December 30, 2021

Dear Students and Families,

We hope you are enjoying a festive and safe holiday break. We are writing this afternoon to provide a handful of updates following the December 17 letter from our Student Life Office, which you may reference and review here.

Arrival Testing
We plan to return to campus as scheduled, with classes beginning on Wednesday, January 5. That said, we understand that scheduling a COVID-19 test has grown more challenging. In order to allow our community to meet our testing requirements and maintain the most responsible approach for a safe return, we have made the following adjustments to our arrival testing:

• All students must submit the results of a negative test in order to return to campus next week. We are expanding the window for PCR tests to five days (maximum) prior to return; rapid antigen tests will only be accepted if taken within 48 hours of a student’s return. Any test taken before January 1 will not be accepted. Students’ test results must be uploaded to Magnus before returning to campus.

• Acknowledging that some families may not be able to schedule a test or receive results in time for classes on Wednesday, we will provide remote access to classes through Saturday, January 8, only for students who receive their results later in the week. All students must submit this arrival form as soon as possible so that we will have knowledge of all arrival dates and in order to facilitate remote access to classes next week for those who need (whether for one, two, three or four days).

• Students living near enough to campus may obtain a pre-arrival PCR test at Canterbury’s Health Center (to be billed to the family’s insurance/at the family’s expense) during the following schedule:

Sunday, January 2 — 12:00 to 1:00 pm
Monday, January 3 — 12:00 to 3:00 pm

• All students will be tested again (PCR) by Canterbury’s Health Center upon arrival to campus, whatever day that may be. This test will be at the School’s expense. Students must proceed directly to the Health Center before accessing the dorms (boarding students) or attending classes (day students) on their first day back to campus. Health Center hours on Tuesday, January 4, are 4:00 to 7:30 pm; normal operating hours of 7:30 am to 7:00 pm will begin on Wednesday, January 5. If your arrival to campus falls outside of these hours, please make arrangements with the Health Center in advance.

• The full community will undergo a final round of arrival PCR testing on Monday, January 10, administered by Canterbury’s Health Center. Surveillance testing will begin the week of January 17.

As an additional reminder, any student whose pre-arrival test result is positive must communicate with Canterbury’s Health Center immediately, as they will be required to delay their return to campus. Likewise, students with negative test results but are feeling ill in the days preceding their return should communicate with the Health Center before coming to campus.

Important - Action Required
To facilitate our community and surveillance testing protocols, all families are required to register their students with our testing program through Concentric. This testing program is sponsored by the state for schools. Prior to your student’s return to campus, please go to https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent/; our school access code is CBURYSAINTS.

Updated Isolation and Quarantine Protocols
As you may be aware, the CDC released updated guidelines earlier this week regarding new isolation and quarantine requirements for vaccinated, unvaccinated and boosted individuals. Please note that this information is currently being reviewed for schools, and we are awaiting additional guidance from the Connecticut Department of Public Health as to how the revised guidelines will apply to school settings and athletics. Until then, our existing protocols regarding isolation and quarantine will remain unchanged and as they are described in our Campus Protocols.

As we progress through the winter months, we ask all community members to pay close attention to their health generally and COVID-19 symptoms specifically. To that end, boarding student families are encouraged to have plans in place for a student to go home/be off campus, if at all possible, when feeling ill.

Athletics
Due to the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases and emergence of the more contagious omicron variant, the Connecticut Department of Public Health is halting its guidance that would have allowed fully vaccinated athletes, coaches, and officials to participate in athletic competitions without masks as of December 23. Therefore, the guidance that has been in place at the start of the winter sports season will remain in effect, requiring masks to be worn during competition regardless of an individual’s vaccination status. Limited exceptions exist; please refer to the most recent Connecticut Department of Public Health guidance for specific requirements by sport.

