Dear Canterbury Families and Students,

At the time of this writing, we are still awaiting the results of our surveillance testing that was administered earlier this week.  In the interim, however, we continue to keep a watchful eye on the medical landscape. While statistics remain low in New Milford and our surrounding Litchfield County, the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise in Connecticut, neighboring states, and across the country.  Another compounding factor is the change in seasons, with colder temperatures driving more of our activity indoors and within closer quarters.  

In response to these emerging conditions and as we prepare to head into the upcoming weekend, we write to you today to share the following important reminders and protocol updates:

• First and foremost, we continue to strongly encourage all boarding students to remain on campus as much as possible for the remainder of the fall semester, and we remind all day students to consider your homes an extension of our community and campus in terms of best health practices and reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

• That said: 

1) We recognize that several families have already made plans for their students to travel home or visit colleges this weekend, and we will continue to support those plans if they remain reasonable and safe.

2) We appreciate that time spent at home and with family can be beneficial to our students’ emotional well-being. Therefore, in keeping both the physical and mental health of our community in mind, boarding students are asked to limit their off-campus travel to one weekend between October 24 and the start of Thanksgiving recess on November 20.  As a reminder, please note that Saturday Student Pods are scheduled for October 24 and November 14, and “open house” classes are scheduled for the morning of October 31 for Virtual Family Weekend; attendance is required.  Parents/guardians must submit the weekend sign-out form to notify the Student Life Office of their students’ requested off-campus travel. 

• As previously stated, families are asked to strictly comply with the expectation that students are only going home or to a pre-approved college visit when departing campus for the weekend. This extends to students living a significant distance from campus who have been given permission to accept the invitation of one local family to visit. 

• Additionally, we ask boarding and day students to exercise heightened vigilance with regard to avoiding crowds and refraining from small get-togethers at home. Small, indoor group gatherings have recently been cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a cause for the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the U.S. 

• We understand that families may request an exception to our new and existing travel restrictions, and we will continue to review these requests on a case-by-case basis with a subcommittee of our Medical Task Force. If students are granted any weekend exceptions, a specific return-to-campus protocol may be required (e.g., negative PCR test before returning; daily medical check by Canterbury’s Health Center team; potential for remote learning for a period of time). 

• As a reminder, please note that all other requirements and protocols outlined in our September 28 communication remain in effect. You may find copies of this email and all prior updates from the School on our Opening of School 2020-21 webpage.  

We wish to reiterate that these recent decisions acknowledge the climbing case numbers at the regional and national levels; they are not in response to conditions that exist locally or on our campus.  To that end, we believe this careful, measured change to our protocols is prudent at this time, as it will allow us to continue to support the emotional well-being of our students while generally lowering the risk of exposure to and incidence of COVID-19 on our campus.  

Finally, as we have stated before, please remember that all of our updates remain subject to change should new trends or information emerge, or if the trajectory of the virus worsens in any additional ways. Likewise, if we become concerned about our community’s compliance, we will revisit and adjust our protocols accordingly.  

Thank you for your ongoing cooperation, patience, and trust as we continue to take the necessary steps to care for our students and our entire hilltop community.   

With appreciation,

Head of School Rachel Stone P ʼ23, ʼ24
Assistant Head of School for Student Life Peter LaVigne P ʼ14, ʼ16, ʼ17, ʼ20, ʼ23
Director of Health Services Colleen Cook, R.N. ʼ02

Dear Canterbury Community,

As we begin our fourth week of classes, we write today with several updates regarding the weeks and months ahead. We appreciate your continued patience throughout this evolving fall and your partnership in helping us keep the Canterbury community healthy, safe, and together.

As our Leadership Team works in concert with our Medical Task Force, our decisions always begin with: what will best support the physical and emotional health of our community? That core question may not provide absolute clarity, but it does ensure a consistent, rational, student-centered approach to how we prioritize and make decisions. To that end, we believe that the following updates are in the best interest of our community’s well-being, even as we acknowledge that policies designed to promote mental health (e.g., spending time at home) will create a more open, fluid community. However, our adherence to daily symptom/wellness checks, weekly surveillance testing, the Saints Pledge, and mask use/social distancing/hand hygiene provides a steady, sturdy defense of our collective safety. It is critical that we sustain these best health practices and resist complacency.

We ask that these updates be viewed as an addendum to our August 1 Fall 2020 Opening Plan.

