Coronavirus Updates

Students will return to campus following the schedule below. Registration day procedures for students will be shared in the coming weeks.

 

*Should any student be unable to join us on the date designated for his/her arrival, we will, of course, be flexible in working with him/her to schedule an alternate arrival plan. We understand that some international students may be delayed in arriving this fall and are prepared to offer robust remote instruction for them until they are able to join us on-campus.

In the 14 days prior to arrival, students must be extra vigilant about personal safety. Whenever possible, students should remain isolated from the public. When in public, a face mask is strongly recommended at all times, and frequent handwashing should be practiced. No student should be in contact with anyone known to be acutely infected with COVID-19 or travel to an area with a high number of infection cases.  

 

Within 7 days of arrival, each student must have a test for COVID-19. Written documentation of a negative test will be the first requirement before registration can begin. If you have questions about how to obtain a test, please reach out to your child’s primary care physician or our Director of Health Services, Cindy Glidden, at 603-677-3457. 

 

Also, within 7 days of arrival, anyone coming to registration will be asked to fill out a short survey regarding your current state of health. 

 

When possible, public transportation should be avoided while traveling to New Hampton. If airline travel is essential, facemasks should be worn at all times while in the airport and on the aircraft. 

 

Anyone exhibiting any of the symptoms of COVID-19 listed below should contact New Hampton’s Health Center at 603-677-3457 before coming to campus. 

 

Upon arrival to campus for registration, your family will meet with one of our nurses at which time temperatures will be taken, wellness questions asked, and a COVID-19 test will be administered to the student.

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.

Over the past several months, New Hampton administrators have 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 safe return of students this fall. Below are just a handful of the many safety measures have been implemented: 

Decisions regarding student life at New Hampton 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. Families should expect the beginning of the year to look and feel different, beginning with a completely revised registration process.

 

We will ask all persons not-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 will also be 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.

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. That said, we recognize that some students may not be able to return to campus at the beginning of the year. 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.

Also, faculty are participating in professional development this summer focused on remote instruction, so that they will be 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 that it will look different from what we offered this spring, with more synchronous learning in place.

In an effort to maximize on-campus class days, and to limit the number of extended off-campus trips, New Hampton School will remain in-session until December 11. Plans are being made for an on-campus Thanksgiving celebration for students and faculty, with the acknowledgment that students will have an extended Winter Break (from December 11 to January 11).

For everyone’s safety, it is prudent for boarding students to remain on-campus as often as possible, especially at the beginning of the year. A wide array of on-campus weekend activities will be 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.

 

Universal guidelines for return to campus are being developed, so families and students will know what is expected if a campus departure is approved.

We recognize that students and faculty will need periodic breaks from classes and programming to be able to maintain focus and engagement for the semester. We are designing a calendar that would allow for regular and predictable “rest days”.

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 fall competitions. As guidelines for interscholastic competition continue to change by the week, we do not know yet what the fall season will look like exactly. 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. 

Should there be a need to “close” campus for a period of time as a result of a significant change in the status of the COVID-19 virus, our intent is that we will remain open for those students who are unable, or for whom it is unsafe, to travel home. This will understandably depend on the health of the adults on our campus who would need to care for those students.

There are a number of ways we will communicate updates to our plan for the coming year. Updates will be posted in the bi-weekly Friday e-newsletter, through direct emails from the Head of School and Student Life Office, and on the New Hampton School website. Also, virtual meetings will be offered beginning in July, sharing updates and a forum for questions and answers. In the interim, families are always welcome to reach out to the Student Life Office at 603-677-3435 with any questions that they have.

As was done in the spring, we will determine appropriate credits and refunds should on-campus instruction be disrupted for an extended period of time.