Spectator and Visitor Policy
Also mindful of the increasing incidence of COVID-19 locally, regionally, and nationally, we have decided not to allow outside spectator attendance at athletic competitions at this time, which includes Canterbury families and visiting team guests. Once conditions of the pandemic improve, we look forward to welcoming fans to campus again. In the interim, the majority of games will continue to be livestreamed; links for home and away games can be found here.

Additionally, please note that, for the time being, all campus buildings, including dorms, will remain closed to visiting family members and guests. This policy extends to when boarding students return to campus and move back into their dorm rooms.

Attention Students
Please note that we will hold two virtual School Meetings on Tuesday evening, January 4, to talk through community expectations for next week’s campus return. Third and Fourth Form students will attend at 8:00 pm; Fifth and Sixth Form will attend at 8:30 pm. You will receive a Zoom link invitation from Student Life.

We know that our collective hope was to have moved beyond the challenges of COVID-19—health and otherwise—by now. Thankfully, we are not debating a return to in-person classes (as we were last December before rallying for the Saints Six-Week Stretch!), and we are fortified by the impact of vaccines and boosters. To that end, we cannot encourage those eligible strongly enough to receive your booster prior to return. Any student who has already obtained a vaccine booster or receives a booster in the future is asked to upload a copy of their updated vaccine card to Magnus as soon as possible. In addition, we ask that all community members be particularly mindful of our interactions in the days ahead and avoid unnecessary points of intersection if at all possible (similar to last year’s “quiet period”); a safe return is the best starting point for the semester.

Finally, we believe that our Canterbury routines will continue to serve this community well, especially as the presence of COVID-19 becomes endemic. We will begin the semester with negative testing, be vigilant in our approach to masking through our second and third rounds of PCR testing, and then continue to hold ourselves and one another accountable to the expectations set by the State mask mandate, academically and athletically. Along the way, our days will be happily busy, structured, and productive, a framework that has allowed us to hold this community together throughout this pandemic.

As always, thank you for your willingness to partner with us and navigate this together.

Happy New Year!

Head of School Rachel Stone P ’23, ‘24
Assistant Head of School for Student Life Peter LaVigne P ‘14, ‘16, ‘17, ‘20, ‘23
Director of Health Services Colleen Cook, R.N. ‘02

December 17, 2021

Dear Students and Families,

Congratulations to our students—and the entire community—for a strong and successful finish to the fall semester. We could not be more proud of your accomplishments and grateful for the steps you took in taking care of one another. Thank you to the parents and guardians who joined Head of School Rachel Stone for her fall semester wrap-up discussion on Monday night; we are happy to share the recording for those who missed it.

We are writing today to outline the protocols—as best we can predict at this time—for our January return, following the winter break. As a reminder, boarding students are scheduled to return on Tuesday, January 4, by 7:00 PM; varsity athletes should be in contact with their coaches regarding practice times on that day.

TESTING
Prior to our campus return, all students, faculty, and staff will be required to submit negative results of a COVID-19 test taken on January 3 or 4 (and not before). Tests may be either PCR or rapid antigen; however, results from at-home rapid testing kits will not be accepted. Students’ test results must be uploaded to Magnus no later than Tuesday, January 4, by 5:00 PM. Any student whose results are not received in this timeframe will not be permitted to attend classes on Wednesday, January 5.

If your test result is positive, please communicate with Canterbury’s Health Center immediately, as you will be required to delay your return to campus. Likewise, if you have a negative test result but are feeling ill in the days preceding your return, please communicate with the Health Center before coming to campus.

The full community will undergo PCR testing administered by the Canterbury Health Center on Thursday, January 6.

Weekly surveillance testing will resume during the week of January 10, wherein a random sample of our community will undergo PCR testing. We will continue to use our COVID-19 dashboard to communicate these results as well as any other symptomatic testing conducted during the course of a given week.

MASKING
In accordance with the current State of Connecticut mask mandate, our community will remain masked inside all campus buildings upon our return in January, with the exception of dormitories once an initial masking protocol has been lifted (see below).

