Dear Stone Ridge Community, 

 

This week marks one year since we closed campus and pivoted to a distance learning plan, with the hopes we would be back on campus in the near future. As we announced our plan for the platform shift on March 11, 2020, I opened with a word of gratitude. Unbelievably, it is now one year later, and my appreciation and awe have grown exponentially. This community has shown incredible patience, flexibility, and support during these unusual times. I continue to be inspired by the hard work, creativity, and professional excellence of our teachers and staff. I also cannot repeat enough how proud I am of our resilient students, who have persevered through the challenges of being on campus in masks and at a distance, and for their loss of time together just being in school. The parent/guardian community has partnered with us in remarkable ways, shepherding our students through this radical time of change and uncertainty. I have every faith that, though it has not been easy, we will emerge from this experience stronger than ever and with greater clarity about what we value and the importance of our Sacred Heart community.

 

March has arrived, bringing warmer weather and the happiness that blossoms each spring in our hearts. We hold fast to the knowledge that brighter days are ahead as we journey through Lent, towards the joy, hope, and the promise of Easter. Following Easter break, we are planning for an expanded campus opening with more frequent on-campus instruction for Grades 6-12 and with additional outdoor events and activities. 

 

I am also pleased to announce that we are planning for a fully open campus next academic year. The new Mater Center will open in August 2021 and will add more than 50,000 square feet of space to our campus facilities. Presuming that conditions continue to improve in terms of vaccinations and viral spread, as well as our implementation of creative use of space within health guidelines, we look forward to having all students on campus daily next school year.

 

Below, please find specific and important updates and plans for the coming weeks that we ask you to read carefully:

 

Covid Testing and Vaccinations To Date:

• The recent PCR Covid testing consisting of a total of 292 of tests, conducted on March 1 and 5 for Upper School Cohort 1 and Cohort 2, all came back negative.
  
  
• Starting Monday, March 15, Upper School athletes will have PCR testing on Mondays; results come back Tuesday, impacting campus attendance (and sports) starting Wednesday in most cases.
  
  
• Also starting Monday, March 15, we will begin antigen testing for 100% of non-athlete Upper School students for these two weeks prior to Spring Break. See information below in our “Reminders about the Antigen Testing Process” section.
  
  
• All Lower and Middle School students and employees will continue sample antigen testing, with results available on the day of testing.
  
  
• Additionally, as of today, nearly 75% of our employees have received at least the first shot of the vaccine. This number continues to rise each week, and we hope to approach 100% before long.
  
  
• We are pleased to see updated CDC guidance regarding individuals who are fully vaccinated:
  How to Protect Yourself and Others
  Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People

Plans to Maximize our Students Access to Campus:

 

Upper School

• The Upper School will welcome back the entire Fourth Academic on Monday, March 22, and allow them to have access to campus for classes every day through May. Planning for specific events and celebrations honoring our seniors are underway.
  
  
• The Upper School Campus Ministry team has formalized plans for hosting the following All-Class Retreats*:
  • Fourth Academic Retreat Friday, March 12, 9:00-2:30. See the Campus Ministry email for details.
  • First Academic Retreat Wednesday, March 17, 9:00-2:30
  • Second Academic Retreat Friday, April TBD, 9:00-2:30
  • Third Academic Retreat Friday, April 23, 9:00-2:30
    *Venue(s) to be confirmed with each class. 
    
    
• Spring opportunities for Upper School Athletics have been shared with Upper School families. The Athletics Department’s goal is to expand that programming further once we have proven the success of these first steps.
  
  
• The Upper School will begin hosting grade-level cohorts on campus beginning Mid-April. More information about that rotation will be shared closer to Spring Break. 

Middle School

• The Middle School will host the entire Grade 6 class tomorrow, Wednesday, March 10, for their fourth Explorer Series.
• The Middle School is assessing increased opportunities for Grades 6-8 to be on campus beginning April 12. At this time, the team is assessing logistics and the challenge of certain classroom sizes.
• Grade 5 will continue to come to campus as an entire class.

Lower School

• We will continue to have daily classes for Little Hearts-Grade 4.

 

Post-Spring Break Schedule and COVID Testing (April 6-9):

 

• In order to safely return to campus, we have decided to make the four days of classes, Tuesday April 6-Friday, April 9 virtual instruction for all grades, Little Hearts-Grade 12. We understand that this decision may seem contrary to the momentum of expanding our access to campus; however, it is our goal to be very successful in our work with safely expanding campus access while maintaining effective academic instruction and extracurricular offerings for the remainder of the year. There are complexities with returning to campus coming off a holiday weekend, particularly with successfully testing our population in a timely manner. We believe this is the best course of action to set every student and the faculty and staff up for success as we increase our student population and activities on campus this spring.
  