I. Weekend Protocol Update

• Beginning this weekend, and as the next step in our staged approach following a “quiet” September, our boarding students may go home for the weekend once all Canterbury responsibilities are met, just as our day students do. Students may leave campus this weekend, beginning on Friday, October 2, following both their academic and athletic/activity commitments. Please note that Saturday Student Pods are scheduled for October 10, October 24, and November 14, and classes are scheduled for the morning of October 31 for Virtual Family Weekend (more details below); attendance is required.

 

• We ask that students and parents/guardians work proactively with our Student Life team to complete the weekend sign-out form (must be submitted by parents) and strictly comply with the expectation that students are only going home. Since boarding students return to the shared spaces of dormitories, they will be asked to once again wear masks in all dorm areas (other than their own rooms) and not host other students in their room or visit other students for one week following their return.

 

• Also beginning on October 2 (following afternoon commitments), Sixth Form boarding and day students may request (via the weekend sign-out form; to be completed by parents) to visit colleges with a parent/guardian if they abide by the same safety protocols (masks/social distancing/hand hygiene) as they do on Canterbury’s campus.

 

• Beyond spending the weekend at home or on a college visit, we encourage our boarding students to remain on campus this fall!

 

• Whenever possible, we ask families to pick up and return their students to campus by car. For the rare circumstances when public transportation is needed, we ask students and families to be particularly mindful of the CDC travel guidelines regarding the risks of air, bus, and train travel. Students who access these modes of travel will be required to have a daily symptom screening at the Health Center upon return to campus and a COVID-19 PCR test (at the family’s expense) one week following their travels.

 

• As has been the case since August and remains the case as of September 28, students will not be allowed to travel to “red” states (those under the State of Connecticut travel advisory) without quarantining for two weeks in a “green” state prior to their return to campus. Therefore, boarding students may not take a college visit or travel home for the weekend to a “red” state.

 

• That said, we understand that some families may request an exception to this, such as attendance at a small family event. In order to do so, both students and parents/guardians must complete this form; all requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by a subcommittee of our Medical Task Force. If students are given permission to travel beyond home/college visits, a specific return-to-campus protocol will be required (e.g., negative PCR test before returning; daily medical check by Canterbury’s Health Center team; potential for remote learning for a period of time).

 

• Our August 1 policy that “Canterbury athletes will not be allowed to participate in competition external to our campus (e.g., weekend showcases, travel team practices, etc.)” remains in effect through November 21, for the 7-10 days prior to students’ return in January, and likely until Canterbury’s March break. Knowing that each external athletic organization will abide by its own set of safety protocols and that we cannot expect the level of partnership and compliance that we can of our Canterbury families and peer schools, we believe this decision remains in the best interest of our community. Moreover, we are hopeful that our student-athletes are seeing the benefits of our on-campus opportunities, from livestreamed competition to the creation of film for the college recruiting process. In the rare occasion where your child must participate in a non-Canterbury athletic event, they will be required to engage in remote learning for the two weeks following the event.

 

• As a reminder, Canterbury’s campus will remain closed to outside guests at least until Thanksgiving; only current students, faculty, faculty families, and staff are allowed on campus and in campus buildings. Parents of boarding students may continue to visit campus for brief, outdoor visits in the areas near your child’s dormitory. Likewise, pre-arranged Admission Office tours will only be allowed under strict safety protocols (e.g., outdoors, masks).

 

• Finally, and as noted in the Calendar Update below, our December schedule will allow time for students to travel without posing potential risk to our campus community at large. Therefore, we encourage families to schedule necessary travel—as well as take advantage of opportunities for travel team competition, etc.—between Thanksgiving and the New Year as possible.

We cannot emphasize strongly enough the responsibility we bear as students, parents, faculty, and staff to avoid behaviors and situations off (and on) our campus that could increase our community’s risk to COVID-19. Continuing the success we have enjoyed in September wholly relies on our shared commitment and compliance.

II. Athletic Update

• We are grateful that our fall teams have continued to successfully progress through their staged return to competition, as have those winter and spring teams offering skill training on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. Our student-athletes have taken full advantage of these opportunities, and afternoons on our hilltop are wonderfully active.

 

• At this point, our fall varsity teams (field hockey, girls’ and boys’ soccer, football, cross-country, volleyball) are scheduled to play an abbreviated season on six consecutive Saturdays (October 10 - November 14). Games will only take place if competing teams meet the medical criteria agreed upon by both schools, including medical clearance of players and coaches on game day by each school’s Director of Health Services.

