14 days unless they are coming from a COVID-19 lower risk state or they can produce a negative COVID-19 test result administered no more than 72 hours prior to arriving in Massachusetts, or they are included in one of the other, limited exemptions. Read details here.

Important Reminders

Start Dates
Lower school students, along with all teachers and staff, will return to campus on September 8. This will give us time to support our youngest students’ transition back and acclimate them to a different environment, along with the new protocols they will need to follow.

Middle and upper school students will be required to attend their first two days of classes (September 8 and 9) remotely and return to campus on September 10. During these two days, they will be introduced to their teachers, course subject matter, and the procedures and protocols they will be required to follow when they arrive on campus on September 10.
 
Lunch, Lockers, and Recess
Initially, food deliveries will not be allowed on campus. All students should plan to bring lunch, snacks, and drinks from home. Microwave ovens will not be available. If a student forgets a drink or a snack, he or she can go to the reception desk where minimal packaged food items and water can be provided. Juice and milk will not be available at this time. All students will eat lunch in their classrooms.
 
Students will not have access to lockers. They will keep all of their belongings in their classrooms.
 
Recess will look a bit different this fall. Students will gather in smaller groups than they have been used to in the past. Although lower school students will have recess breaks, they will not be allowed to use the playground equipment at this time.

Technology
Technology will be an important piece of back-to-school learning. We have invested in a more robust and stable technology infrastructure to better enable us to meet the needs of all of our students.

Middle and upper school students in grades 6-12 will be required to bring their own devices and chargers to school each day. Lower school students in grade 5 are required to bring their own devices and chargers to school each day. Students in grade 4 are strongly encouraged to do so, as well. Students in grades 1-3 will have access to devices specifically designated for each classroom. Read technology details here: Technology Requirements & Recommendations.pdf.

Supplies, Books, and School Forms
Supply lists for all grades can be found on the website. New items for outdoor learning have recently been added. You can view the supply lists by clicking on Lists, Forms, and Downloads on the Resources tab once you have logged onto the website. Additionally, book lists for middle and upper school students can be found on this area of the website. Lower school students do not need to order books. The school has ordered those for all lower school students.
 
All parents must complete important school forms before the first day of school. You can find these forms on the parent portal.

Division Meetings
We will host informational Zoom meetings for families next week for all divisions. If you are unable to connect to your child’s grade-level meeting when it occurs, you can view a recording of the meeting on the Reopening Plans page on the school’s website. Dates for these meetings are as follows:

Grades K-4 – Thursday, August 20 at 8:30 a.m.
Grades 5-8 – Thursday, August 20 at 9:30 a.m.
Grades 9-12 – Friday, August 21 at 8:30 a.m.

The link to Zoom meetings for all divisions can be found when you log onto the website and click onto the Reopening Plans icon. Zoom instructions are in the document called: August 14, 2020 Communications Update on Fall Reopening.

We are planning to hold orientation for our students before the first day of school. These gatherings will need to be made up of smaller groups. We will discuss these plans on our Zoom calls next week.
 
The health and safety of our community remains at the center of our reopening plans. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at reopening2020@capecodacademy.org.

  -- Jeff Thompson, Headmaster
 
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Cape Cod Academy is one of the only independent, co-educational, college preparatory schools serving students from kindergarten to grade 12 on Cape Cod.