Fall 2021 at Masters

List of 10 items.

• Vaccinations

  Masters requires all community members including all students who are eligible and who have access to an FDA- or WHO-authorized vaccine to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

• Masks

  Regardless of vaccination status, all Masters community members must wear a mask indoors, except while eating and drinking in designated areas.
  
  

  Community members who are not vaccinated and parents, guardians and visitors will be required to wear a mask both indoors and outdoors.
  
  

  Boarding students will be permitted to remove their masks when in their dorm rooms but will need to be masked when using the kitchen and common room.

• Testing 

  Starting the week of September 13 and running through the week of October 11, all students and employees are required to participate in weekly on-campus pooled testing. Instructions and results will be emailed to the community each week.

• Classrooms

  We are excited for our return to 100% in-person learning with upper school classrooms set up as they were prior to the pandemic, including the return of Harkness tables. Middle school classrooms will utilize a combination of desks and Harkness tables.
  
  

  We will have our remote learning capability ready, should there be a need to pivot. Zoom access to classes will only be available to those who need to isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19 illness or exposure, upon approval by the School. Teachers will work with students who are absent for other reasons to assist them with missed material.

• Athletics and Co-Curriculars 

  We have returned to an interscholastic athletics season and co-curricular activities schedule. Additional safety protocols will be necessary for those who are not fully vaccinated. We intend to hold as many activities outdoors as possible, and masks will be required for all indoor activities regardless of vaccination status. 

• Middle School After-School Program

  Masters After School Classroom Program (MASC) is back with a variety of enrichment and co-curricular activities. All activities run from 3:45 until 4:45 p.m. (except for music, which ends at 5:00 p.m.) Homework Club is free of charge and runs until 5:30 p.m. More information and a registration form will be emailed at the end of August. MASC activities begin on Monday, September 13.

• Dining Services

  In partnership with Brock & Company, the dining hall will be open for regular meal service. The dining experience will be similar to pre-pandemic mealtime with a variety of daily fresh options. Students may eat in the dining room or outside under the tent.

  
  

  Starting the afternoon of Thursday, September 16, the Davis Cafe, located in the Fonseca Center, will also be open for business during the school week.

• Boarding Students

  Arrival on Campus

  Unvaccinated International boarding students are required to quarantine for 7 days upon arrival in the U.S. Students are welcome to quarantine in their dorm or may do so off campus with their guardian. A negative RT-PCR COVID-19 will be required in order to be released from quarantine after 7 days. 
  
  

  Unvaccinated domestic boarding students will not be permitted to move into the dorms.
  
  

  Vaccinated international students will need to quarantine for 3-5 days upon arrival in the U.S. Students are welcome to quarantine in their dorm or may do so off campus with their guardian. A negative RT-PCR COVID-19 will be required in order to be released from quarantine after 3-5 days.
  
  

  Vaccinated domestic boarding students are not required to quarantine upon arrival on campus at this time. 

  
  Day and Overnight Leaves

  Students will be allowed to take day leaves with parent or guardian permission. Overnight leaves to the student’s home or their guardian’s home will also be permitted. Additional overnight leaves will be determined on a case-by-case basis. 

  
  

  Student activities and weekend trips for our boarding students are back this year. We encourage students to enjoy these vibrant weekend outings.

• Visitors   

  All visitors to campus regardless of vaccination status must wear a mask indoors and outdoors. 

  
  

  Visitors must report to the reception area of either the Upper School or the Middle School. Visitors will be required to complete a mandatory health screening prior to their arrival or upon arrival on campus and must comply with all the protocols in place for members of the Masters community. Anyone with any reported symptoms or “yes” responses to the questionnaire will not be allowed to enter the building. 

   

  Outdoor Events

  • Where possible, visitors must maintain a 3-foot distance from others not in your family group.
  • Visitors at outdoor events must wear a mask, until further notice.

  Indoor Events

  • Visitors must wear a mask indoors regardless of vaccination status or distance from others.

• Symptom Tracking, Contact Tracing and Positive Cases

  Masters will discontinue the use of the daily AUXS Safety App from last year. Instead, all community members should monitor for possible symptoms of COVID-19 and stay home if they are symptomatic. An evaluation by a healthcare professional and testing is required if your symptoms continue beyond 24 hours. 

  
  

  As per Westchester County Department of Health, The Masters School is following CDC guidance for K-12 Schools (see section 8: Contact Tracing in Combination with Isolation and Quarantine). 

  
  

  According to the CDC, individuals who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID-19 unless they develop symptoms. However, fully vaccinated people should get tested 3-5 days after their exposure, even if they do not have symptoms, and wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.

  
  

  Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will have to complete a mandatory 10-day isolation.  The individual may return to school after 10 days as long as they are without fever for 72 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medications) and their symptoms have resolved or improved.