 

• The majority of our home contests will be livestreamed, and outside spectators (family, friends, and visiting team guests) will not be allowed.

 

• The winter and spring cross-training sessions will continue to be offered in October and November, and fall varsity athletes must attend their Saturday games.

 

• Winter varsity teams may begin interscholastic competition prior to the Thanksgiving break; we will provide updates on these plans as they take shape.

III. Calendar Update

• Our Virtual Family Weekend will take place on the afternoon of Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31, with Friday’s schedule including an update from Head of School Rachel Stone and Saturday’s schedule including remote access to your child’s classes. An invitation with details is forthcoming from Director of Annual Giving & Parent Development Meredith Gal.

 

• After significant discussion as a Leadership Team and Medical Task Force, conversations/comparisons with peer boarding schools, and consideration of the risks and benefits, we have decided to shift from on-campus/in-person classes to a fully remote academic schedule in December. This will allow our students to travel and spend time with family and friends over the holidays, followed by a repopulation strategy for January that will parallel our approach in August.

 

• All students will depart campus after classes on Friday, November 20.

 

• All classes will be offered remotely from December 1-December 17; attendance will be required. Our teaching faculty will devote time during the week of November 16 to prepare students for this remote experience, and families will receive additional details prior to November 21.

 

• We will once again ask all families to be particularly attentive to your child’s travel and interactions in the 7 to 10 days leading up to their return to campus. During this quiet period, we ask that your child avoid large crowds and places of recent outbreaks, minimize exposure to sick people, not participate in competition external to our campus (e.g., weekend showcases, travel team practices, etc.), physically distance by six feet, and wear a mask in public. Students who do not adhere to the expectations of this quiet period will not be allowed to return to campus.

 

• Once we have a better sense of how the winter athletic schedule takes shape (e.g., when competition will begin), it is possible that some varsity teams will return to campus on Monday, January 4 for on-campus COVID-19 PCR testing. These student-athletes will remain in quarantine until test results are returned, and practices will then begin for all athletes testing negative (any positive cases will immediately enter our isolation protocols).

 

• In-person classes will begin on Monday, January 11, for all students. Safety protocols on campus will return to those established at the beginning of the 2020-21 year.

 

• As was the case for the fall semester, all students, faculty, and staff must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 3 to 5 days prior to campus return in January and must present those negative results to our Health Center before their return. The only exception to this would be winter athletes arriving on January 4 for on-campus testing.

 

• Knowing that travel advisories may continue to change over time, we realize that some students may need to quarantine on campus for two weeks prior to the start of classes, as was the case in August. If your child’s return to campus will require a 14-day quarantine, we will make dormitories available on Monday, December 28.

 

• We will provide updates/reminders regarding these dates and procedures by November 1.

 

• For an updated School Year Calendar, please click here. Please note that our later start in January will be offset by additional academic days in February (no winter weekend) and a modification to March vacation.

IV. Academic Update

• In-person classes will continue to serve as the primary mode of instruction through November 20. During this time period, classes will be conducted utilizing in-person instruction and allowing for remote participation only when required by COVID protocols. Please note that the parallel remote learning mode of instruction is only available to students who qualify (e.g., travel and visa issues, close contact quarantine, isolation). Students participating in remote learning are concurrently enrolled with the Donovan Center for Learning Academic Counselors in weekly meetings.

 

• On that note, we expect that all of our students will return to campus in January for in-person instruction and that remote learning will be the rare exception. If your child has been in the remote protocol this fall and you have any concerns or questions about their arrival on campus in January, please do not hesitate to reach out to Assistant Head of School for Student Life Peter LaVigne or Associate Head of School for Academics Sue Roberts.

 

• The PreACT for Fourth and Fifth Formers will be moved to the second semester. The December 5 SAT will not be offered at Canterbury. Students can register at a test center near their home for the December 5 SAT or the December 12 ACT.

It is important to note that local COVID-19 statistics remain low and that our community has successfully completed multiple rounds of negative PCR testing. Still, all of these updates remain subject to change should the medical landscape worsen on campus, in New Milford, or in Connecticut and neighboring states; or if it is determined that our community is not in compliance with our off-campus travel protocols.  

