Coronavirus Updates

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates

Dear Parents, Students, and Community Members,

This page has been created to provide a resource for our community members about the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) and how New Hampton School is responding to the rapidly evolving information. Please check back as we will update our school communications and other applicable information.

Updated: December 2, 2020

Messages from the School

Frequently Asked Questions

Returning to Campus

List of 4 items.

  • While campus is closed, may students come to campus?

    Students are not be permitted to come to campus. This includes the use of outdoor spaces, the fitness center, the student center, and beyond. If students are looking to return to campus to retrieve something from their room, they should contact the Student Life Office.  

  • When will students return to campus?

    Students will return to campus following the schedule below. Registration day procedures for students will be shared in the coming weeks.
    • January 11 – 22: Remote classroom instruction. All students will quarantine (on or off-campus) for at least 7 days and quarantine will end only upon receipt of a negative test result.
    • January 11: Boarding students quarantining on campus arrive.
    • January 12: Round 1 of testing for on-campus boarding students. NOTE: Boarding students quarantining off-campus must take a PCR test on or after January 19. Families of boarding students quarantining off-campus are responsible for scheduling the January 19 test. 
    • January 19: On-campus testing for all day students and on-campus boarding students. Day students will test on-campus but return home to complete the quarantine until results are complete.
    • January 25: All students (day and boarding) and faculty with negative test results are expected to return to in-person classes.

  • What safety precautions will be required of students prior to arrival in January?

    All students must return to campus with a negative COVID-19 test (nasopharyngeal PCR test administered by a health professional on or after January 19).
     
    Options for boarding students
    1. Boarding students may return to campus on January 11 to begin a period of quarantine and must arrive with a negative COVID-19 test. All students will be tested on January 12 and January 19. Boarding students quarantining on campus will do so in cohorts specific to their house. Exercise, meals, and co-curricular programming will be done in these cohorts. Quarantine will conclude when the results of testing on January 19 are received.
    2. Boarding students may choose to quarantine off-campus in New England and, upon completion of quarantine, they must arrive by private transportation, following a negative COVID-19 test result from testing on or after January 19. It is the responsibility of the family to schedule a PCR test on or after January 19 at a medical facility near your quarantine location.
     
    Day Students
    All day students will quarantine at home and be tested on campus on January 19, returning home until test results are received and in-person instruction begins.   

  • Will parents transporting their student(s) to campus need to have a COVID-19 test done prior to arrival?

    Parents do not need to be tested for COVID-19 prior to arrival on campus. COVID-19 testing applies only to students.

On-Campus Safety

List of 6 items.

  • How can we keep ourselves safe?

    With both influenza and coronavirus causing concern, we encourage continued focus on prevention.  
     
    Steps you can take to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases (from the CDC):  
    • Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 
    • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. 
    • Stay home when you are sick, or a member of your family is ill. 
    • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. 
    • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. 
    • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. 

  • What if a student or staff person falls ill with COVID-19?

    The availability of regular testing for acute COVID-19 infection will allow us to identify persons in our community who fall ill quickly. Should a student test positive for COVID-19, or exhibit symptoms of the virus, they will leave campus promptly (in the case of students living within driving distance from campus) or be isolated in the Health Center, where 24-hour care will be provided on an as-needed basis.

    Contact tracing will be used to determine what other community members should isolate temporarily to prevent the spread of the illness. Detailed plans for testing, quarantining, tracing, and notification of confirmed sickness will be shared in the coming weeks.

  • What safety measures are being put in place to keep the NHS community healthy?

    New Hampton administrators worked closely with colleagues from local schools, the New Hampshire Department of Public Health, our Medical Director, and our accrediting organizations to devise a comprehensive review of campus spaces and programs to provide for optimal conditions for a safety of students and employees. Below are just a handful of the many safety measures have been implemented: 
    • The remodeling of the Health Center to provide safe administration of daily medication and everyday care, while allowing overnight accommodations for sick students or those requiring isolation. 
    • The reconfiguration of classroom spaces to allow a greater distance between students. 
    • The installation of dividers separating spaces that do not allow for recommended social distancing (such as between sinks in house bathrooms). 
    • The purchase of state-of-art cleaning tools and disinfectants for regular, thorough use across campus. 
    • The installation of hand-washing and sanitizing stations across campus. 
    • The purchase of new software that will allow students to order online, to limit time waiting in lines at the Country Store. 
    • The creation of new protocols for the dissemination of food and dining in the Dining Hall. 
    • Collaboration with local medical practices to devise a plan for regular COVID-19 testing of all community members.