Out of an abundance of caution, boarding students will be required to wear masks in dorm common spaces for at least one week following our return and contingent upon the results of the January 6 full community testing.

DORMITORY ACCESS
As we reestablish dorms as “family units,” access will be limited to residents only during the same timeframe noted above (at least one week following return and contingent upon full community testing results). Boarding students may not enter dorms other than their own, and day students will not be permitted inside dormitory buildings.

VACCINATION
There is no question, our success this fall can be attributed to the high vaccination rate of our community. To that end, we strongly encourage all those eligible to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine booster prior to our return to campus. For further information regarding booster eligibility, please refer to this CDC resource.

In closing, please know that we continue to keep a watchful eye on the medical landscape locally, regionally, and nationally, just as we acknowledge that updated guidance from the state or CDC may be released at any time. As such, please be aware that our plans could change at any point up to our students’ return to campus. We ask that you pay close attention to your email throughout the winter break, as we will promptly communicate any changes that may become necessary.

We wish our students and families a joyful holiday season and a restorative and healthy winter break.

Gratefully,

Assistant Head of School for Student Life Peter LaVigne P ‘14, ‘16, ‘17, ‘20, ‘23
Director of Health Services Colleen Cook, R.N. ‘02

Dear Canterbury Students and Families,

We hope your family enjoyed time together this Thanksgiving and a restful break. As we prepare for these final weeks of the fall semester, we are writing to provide several updates and reminders regarding our students’ return to campus, our COVID-19 protocols, and upcoming December events.

Boarding students return to campus tomorrow, Monday, November 29, and classes resume for all students on Tuesday, November 30. Some varsity winter teams will return for practice early, and athletes should communicate directly with their coaches for specific plans.

All students, faculty, and staff will be tested for COVID-19 as one component of our return to campus this week. Those with an approved vaccine exemption must report to the Health Center for a rapid test on their first day back on campus. The full community will undergo PCR testing on Thursday, December 2. We ask all community members to approach this first week together with an abundance of caution and heightened commitment to our protocols in acknowledgement of increasing COVID concerns locally and nationally. To that end, we strongly encourage all dorm residents to wear masks in dormitory common spaces until results of the community PCR testing are returned.

If any community member is ill or presenting symptoms of COVID-19, they are asked to stay home/in the dorm and contact the Health Center. Similarly, anyone who has been in contact with a positive case of COVID-19 must communicate directly with Director of Health Services Colleen Cook at ccook@cbury.org. Lastly, we ask all community members and families to review Canterbury’s current COVID-19 protocols. As a reminder, we will use the dashboard found on this same webpage to keep our community and families informed of any positive cases identified on campus.

According to the guidance recently released by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC), all student-athletes, regardless of vaccination status, are required to be masked during competition until December 23. For the time being, spectators are welcome to enjoy the Saints winter athletic contests but must be masked inside all Canterbury buildings and physically distanced when possible. We expect spectators to be symptom-free and acknowledge that our ability to welcome fans for winter athletic contests could change over the course of the season.

The annual Holiday Band Concert is scheduled for Friday evening, December 10, at 7:30 PM in Maguire Auditorium. At this time, we hope to welcome families to campus for this performance. All guests will be required to share proof of vaccination or results of a recent (within 72 hours) negative COVID-19 test (rapid or PCR) with Colleen Cook at ccook@cbury.org prior to the event. We will communicate with families as we get closer to the event should these plans need to change.

Fourth and Fifth Form students will sit for the PreACT, administered at Canterbury on Saturday, December 11. In case you missed the November Underform College Counseling virtual session, please click here to access a recording of the event.

Head of School Rachel Stone will host a Fall Semester Wrap-Up Discussion for parents and guardians via Zoom on Monday, December 13, at 7:00 PM. Details of the event can be viewed here, including a link to register.

The community plans to celebrate the holiday season with our Christmas Dinner during two seatings on Wednesday, December 15, followed by our wonderful tradition of Lessons and Carols. Due to capacity limits in the Chapel of Our Lady, we are unable to invite families to join us on campus for this event. The event will be livestreamed for families to enjoy at home (link will be readily available on our website on December 15).