We know that each healthy and successful week on campus leads to the next round of decisions, and we remain grateful for your collaboration and trust. We realize that these updates will both provide clarity and result in more questions. With that in mind, we will offer an informal Zoom Q&A session for parents on Wednesday, October 7, at 6:00 pm (EST).  Further details with a link to register will be emailed separately.   

Your children have been extraordinary, the community energy is inspirational, and we can’t wait for the entire Saints family to be back together in January.

Gratefully,

Medical Task Force
Head of School Rachel Stone P ʼ23, ʼ24
Director of Health Services Colleen Cook, R.N. ʼ02
School Physician Ken Marici, M.D. ʼ87, P ʼ20, ʼ22
Trustee Anna Flik, M.D. P ʼ21
Associate Head of School for Operations Pete Cotier ʼ86, P ʼ19, ʼ20
Associate Head of School for Academics Sue Roberts P ʼ24
Assistant Head of School for Student Life Peter LaVigne P ʼ14, ʼ16, ʼ17, ʼ20, ʼ23
Business Manager Stephen Carleton P ʼ16, ʼ20
Dean of Students Jake Dellorco

Dear Canterbury Families,

On Monday, September 21, we randomly tested almost ten percent of our community and our results were again all negative. This surveillance testing of students, faculty, and staff will occur weekly through the fall. These results and the continued low local infection rates allow us to take another step, albeit small, toward adjusting our protocols. With that in mind, starting this weekend we will begin to offer school-sponsored trips off campus to safe locations such as Walmart and local apple orchards. Students will be chaperoned by adults on these trips.

In our upcoming communication scheduled for Monday, September 28, we will share the next series of decisions and steps including off-campus protocols for overnights and college visits, extracurriculars and athletics, and an updated academic calendar.

Thank you for your continued cooperation.

Colleen Cook, R.N. '02
Director of Health Services

Peter LaVigne
Assistant Head of School for Student Life

Dear Students and Families,

We have received the results of our repopulation testing that was administered on September 14, and we are delighted to share that, for the second time, all students have tested negative for COVID-19. This follows the second round of successful testing of our entire faculty and staff at the start of the month, which also returned all negative results. Once again, please know of our deep gratitude for the cooperation, commitment, and care you have shown to keep our entire community healthy and safe. To be sure, this is no small feat for our nearly 500-member campus. Thank you.

Based on these campus health conditions and low infection rates locally, we believe this is the optimal time to take the next steps of our medical action plan. These steps were developed through our extensive planning this summer, outlined by our Medical Task Force, and represent the first phase of our staged approach for adjusting our safety protocols. Most importantly, these changes allow us to continue to support our students’ physical and emotional wellbeing.

Beginning this evening, we will make the following modifications to our procedures in the dormitories only:

1. Boarding students may now move freely within the dormitories without a mask. That said, we must maintain our commitment to de-densifying shared areas, so common room expectations will remain the same. Masks will still be required while students are gathered in common rooms, and students should not congregate in the halls.
2. Boarding students will be allowed to have one guest per person in their dorm room; guests may only be members of the same dorm. Students and guests may be unmasked, but social distancing guidelines still apply.

We are grateful that we can proceed with this next step and create a sense of family and belonging in the dorms for our boarding students, just as our day students, faculty, and staff enjoy in their homes. We also know this is an important step for our students’ experience, allowing them to more easily forge connections with and develop a sense of community among their peers.

On the heels of this good news, we recognize the temptation to relax our guard. However, we cannot reiterate strongly enough the continued importance of keeping up our good practices and adhering to all other boarding and day student safety protocols instituted at the start of the school year. After two weeks, we have established community norms/expectations, and the majority of our students are adhering to the protocols (as laid out in the Saints Pledge) consistently and mindfully. That said, students who demonstrate a pattern of failing to wear masks in designated areas, including in class and outside; not wearing masks properly; failing to maintain appropriate physical distance; or gathering in large groups will be asked to meet with the Student Life Office. If these patterns continue, students will be asked to study remotely for 14 days.

As per State of Connecticut guidelines, we will begin weekly surveillance testing of a random sample of at least five percent of our students, faculty, and staff starting on Monday, September 21. In the event of a positive case, results will only be communicated to the student, his or her parents/guardian, and a very limited number of faculty to support the student (e.g., dorm parent, advisor, etc.). Contact tracing efforts will begin immediately, and you will be notified only if you/your student are identified as having had close contact with the positive case. A broad communication will be sent to the community-at-large; however, under no circumstances will the identity of the affected individual(s) be revealed.