  • How will student life be impacted by COVID-19 this year?

    Decisions regarding student life at New Hampton School are being made with the careful balance between safety and student experience in mind. We recognize that every family has their own barometer for how protective they need to be in this time, and we are working closely with our medical staff to determine what activities and school traditions we will be able to safely carry-on this year. 
     
    Changes were made to dining hall procedures, student orientation, the operation of the Health Center, community gatherings, etc. Also, new programs such as a robust intramural sports program (separate from our athletics program) and a new student mentor program were added to enhance the student experience on campus. 

  • Will my student be required to wear a mask on campus?

    Everyone on New Hampton School’s campus should be prepared to wear a mask any time a 6-foot social distancing radius cannot be ensured. Students will be required to wear masks when walking to and from class, in classrooms, in the common spaces of the houses, while waiting in lines in the Dining Hall and Country store, etc. They will not be required to be masked while seated at meals or in their own bedrooms.

  • What about day students and off-campus faculty, staff, and guests?

    We ask all persons residing off-campus to abide by guidelines that reflect the need for caution when in public spaces. The use of masks and heightened sanitation practices will help prevent the spread of the virus. It is also important that we are monitoring the health and safety status of those coming and going from campus. Visitors may be asked to provide proof of a recent negative test, have their temperatures taken, answer personal wellness questions, etc.

Fall Semester Plans

List of 3 items.

  • How will the academic program be altered this year?

    Recognizing that in-person instruction is optimal, it is our hope that the academic program will function in a way that is consistent with previous years at New Hampton School. That said, we recognize that some students may not be able to return to campus. These students will be able to access their classrooms via a live feed to keep-up in real-time with the instruction happening on campus.

    Faculty participated in professional development this summer focused on remote instruction so that they are ready and equipped to pivot to remote instruction should the status of the COVID-19 virus dictate the need to do so. Should we have to shift to remote instruction, students and parents can expect more synchronous learning in place.

  • Will boarding students be able to travel off-campus?

    For everyone’s safety, it is prudent for boarding students to remain on-campus as often as possible. A wide array of on-campus weekend activities are offered, along with some outdoor off-campus recreation opportunities, such as hikes and rock climbing. We realize that some students will need to leave campus on occasion for a family event, college visit, off-campus appointment, or other necessary commitment. Approvals for such requests will be made through the Student Life Office.

  • Will there be interscholastic athletics?

    Athletics plays an integral role in the daily life and spirit of our student body. Director of Athletics and Co-Curriculars Jamie Arsenault has met regularly with colleagues at local schools, and with New Hampton School varsity coaches, to explore several options for competitions. Guidelines for interscholastic competition continue to change weekly. If schools in our local Lakes Region Association are permitted and ready to compete, we will excitedly devise a safe program that offers the highest level of high school competition.
     
    Should interscholastic sports be interrupted at any time, our coaches are prepared to conduct sport-specific training clinics, work closely with Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Tony Mure to create individualized fitness workouts, and find opportunities to share our athletes’ growth with outside constituencies through live streaming, Hudl, and other athletic recruiting software platforms. 

International Student Guidance

List of 6 items.

College Process

List of 3 items.

  • What happens to the college process?

    The College Counseling Office will continue to support each student’s college process. Through individual and group correspondence with College Counseling staff, virtual visits with colleges and universities, the college process will not be interrupted. 

  • Will New Hampton allow off-campus college visits?

    At the moment, we do not expect any college visits to take place on or off-campus. Colleges and universities are actively using virtual visit platforms which the College Counseling Office will guide students through.  

  • Will there be on-campus college visits?

    Since colleges and universities have transitioned to virtual visit programming, the College Counseling Office will be assisting students in participating in virtual visits.

General Questions

List of 3 items.

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