Students may depart campus after their academic commitments on Thursday, December 16. For assistance with transportation for the winter break, please contact Tracey Ramee at 860-210-3860 or studentlife@cbury.org.

As tonight marks the beginning of both Advent and Hanukkah, we wish all who celebrate a joyful holiday season!

Thank you, as always, for your support and cooperation.

Peter LaVigne
Assistant Head of School for Student Life

September 15, 2021

Dear Canterbury Community,

With our second week of classes now well underway, we are writing today to share a few updates for the weeks and months ahead.  

Community Surveillance Testing
For the month of September, as we establish our “campus bubble” following our full community’s return, we will perform weekly surveillance testing on a random sample of our entire campus community. This surveillance testing will begin on September 16.  

We will reevaluate the need to continue surveillance testing of vaccinated community members going forward as we receive updated guidance from the Connecticut Department of Health and based on the medical landscape locally and on campus.

COVID-19 Communications and Community Expectations 
For the 2021-22 school year, we will be using an online dashboard to keep families informed of positive cases of COVID-19 among our students, faculty, and staff.  Data will be updated every Friday afternoon by 5:00 pm EST and will report testing results (surveillance and symptomatic) of that week. Broad email notifications will only be sent if we are implementing a change to campus operations or if there is other pertinent information necessary to share with the community.     

Also throughout the school year, we will maintain an archive of all protocol updates and general COVID-19 communications on our COVID-19 Community Updates webpage. 

Parents/guardians will be contacted directly by Canterbury’s Health Center if their student tests positive for COVID-19 or is identified as a close contact of a positive case. (Current CDC guidance pertaining to isolation and close contact quarantine can be reviewed here.) Beyond notifying families, a student’s results will be only communicated on a "need to know" basis to the relevant department of health and a very limited number of faculty/staff essential to supporting the student (e.g., dorm parent, advisor, Donovan Center for Learning faculty, etc.). Students' identities will never be revealed to the general community.  

While it is understandable to be concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in our small community, it is paramount that we respect the privacy of our community members and not speculate about positive cases. Likewise, we ask students and families alike to refrain from disclosing to others if you are aware of an affected individual’s identity.

Updated Visitor and Spectator Policy
We are delighted to welcome parents, families, and guests to visit campus and attend athletic contests this fall. Regardless of an individual’s vaccination status, masks are optional outdoors; however, all visitors must be masked when inside Canterbury buildings, including our athletic facilities. To that end, spectators of any indoor competitions (e.g., volleyball) must remain masked at all times. Importantly, please be aware that these plans are made with the best intentions for providing our students with as much normalcy as possible but are subject to change should conditions of the pandemic and/or the medical landscape locally or on campus deteriorate.

UPDATE:  At this time, we ask parents, regardless of vaccination status, to refrain from entering dormitories, as we are continuing to allow boarding students to move about in their dorm "family units" unmasked.  Please also note that we are currently unable to welcome visitors to Mass on Sunday due to physical distancing and capacity limitations of the Chapel. Should you have any questions, please contact Assistant Head of School for Student Life Peter Lavigne. 

Expectations for Day Students, Home Visits, and Off-Campus Activities
As the Delta variant continues to be a pervasive, growing concern for both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals, we remain grateful for the cooperation and partnership of our families while students are not on Canterbury’s campus.  Regardless of your student’s vaccination status, we ask parents/guardians to be especially mindful of any risks of exposure and encourage your student to make good decisions and adhere to the same health and safety practices that we have in place on our campus.    

As a reminder, boarding students must use the REACH app to request permission for an off-campus departure and include as much information/detail as possible regarding the activity so that we can make an accurate determination about the level of risk.  As stated in our 2021-22 Campus Protocols, high-risk activities include large-crowd gatherings and large-scale athletic events.  