As a reminder, our risk mitigation, infection control, and emergency preparedness strategies are detailed in our Fall 2020 Opening Plan. If you have any questions regarding Canterbury’s medical action plan, please do not hesitate to contact Director of Health Services Colleen Cook, R.N. ʼ02.

Again, thank you for your continued cooperation and understanding as we all work toward staying together on our hilltop. Well done, Saints!

Gratefully,

Rachel E. Stone P ʼ23, ʼ24
Head of School

Peter LaVigne P ʼ14, ʼ16, ʼ17, ʼ20, ʼ23
Assistant Head of School for Student Life

Colleen Cook, R.N. ʼ02
Director of Health Services

Dear Canterbury Day Family,

I can’t tell you how wonderful it has been having students on campus. Their energy and joy has truly revitalized the community. As we begin the second week of classes, I wanted to share a few thoughts specific to the day students at Canterbury.

• Student Drop Off - In the morning, please drop your child off either in front of the field house or on the Athletic Center road near the baseball field. Students should not be dropped off in the Steele Parking Lot or on Aspetuck Avenue.

• Students who are driving to school should park in the upper lot at Sheehan House or behind Ingleside (Health Center) near the tennis courts. Students are not permitted to park in the pool lot at any time and should only use the Athletic Center lot after 3:15 PM. Students need to register their car in the Student Life Office and display their sticker on their back window.

• EJ Soifersmith, Assistant Dean of Students, supervises our Day Student Program. EJ will share the upcoming weekend activities with you each week. Feel free to reach out to EJ with any specific questions.

• If your child will be absent for any reason, please notify Tracey Ramée, Administrative Assistant to the Student Life Office. She will handle all excused and unexcused absences.

• As part of our Safety Plan, please remind your child to complete the daily Wellness Check. Similarly, if anyone in your house displays COVID-19 symptoms, we ask that you keep your child home and consult Colleen Cook, Director of Health Services.

• Our Saturday Programming continues this week with preliminary conversations on diversity, equity, and inclusion, including definitions, a discussion of microaggressions, and the importance of listening to/learning from the stories of others. Your child’s Veracross schedule reflects their Saturday schedule for programming and meals.

Finally, today's COVID testing of the entire student body went smoothly. We cautiously look forward to the results in the next few days. I thank you for helping your child adhere to our safety protocols of mask usage, physical distancing, and handwashing. The degree to which our day students continue to avoid socializing in large groups will help mitigate the risk of bringing COVID-19 to the hilltop. As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Peter LaVigne
Assistant Head of School for Student Life

Dear Canterbury Families,

As the hustle and bustle of the academic year begins, I am writing to introduce a new program, share a reminder, and provide the next step of our safety plan. Students are bouncing from class to class, enjoying the outdoor athletics, and connecting with new and returning friends. What an exciting time to be at Canterbury!

1. Canterbury’s Saturday Programming begins this week on September 12. The purpose of this program is to create opportunities for students to connect across demographic groups (Form, gender, day/boarding) and to provide space for our students and faculty to discuss topics that are integral to the community’s growth, culture, and success. Some of the upcoming topics include Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, the Presidential Election, and Health & Wellness. The groups will be scheduled into their Veracross account either from 9:30-11:00 AM or 11:00 -12:30 PM on each Saturday. Each group will rotate their scheduled times for their session and meals the following week. All students are expected to attend. Following these first three Saturdays, we will communicate the next round of scheduling, which is likely to be a combination of continued small group meetings, academic enrichment, time to rest and recharge, and other Student Life programming.

2. Please note that it is critical that we maintain our quiet and compliant September. As we adhere to Canterbury’s expectations and protocols, we ask parents and family members to reach out to us by phone or email rather than visit campus. For the time being, we can only permit current students, faculty, and staff into our buildings (academic, athletic, residential, and otherwise). If they must visit, we ask that family members and friends limit their time on campus. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

3. Similarly, we once again implore day students and families to adhere to safety protocols including wearing masks, physical distancing, hand washing, staying away from large gatherings, submitting a daily wellness check, and not participating in off-campus activities. We recognize and appreciate that our day students come to our campus and return home every day, but their compliance with our protocols will directly impact our ability to keep the campus open; moreover, day students who do not comply will be, and have been, asked to quarantine at home for 14 days. As a further note, we ask day students to refrain from working their part-time jobs off-campus until our second round of testing is complete. If a student wants to continue working at that point, they must connect individually with Colleen Cook in the Health Center to review the employer's safety protocols. We appreciate that this update may be inconvenient for some students, but as you know, we are doing our best to keep our community safe. Once we get through September, we hope to ease some of these protocols as much as possible and prudent.