  
• See the Updated Stone Ridge Travel Policy below that applies to all travel, including for Spring Break and the Easter holiday.
  
  
• Upper School Athletics: Spring season athletics will begin the week of April 12. Additional details regarding practices and games will be provided in the coming weeks by the Athletic Department.
  
  
• Testing Plan Prior to Return to Campus on April 12: Stone Ridge will communicate the testing plan with registration details in advance of Spring Break for a safe return to campus on Monday, April 12. The School’s testing plan does not eliminate the 7-day quarantine requirement for travel or group gatherings mentioned below.
  
  
• The Ongoing Antigen Surveillance Program for students and employees will continue after Spring Break, with sample sizes to be determined based on the needs at the time. See more information below about antigen testing.

 

Updated Stone Ridge Travel Policy Based on CDC Recommendations:

Stone Ridge community members will continue to be expected to adhere to Federal, State, and/or local quarantine Orders, travel advisories, and best practices. When an “Order” is not in effect, as is the status in Maryland today, Stone Ridge will follow the CDC’s best practices and recommendations for travel:

• Stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel, even if your test is negative.
• Get tested with a viral test (PCR or rapid antigen) 3-5 days after your trip
• If you don’t get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
• These requirements do not apply to travel to the District of Columbia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or West Virginia (or to Maryland, for our Virginia and D.C. resident families).
• Please submit your “post travel” COVID-19 test results to healthservices@stoneridgeschool.org

Note: These policies apply only to the travelers themselves. A student whose family member travels is not restricted from campus during the 7 or 10 day period described above; the student is only excluded if they are the traveler. (The final Magnus App screening question, which asks if a household member would answer Yes to a question on the list, will be updated so as not to exclude students or employees based on a household member’s travel.)

 

Committing to Keeping Stone Ridge a Safe Campus:

• In order to maintain on-campus access in the months ahead, every Stone Ridge family needs to commit to the Community Expectations and Norms, allowing students to continue to access campus. As reported after the President’s Day holiday, the School was informed of 21 students who tested positive with COVID-19 (no transmission on campus). Success moving forward requires the full and total support of our entire community and that support must include abiding by the School’s travel policy over Spring Break and the Community Expectations and Norms. 
  
  
• We understand that families may gather for Easter. We hope that anyone doing so will do so safely. The virtual week of April 6-9 provides seven days following Easter prior to the April 12 return to campus. If any family’s Spring Break activities entail a gathering on Easter Monday or otherwise during April 6-11, we would ask that the student remain off campus for seven full days following that activity.
  
  
• Students visiting fully vaccinated grandparents or other family members over the break, and not gathering with non-vaccinated people outside of their household, do not need to adhere to the 7 day requirement above. (Fully vaccinated individuals are those who are two weeks beyond their final vaccine dose.)
  
  
• For any students aged 16 and above who receive the Pfizer vaccine, we have updated campus access policies for those who are fully vaccinated (two weeks beyond their final dose); please refer to SR Forward for details.

Reminders about the Antigen Testing Process:

• Students are randomly selected the morning of their testing day based on who is in attendance.
  • Negative result: families will receive an email communication on the day of testing.
  • Positive result: families will receive an immediate phone call.
    
    
• PCR vs. Antigen Testing: Stone Ridge has used both PCR and antigen tests in the past and will continue to use a combination of methods going forward, as circumstances warrant. Both types of viral tests for detecting COVID are reliable and appropriate for school use. For Stone Ridge, PCR testing with an outside medical provider and lab has often carried the advantage of enabling a large number of tests to be conducted in a short period of time. On the other hand, the School’s own antigen testing program has the advantage of relative immediacy of results, which is especially helpful when sample testing those on campus. There are a variety of other considerations. Going forward, we expect to continue using antigen tests for surveillance, providing us an accurate and valid check on the status of the virus in the school community and the effectiveness of our mitigation measures. We are administering PCR tests for our Upper School student-athletes because the Independent School League has specified PCR testing as the standard prior to inter-school competitions. 

We are grateful for your support as we continue to provide a safe and thriving learning environment on campus. If you have any questions, please contact our Covid/Health Services team.

 

Sincerely,

Catherine Ronan Karrels '86
Head of School

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