This decision was reached knowing that COVID-19 cases were increasing across the country. Many medical experts predicted a rise in COVID-19 cases during and after the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with a significant uptick in travel leading up to and during this period, as well as an increase of individuals convening in indoor environments. Due to this forecast and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) quarantine guidelines and recommendations, coupled with the need for our own faculty and staff to remain healthy after working for nearly three consecutive months and our limited buddy support system, we determined that remaining open under our in-person learning plan between Thanksgiving and Christmas and immediately after the Winter Break would come at too great a risk. Please remember that Beauvoir was brave and among the first schools to open our building for in-person learning in September. We made decisions based on our own unique circumstances and will continue to do so throughout the school year. We recognize that the decision to change to Contingency Plan 3 was an inconvenience to several in our community, but we believe that it was not only the correct thing to do in terms of defending against a COVID-19 outbreak in our community, but also from a broader health perspective that is vital to keep the engines of our program running efficiently and effectively for the duration of the school year. Should your family experience particular hardship making the arrangements necessary to permit your child to participate in the virtual learning program when necessary, please let us know and we will endeavor to find ways to help.

Yes, the schedule for Make My Wednesdays will continue from December 2 through December 16, 2020, and again on January 6 and January 13, 2021. There is no school on Wednesday, January 20, Inauguration Day. Please note: Come January 27, 2021, Make My Wednesdays will become known as L.O.V.E. ("Learning Opportunities in a Virtual Environment") days, to include more instructional touchpoints between students and teachers.

Contingency Plan 3 (Full Remote Learning and Make My Wednesdays) is as follows. The daily classroom schedules will be shared separately.

• All Beauvoir students, ELC through 3rd Grade, will learn virtually during the week, Monday through Friday.
• Beauvoir faculty and staff will teach and work remotely (a few teachers may deliver instruction remotely from their classroom environment).
• Beauvoir will host optional “Make My Wednesday” enrichment experiences on Wednesdays, in conjunction with Beauvoir’s Virtual Community Meetings or Virtual Chapels.
• Any ABC and Enrichment Classes provided during the school year will take place through a remote learning experience.
• Students will have access to synchronous and asynchronous lessons via Beauvoir-issued iPads.
• ELC teachers will provide remote support to families and a schedule of activities will be shared in the coming weeks.

On Tuesday, November 24, we will gather virtually to celebrate our Thanksgiving Chapel, which will be livestreamed through our Vimeo channel. Afterwards, students will be dismissed for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Friday, December 18 is our scheduled Christmas Chapel, which will be livestreamed through the Cathedral’s YouTube channel.

The ELC plans to open to students on Thursday, January 21, 2021. The daily schedule will align with the PK-3rd grade daily schedule, opening 30 minutes prior to the start of school and closing one hour after the close of school.

Yes. Beauvoir will assume that your family will maintain your current learning preference under Contingency Plan 1 unless otherwise stated. Should you wish to move into in-person or virtual learning, please notify your classroom teachers and Grade Level Director.

Community members are asked to abide by the D.C. guidelines for travel and quarantine and are expected to stay abreast of these changing guidelines throughout the holiday season. While the Beauvoir Covenant remains steadfastly in place, we have revisited the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) recommendations, and revised one guideline surrounding the children of parents and caregivers who travel to identified hot spots: Household members and children who travel to hot spots must remain under a 14-day quarantine or any other “close watch” restrictions imposed by federal, state, and/or local requirements. However, children who have not traveled to identified hot spots DO NOT need to quarantine unless a household member becomes symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19. These requirements apply to both essential and non-essential travel.
 
We ask that any household member who returns home from identified hotspots pay strict attention to all home-safety measures suggested in the OSSE guidelines (i.e. six-foot distancing, mask wearing, proper hygiene, and monitoring for illness). Out of an abundance of caution, we ask that you practice these important safety measures to help ensure the well-being of the Beauvoir community.

If you are required to quarantine before returning to school in January, please reach out to your teacher, the school nurses, and Grade Level Director to inform them of your plans and your intended return date so that we can plan accordingly.