Thank you, as always, for your support and cooperation as we collectively work to ensure a safe, successful school year for our Saints.

With appreciation,

Head of School Rachel Stone P ‘23, ‘24
Assistant Head of School for Student Life Peter LaVigne P ʼ14, ʼ16, ʼ17, ʼ20, ʼ23
Director of Health Services Colleen Cook, R.N. ‘02

August 20, 2021

Dear Canterbury Students and Families,

The faculty are spending these opening days of the 2021-22 academic year engaged in meetings and conversations, and we are thrilled to welcome your children to campus soon. To ensure that all of our families are on track for the coming days, we are sharing registration details and other important information. Of particular importance is Canterbury’s COVID-19 Guidelines & Protocols for 2021-2022.

Remember that students should not arrive on campus without submitting their proof of COVID-19 full vaccination via the Magnus Health Portal. Any student without a vaccination card must have their arrival plans approved by Colleen Cook, Director of Health Services. Additionally, students must submit a negative COVID-19 test result (PCR or rapid antigen) within 72 hours of their arrival on campus. Any questions regarding vaccination status or COVID-19 testing should be directed to Colleen Cook at ccook@cbury.org.

The Connecticut Association of Independent Schools is hosting Dr. Sten Vermund (Yale School of Public Health) on Wednesday, September 1, from 6:00 - 7:30 PM for a webinar for parents that will address questions about vaccine efficacy and safety among children and adolescents. This event is free. To register, please click here.

Please find your child’s Registration Day schedule below. Please know that all our new families will have scheduled time to meet your child’s Faculty Advisor on the day you arrive.

Sunday, August 29: Invited Student Leaders
Wednesday, September 1: Invited Fall Varsity Athletes
Saturday, September 4: International Students (not previously registered above)
Monday, September 6: All Remaining Boarding and Day Students

Registration will occur in the Steers Center this year! All families should initially report to the Sheehan House Parking Lot when arriving on campus to register. Families should walk up to the Steers Center patio. At registration, students will receive their room key and a full schedule of orientation events through our first day of classes, Wednesday, September 8. All students are required to attend orientation events on Monday afternoon, September 6, and Tuesday, September 7, culminating with our all-School cookout.

We are still welcoming students and families to campus to drop off their belongings prior to registration for a streamlined move-in process. While this weekend’s reservations are already filled, to schedule a reservation between Monday, August 23 and Friday, August 28, please email studentlife@cbury.org with a preferred (specific) day and time, and we will schedule accordingly.

Parents and siblings are permitted to enter Canterbury buildings including the dorms while registering or dropping off belongings but must be masked at all times while indoors regardless of vaccination status.

If you have not completed the required forms (Arrival Form, the Parent Questionnaire, and the Magnus Health Information), please refer to “All Required Forms” on our Opening of School website. Required forms and documents must be finalized as soon as possible.

If you have any questions about Drop Off, Registration, or Opening Days, please contact the Student Life team at studentlife@cbury.org or call the Student Life Office at 860-210-3860.

We look forward to seeing you on the hilltop!

Peter LaVigne
Assistant Head of School for Student Life

August 5, 2021

Dear Canterbury Community,

In fewer than four weeks, we will be welcoming our first groups of students back to campus, and we could not be more excited for the 2021-22 school year to officially begin. Like you, the hope for a return to the normal, wonderful, community-centered pace and pattern of life on our hilltop has inspired and guided us as we look ahead to the new year.

And yet, COVID-19 continues to impact our routines, infrastructure, and—most importantly—our health and safety. The Delta variant is now pervasive, is a genuine risk for unvaccinated individuals, and is becoming a growing concern for vaccinated individuals. Our Medical Task Force is keeping a watchful eye on the research and data that help shed light on why COVID-19 persists and how the evolving medical landscape impacts all of us generally and our return as a Canterbury community specifically.

