Dear Families,

The coronavirus situation is evolving rapidly and I want to provide an update about our preparedness efforts. There is a great deal of information to impart, so I ask that you read this email in its entirety. We have also created a web page where we will post all information and updates about the coronavirus situation. While there are no known cases of COVID-19 in our community, we are treating the outbreak seriously and taking precautions to safeguard the health and safety of the entire Foote School community, which remains our highest priority.

If a Family Member is in Self-Quarantine

We want to remind families that if a member of your family has to be self-quarantined for coronavirus, all members of your family should be in self-quarantine.

Family Travel Plans

If your family is planning to travel outside the U.S. over Spring Vacation and you have not already done so, please fill out the International Travel Form to inform us of your plans. As a reminder, any student that travels to a country designated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as a "Level 2" or "Level 3" country for coronavirus will be subject to a mandatory 14-day period of self-quarantine before they can return to school. (Please note that the inclusion of Level 2 countries is a change to previous school policy.) If your travel plans have changed since filling out the form, please email me directly at cmaoz@footeschool.org. Please check the CDC's website for an updated list of travel advisories. Be aware that it may become necessary to update our policies as conditions change.

Off-campus trips

Out of an abundance of caution, we have made the difficult decision to suspend all off-campus trips and outings for our students and faculty through April 15. This, unfortunately, includes the 9th Grade trip to Spain, the 8th Grade trip to Washington, D.C. and the 7th Grade trip to the Metropolitan Opera, as well as trips to locations in and around New Haven. We realize this news may come with a mix of disappointment and relief. Given the unpredictable nature of the outbreak, we simply cannot accept the level of risk posed by these off-campus experiences.

Public events

We will also be limiting public events at Foote in order to limit any risk of community transmission. The Warburg Visiting Artist performance scheduled for this Thursday, March 12 will be rescheduled to a later date. Additionally, after much consideration we have decided to cancel the Spring Assembly scheduled for this Friday, March 13. This will certainly come as a disappointment to many, not least the children who have worked so joyfully to prepare their performances. Although a poor substitute for a community gathering, we will make video recordings this week of each grade performing their songs and make that available to families.

Vacation Program

We have also made the decision to cancel our Vacation Program during Spring Vacation. During this time, the school will be closed to complete a campus-wide disinfecting and deep cleaning. We apologize for the inconvenience that we know this will cause for some families and we appreciate your understanding as we take steps to protect the health and wellbeing of our entire community.

Distance Learning

We have developed a detailed plan for distance learning should school have to close for an extended period of time. As outlined in the March 5 email, the plan would work as follows: Grades K–3 would access faculty blogs for instruction and resources; for Grades 4–9, students would use Google Classroom to continue both independent and classroom studies. (Please reference the March 5 email for further details about technology that your family will need and what to do if you don't have it.) We will share further details about distance learning should it become necessary.

Taking School Work Home

In order to prepare for a sudden school closure, students will be coming home on Friday, March 13 with books and/or packets of work to supplement distance learning in the event it is needed. Please send your children with an extra bag on Friday so they can completely clean out their lockers and cubbies; these areas will also be disinfected during Spring Vacation.

Illness

As an important reminder, students should not attend school if he/she/they: has a temperature over 100 degrees or has had one within the previous 24 hours; has vomiting or diarrhea within 24 hours; has been prescribed antibiotics and it has not been 24 hours since the initial dose; has severe or excessive coughing. (More information about Foote's health policy can be found on page 45 of the Parent Handbook.) While this is always important, we ask that you err on the side of caution at this time and keep your child home if they show signs of illness. If a student needs to go home sick mid-day, parents are asked to pick them up within an hour. If that will be difficult, please make alternate plans so your child can be picked up in a timely manner.

As a final note, I want to express my gratitude to our incredible teachers, who have kept the focus squarely on learning during this unanticipated situation. Despite the disruptions and disappointments, teachers have met this challenge with positive energy and as a result the mood in classrooms remains joyful. I also want to thank parents for your role in helping to keep our community healthy. Your partnership is truly critical at a time like this. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Carol Maoz

Head of School