The three Close schools are working with a respected outside laboratory, Capital Diagnostics, to conduct PCR tests for COVID-19. Capital Diagnostics, which conducted tests for Beauvoir's in-school community on campus on January 16, will work directly with the health insurance carriers of students, faculty, and staff to seek insurance coverage and reimbursement for the cost of the test. Any costs not covered by insurance will be paid for by the school. We hope this resource serves us well in keeping our doors open in a safe and reliable manner for the balance of the school year. Due to the high volume of testing anticipated among the three schools at the end of the Winter Break, each school was provided allotted times for testing. Any and all details around such testing were provided in a separate communication. A negative COVID-19 test uploaded to Magnus Health by January 20 is required for each student, faculty, or staff member who wishes to return to in-person learning. You may also choose to get tested through another provider of PCR testing. The test must be performed on January 16 or January 17 to ensure available results by January 20. Rapid test results cannot be accepted. It is important to note that the receipt of a negative PCR test for COVID-19 does not currently replace or override the quarantine requirements after returning from non-essential travel to states deemed high-risk as published and updated at https://coronavirus.dc.gov/phasetwo. We are continually monitoring these guidelines and will advise if these city-mandated rules change in a manner that impact testing and the need to quarantine.

As of January 19, the traffic pattern remains the same. We do not have sufficient clarity with respect to the construction projects on the Close to announce a change in the expected traffic pattern. As with most construction projects, the timeline is open to change at any point, and we appreciate everyone’s flexibility and patience. The community will be updated with any changes.

We fully anticipate returning to school on Thursday, January 21, 2021, under Contingency Plan 1 (Half-Groups Campus Learning). Student cohorts will switch classrooms on this day, which we believe will provide a smoother, more natural transition for students after the New Year.

January 17, 2021 was the deadline to notify grade level directors of your family's intent to continue virtual learning vs. in-person learning, which resumes on January 21.  Before the start of school in September 2020, families had to select the in-person option or the stay-at-home option by August 17. We have a policy in place that asks remote learning families to wait for a two-week period before switching learning models in an effort to create more continuity, consistency, and less disruption for all students and teachers. As always, we want to make sure we are setting up each student for success. In order to mitigate risk, we will not permit irregular attendance, i.e. two days per week, or switching back-and-forth during those two weeks, unless your child is required to distance learn for a few days after being sent home for quarantine, illness, or other reasons. A student could attend 2-weeks in-person and 2-weeks remote, but only with advance notice. If you must travel, your child can engage in distance learning.

The two-week policy only applies to families who have, at one point, joined the in-person learning and then decide to opt into virtual learning. It does not apply to students who are coming to school for the first time (unless they have been asked to quarantine based on the Beauvoir Covenant guidelines), knowing that many of our families began the year as virtual learners based on our Beauvoir Covenant. Eligible families who wish to return to in-person learning should inform their respective teachers and Grade Level Directors. We also ask that families work closely with their classroom teachers to determine the best return date so that teachers can thoughtfully prepare the classroom environment and students for the joyful “welcome back”.

Morning Drop Off and Afternoon Pick Up will take place by school groups in carpool or walk-up during arrival and dismissal at designated entrances. Given COVID-19 safety protocols, children with parent/caregiver help will get in and out of cars, opening and closing their own car doors. Those families walking to school should be mindful of using Cathedral Close sidewalks and crosswalks at all times. At their designated entrances, hands free students wearing face masks will be greeted by faculty and staff who will instruct and aid students in using hand sanitizer and thermal temperature scanners or no-contact forehead thermometers before proceeding to their classrooms. Please note: The at-school temperature check does not replace the pre-arrival Magnus Health Daily Screening required of all families and faculty and staff. It is a follow-up measure to further mitigate risk.

Morning Drop Off:

• Group A students begin arrival at 8:00 a.m. until 8:30 a.m.
• Group B students begin arrival at 8:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m.

Afternoon Drop Off:

• Group A students begin dismissal at 1:30 p.m. until 2:00 p.m.
• Group B students begin dismissal at 2:00 p.m. until 2:25 p.m.

Given the current abbreviated school-day schedule of 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., we ask families who arrive after 9:30 a.m. to opt for a virtual learning day. If you have a doctor's appointment or a dentist appointment or something that takes place in the morning that will have you arriving after 9:30 a.m., we ask families to use that as a virtual day because, as you can imagine, it is very difficult to 1) have our entrances supported knowing that all hands are on deck during the day; 2) escort children to their classrooms safely; and 3) take temperatures and more. As long as families arrive before 9:30 a.m., we are safe. After 9:30 a.m., school is still in session, but we ask that they opt into the virtual learning mode for that particular grade level. 