As mentioned in our July 1 communication, we believe that vaccination is the best route to a safe community, to the protection of those most vulnerable who cannot get vaccinated, and to the control of COVID-19 locally and globally; we are grateful for your collaboration on this front and proud that the Canterbury community will exceed a 90 percent vaccination rate this fall! As a reminder, any member of our community who is not yet vaccinated and has not been approved for an exemption through Canterbury’s Health Center should have received their first vaccine dose by this point in time.

As of this writing and in alignment with current CDC guidelines, the State of Connecticut continues to require K-12 school communities to wear masks indoors when school is in session, regardless of an individual’s vaccination status; we are awaiting a formal update from the state in the coming weeks regarding masks and other mitigation measures for the return to school this fall. As has been the case since the spring of 2020, Canterbury will comply with any state and/or local guidance that is mandated for school settings. Therefore and in the spirit of full transparency, we ask all students, faculty, and staff (vaccinated and unvaccinated) to prepare for the likely outcome that we will be wearing masks when indoors to start the school year. Along similar lines, we will require all community members, regardless of vaccination status, to provide a negative result from a COVID-19 test (PCR or rapid antigen) administered within 72 hours before returning to campus.

We will confirm our protocols and provide greater detail by August 20, and, as was the case last year, we remain hopeful that the fluid conditions of the pandemic and evolving public health guidance will allow for a staged approach. As a small community with a high vaccination rate (and therefore not an area of high transmission) and protocols in place for those who have been approved to receive a vaccine exemption (e.g., weekly surveillance testing), Canterbury will be an extraordinarily safe environment. To that end, we hope to modify our protocols as the year gets underway (e.g., consider dormitories family units) and to reach a point where we can consider a mask-optional approach.

Our current planning for the fall includes a return to in-person School Meeting, a full athletic season with interscholastic games, gatherings in the Steers Center, and myriad other aspects of our community life that define and differentiate our extraordinary, student-centered experience. As a fellow parent, I know that our children want nothing more than to learn, compete, laugh, build relationships, grow, and explore new interests as they did before this pandemic. Please help me reassure them that we will get there and remind them that they have become experts at doing all of those things while wearing masks! In the interim, the collective strength we draw from the Canterbury community will, as always, keep us steady and strong.

With appreciation,

Rachel Stone P ‘23, ‘24
Head of School

July 23, 2021

Dear Families,

I hope your summer has been enjoyable and restful thus far. On campus, the Student Life Office is excitedly preparing for the upcoming school year, and we look forward to welcoming our new and returning Saints to the hilltop soon!

With August on the horizon, I am writing today to provide important information regarding your student’s arrival to campus and preparations for the 2021-22 academic year. As in years past, there is a great deal of information about the upcoming year on Canterbury’s Opening of School webpage. This page serves as the central location for all back-to-school information, including required forms, arrival dates, updated calendar, and academic details. A Parent Checklistt can be found on this page, which includes all action items and forms that require your attention.

Reminder: COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
As we outlined in our July 1 communication, Canterbury is requiring all students eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to be fully vaccinated in order to attend the upcoming school year. Families should make arrangements for students to complete a full course of vaccine at least two weeks before the student's return to campus, including participation in any school-offered programs (e.g., pre-season athletics, leadership training). A copy of your child’s vaccination card must be uploaded to Magnus before arrival on campus. Please be aware that our July 15 deadline for requesting exemptions has passed.

For international students unable to obtain a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization in their home country, Canterbury will help to provide access to vaccination options in September. Please contact Director of Health Services Colleen Cook, R.N. ‘02 if your student will require this vaccination assistance.

Arrival and Registration
 

• For families who live close enough to campus, we encourage you to move your child’s belongings into their dorm room during a pre-arranged time slot starting on Friday, August 20. This will allow us to streamline the campus arrival process. Families are asked to schedule appointments with the Student Life Office to drop off belongings and return home. Dorm assignments will be completed and shared with students the first week of August. Families may sign up for appointments via the Move In Form.

• In preparation for our entire community’s return to campus, student arrivals will be staggered according to the following schedule:
  • August 29 - Student Leaders
  • September 1 - Varsity & Invited Athletes
  • September 4 - International Students
  • September 6 - All Other Students

• All students will register in person on the above-mentioned dates. Parents will also be invited to a Parent/Guardian Reception on registration day. Further details, including times and instructions upon arrival, will be communicated in August.

• All families must submit the Arrival Survey. The survey requests your child’s specific travel information, including arrival dates and transportation needs. Please note that Canterbury can help arrange transportation to campus from New York-area transportation hubs; the final page of this survey asks whether you would like to arrange transportation.

• We understand that some families will require special consideration regarding early arrival. We are happy to work with families regarding their child’s arrival plans.

Dress Code

Please note the adjusted dress code requirements for 2021-2022. While the academic day dress code remains simplified this year, we require students to bring formal attire for special occasions.

Faculty Advisor and Big Sibling
New students should expect to hear from their faculty advisors prior to registration. Advisors are the “go-to” adults for questions, concerns, and information once the school year begins. While some of the details of the fall remain undecided, the advisor can help guide you in the right direction should you have questions.

Similarly, every new student will be given a Big Sibling in the coming weeks. Your Big Sibling is a returning student who will be another resource for you as you transition to your life on our hilltop. The group of Big Siblings is excited to meet you all!

Athletics
Canterbury’s coaches are busy preparing for the upcoming season! If you are not sure whether your child should arrive on campus for fall varsity preseason training starting on September 1, please reach out to the specific coach or Director of Athletics Jim Stone. Contact information for each fall Head Coach is available on the Opening of School webpage.

Weekends
Many boarding students are accustomed to traveling on weekends after classes and/or athletics to return home to spend time with family, to participate in off-campus commitments, and to visit colleges. At this point, we expect to start the year granting weekend departure opportunities. Canterbury is onboarding a new software program to streamline our off-campus protocols. The rollout will begin in August as students arrive, and we will share details in the weeks and months ahead.

2021-2022 Student Handbook and Forms
The Student Handbook for 2021-2022 is now available, and I ask that you read it while paying particular attention to the following sections: Major Rules, Policy on Healthy Relationships, Policy on Alcohol and Other Drugs, and Terms and Conditions for Internet Use. Once your family has reviewed the Handbook, a parent/guardian must complete and submit thisform to confirm. Students will sign a similar form during the first week of classes.

The School Calendar is found on the last page of the Handbook and online. Prior to registration, you will receive a more detailed orientation and opening days schedule.

I encourage you to complete the checklist and submit the online forms. We ask that all families—returning and new—complete a Parent Information Questionnaire by August 1. The Magnus Health forms are accessible through your Parent Portal. Please contact Rachel Germon, Canterbury’s System Support Specialist, if you have issues or questions accessing your portal.

Conclusion
Please watch for several communications during the first week of August including academic updates and other important details and information regarding campus protocols. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me or the Student Life Office at 860-210-3860 if you have any questions about Student Life or the opening of school. I look forward to seeing you at the start of the year.

Regards,

Peter D. LaVigne
Assistant Head of School for Student Life

July 1, 2021

Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians,

We hope this letter finds each of you enjoying a happy, healthy and restful summer with your family. As promised, we are writing today with our July 1 update on our planning for the 2021-22 school year.  

As you are likely aware, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 12 and older. Research indicates that vaccinated individuals are at a substantially lower risk for contracting COVID-19 and are much less likely to transmit COVID-19 to others if infected. 

Coupled with the widespread improving conditions of the pandemic, the availability, safety, and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine allow us to plan for a fully on-campus, in-person learning experience next year; as a reminder, we do not plan to offer a parallel remote learning option. We also feel confident in our return to a robust and less-restricted campus program that includes full athletic seasons, arts performances, community and residential life gatherings, and many other aspects of life on our hilltop that were deeply missed last year. While these activities will likely require some safety and mitigation measures, we hope to operate with few limitations in place—resuming a fluid and open campus environment that supports the physical and emotional wellbeing of our students and all community members. 