These plans with staggered arrivals and departures will be in place for the first eight weeks to start so that we can transition safely, after which time we will reassess and make decisions that are in the best interests of everyone's safety. Both St. Albans and National Cathedral School have also been very intentional with their scheduling and we recognize the developmental differences between the various students our schools serve. Please know that while we always try our best to coordinate among the three Cathedral schools, we will always make our final decisions based on what is best for the students. Each school will continue to keep our families updated should there be any changes to the schedule. I know that it does not provide a specific solution, but perhaps a bit more understanding. We want nothing more than to return to a normal school year.

Every school is making different decisions for a variety of reasons based on space, enrollment, and other factors. Several schools in the area are offering in-person learning. St. Albans and National Cathedral School are offering a hybrid (Remote Plus) approach. To get the most updated information on other schools, please contact those individual schools directly. 

The Head of School will continue to invite children to virtual monthly birthday celebrations by grade level. Unfortunately, students should not bring in birthday goodies or special snacks to share with their class cohort this year until the health and safety restrictions have been lifted

This is of great importance to us, as well, for we want to make sure that the transition for our newest students is carefully thought out in advance. We are in the process of planning some August events (virtual and in person), as well as new connections in partnership with the Parents Associations (PA), which is also planning to host some events that will lead to a smoother transition. We will keep you posted!

Given Beauvoir’s commitment to a safe return and continued healthy school environment, the Head of School will deliver periodic Community Updates with important information for families about schedules, procedures, and other matters. During the summer months, four such updates were held and posted on the website and can be accessed here. Likewise, our Roadmap to Beauvoir: Comprehensive Communication Guide for families (available on the website since July 31) was created, in part, from Family Focus Group sessions, as is this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section, which we will continue to update based on feedback by our parents and caregivers. The Guide and FAQs are living documents, which are updated as new information becomes available.

We are anticipating that the D.C. Mayor will shed some light on their school plans soon. Presently, private schools are able to make their own decisions about reopening schools in-person, however, we all know that if the Mayor announces additional orders for quarantine or other restrictions that impact our daily lives (work, school, or entertainment), we will certainly be required to follow them.

In the very unfortunate case that a child or adult contracts the virus, the D.C. Department of Health (DOH) would step in to give us guidance, as they are the ones to manage the contact tracing and try to determine who else is required to test and/or quarantine. The individual would be asked to self-isolate for two weeks or until the individual and his/her household are symptom-free. All families in the class cohort may be asked to self-isolate and test (per DOH guidelines) as part of the contact tracing. If a positive COVID test is received for a child or an adult, then, and only then, would we notify pod-families for privacy reasons as directed by OSSE. This is one of the reasons for separating children: to mitigate risk with testing limited to a smaller population or pod.

We encourage all parents and caregivers to keep children home if they are sick or if they, or any household members, present with any COVID-related symptom, including cough, diarrhea, fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, runny nose, or unusual fatigue. We are truly hoping that our Life Rules and consistency in our response to known risks will send the message that we cannot waiver on these decisions when it comes to community safety.

Previously, it was not a requirement for employees or students to receive periodic COVID testing, based on guidance from the D.C. Department of Health (DOH) and OSSE. However, as we move into this new year of 2021, the Cathedral schools will begin administering mandatory PCR testing for in-person students, faculty, and staff every two weeks. We have partnered with Capital Diagnostics for testing and will share the schedules with families when confirmed.

We are concerned about the safety of everyone within our community, including our faculty and staff. Faculty and staff will not only implement the same health and safety protocols expected of families and students but also pledge to do the same by signing Beauvoir’s COVID-19 Prevention and Safety Covenant as inspired by the Beauvoir Life Rules. These protocols include faculty and staff taking their temperatures and uploading results to Magnus prior to arrival at school; wearing masks at all times and gloves when touching areas outside the classroom; using designated bathrooms and not deviating from the hallways they need to travel, or visiting other parts of the building unnecessarily. With the exception of face masks, BVR will provide adults with additional PPE supplies, including full-body aprons and face shields if desired. Outside vendors who may have to come into the building for any specific service or repairs will be administered a temperature check before entering the building.

With regard to travel, we are not accepting test results at this time, and ask everyone to abide by the quarantine request. In addition to international travel, a 14-day quarantine order is now in effect in D.C. for those traveling to states that are considered high-risk areas. The current list of states can be found here. 

New portable HEPA air purifiers will be placed in every classroom and learning space as advised by the building hygienists. We will continue to conduct periodic air quality sampling and closely monitor the temperature and humidity as recommended by the HVAC contractor. We have learned that opening windows may put a strain on the HVAC system and make air flow less efficient. Finally, we will be providing training for all community members as we prepare to enter this new terrain together.