To that end, and like many independent schools in Connecticut and across the country, we have decided to require all Canterbury students eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to be fully vaccinated in order to attend the upcoming school year. Families should make arrangements for students to complete a full course of vaccine at least two weeks before the student's return to campus, including participation in any school-offered programs (e.g., pre-season athletics, leadership training). Proof of vaccination will be required; we will accept any COVID-19 vaccine with FDA or World Health Organization approval. Once your child is fully vaccinated, please scan or photograph your child’s vaccination card and upload a copy to Magnus. If your child was fully vaccinated this spring and a record of their vaccination card is on file in the Canterbury Health Center, no further action is needed on your part. Please also know that we are requiring all Canterbury faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the start of the 2021-22 school year.

As you plan your summer and your child’s return to school (view the 2021-22 Opening of School calendar here), please review the following timelines for each vaccine currently approved for use in the United States:

• Pfizer (authorized for use in children ages 12 and up)—two-dose vaccine that requires three weeks between each dose, plus two weeks following the second dose before you are considered fully vaccinated—must start vaccination no later than five weeks before the return to school.
• Moderna (authorized for use in 18+)—two-dose vaccine that requires four weeks between each dose, plus two weeks following the second dose before you are considered fully vaccinated—must start vaccination no later than six weeks before the return to school.
• Johnson & Johnson (authorized for use in 18+)—one-dose vaccine, with two weeks following the dose before you are considered fully vaccinated—must receive vaccination no later than two weeks before the return to school.

We are aware that some international families are unable to obtain the vaccine in their home country. We will work with these students to provide access to vaccination options in the fall. Families are asked to contact Director of Health Services Colleen Cook, R.N. ‘02 by July 15 if their student will require this vaccination assistance.

We understand that a small number of families may inquire about requesting an exemption from our COVID-19 vaccine requirement. All requests will be reviewed by Canterbury’s Health Center, following Connecticut state statutes for medical and religious exemptions as a guide, and are subject to approval by the School Physician. Families are asked to communicate directly with Director of Health Services Colleen Cook, R.N. ‘02 no later than July 15 to discuss the process for submitting a request. All requests and accompanying documents will be kept confidential and shared only with those who are directly involved in the review and approval process. If any request for an exemption is approved, you will be required to complete a waiver before your child may return to campus. 

It is important to be aware that students who are granted an exemption to the vaccine mandate will likely have specific and different expectations, both on and off campus, just as current protocols vary between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals under the most recent state public health guidance. Protocol expectations for our campus community will be directed by updates still yet to be issued by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Department of Education regarding the 2021-22 school year. 

Finally, we ask all families—domestic and international—to establish an emergency departure plan in the event that your child must promptly depart campus, either healthy or ill. Each family will be asked to provide an emergency contact/local guardian to the Student Life Office. Instructions for submitting this information will be shared in August. For families who need help securing a local guardian, please reach out to Assistant Head of School for Student Life Peter LaVigne. 

As mentioned above, our fall return-to-campus plan will develop and change based on forthcoming CDC and state public health guidance, and we will continue to closely monitor the still-evolving COVID-19 medical landscape. Our hope is that in the first week of August, we will be able to communicate more detailed information about our 2021-22 COVID-related protocols and an overview of how we will operate next year. 

We are excited about all the opportunities that will be afforded to our community when we are fully vaccinated. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Assistant Head of School for Student Life Peter LaVigne or Director of Health Services Colleen Cook, R.N. ’02.  

Thank you, as always, for your support and cooperation.  We know you join us in looking forward to a promising 2021-22 school year!

With appreciation,

Head of School Rachel Stone P ‘23, ‘24
Assistant Head of School for Student Life Peter LaVigne P ʼ14, ʼ16, ʼ17, ʼ20, ʼ23
Director of Health Services Colleen Cook, R.N. ‘02