4. We will be administering COVID-19 PCR testing to all students on Monday, September 14th. This testing, which comes two weeks or more since each student’s initial test, is part of our overall testing plan designed to provide another layer of safety and confidence on the campus. We will be using the Anterior Nares swab, which is less invasive than the Nasopharyngeal approach. The testing will be processed by Broad Labs and results should be shared with the Health Center in 24 to 48 hours. In the event of a positive case, the affected student(s) and parents will be notified via phone by a Health Center staff member, and a broader communication will then be sent to the community-at-large regarding next steps (isolation for positive case, contact tracing, quarantine for close contacts).

As always, please let us  know if you have questions or concerns. Thank you for your partnership during these challenging but rewarding times.

Respectfully,

Colleen Cook, R.N. '02
Director of Health Services

Peter LaVigne
Assistant Head of School for Student Life

Dear Canterbury Parents and Families,

As we near the end of a successful week of student leadership training and registration, we are reaching out this evening to first and foremost thank our entire community for a wonderful, safe, and productive opening week. We look forward to welcoming our Third Form tomorrow and spending the weekend immersed in orientation activities. And then, classes begin!

Second, there have been a handful of frequently-asked questions over the past few days, and we wanted to address those here, particularly for those families who will arrive tomorrow. Some updates are included as well.

1. We ask Third Form families to arrive for registration at our Athletic Center where they will receive their information folder and room key. They will then proceed to Steele Hall with only one family member to continue registration. Please note that we will be encouraging students to enjoy activities outdoors and therefore we suggest you pack a folding lawn chair or beach towel for use around the dorm.

2. As our students met this week in small groups as boarders and day students, they reviewed and signed the Saints Pledge that we shared as part of our August 1 plan. Two clauses in particular that we reiterated:

• I have adhered closely to the Saints Pledge in the 14 days prior to arriving on campus for the fall semester and have responded to the School’s direction regarding PCR testing.

• If and when I am off campus, I will avoid large gatherings and environments in which people are not observing recommended behaviors, such as wearing masks and practicing physical distancing.

If you have any concerns about your child’s adherence to these expectations, as well as those outlined in the July 17 Student Life letter, please contact me or Director of Health Services Colleen Cook immediately. As noted July 17, the time between testing and arrival on campus is especially critical for students to self-quarantine. For example, if your child has attended a family reunion, participated in club athletics, or traveled to a state on the Connecticut watch list in the past two weeks, then your child should delay their arrival on campus. Thankfully, Remote Learning can be accessed on a temporary basis for those students who need to fulfill quarantine in order to return to campus.

3. On a related note, we appreciate that some students have asked for clarity about weekend expectations. Similarly, day students have asked about the School’s expectations for them while off campus. As mentioned above, please note that a main thread of our Fall 2020 Opening Plan and July 17 Student Life letter was a quiet two weeks prior to coming to campus and a safe, compliant September. To that end and as a reminder, we are restricting weekend travel and sign-outs in September. Once a boarding student arrives on campus for the start of the year, they will not be permitted to leave campus until at least October other than for Canterbury-sponsored activities. This limitation includes afternoon activities, overnights, and off-campus athletics. Special considerations such as family emergencies must be cleared with the Student Life Office and will likely require additional return-to-campus protocols, including testing and/or quarantining. Day students are asked to abide by the spirit and intention of these restrictions as well, refraining from off-campus athletics, limiting their interactions off campus, and remaining compliant to the safety protocols of mask usage, social distancing, and hand hygiene while at home.

4. Finally, please note Sunday’s schedule, including opportunities for our students to access the Donovan Center for Learning, the Chapel of our Lady for quiet reflection, and auditions for our instrumental groups. Your children will also enjoy time with their “big siblings,” advisors, and one another for some fun outdoor activities. We are grateful for what looks to be a sunny weekend!

Respectfully,

Peter LaVigne
Assistant Head of School for Student Life

Dear Canterbury Families,

It has been almost five months since our full community has been together on our hilltop, and we have spent the past two months intently and steadily focused on the return of our students.  With each day, my colleagues and I have listened to and learned from medical and public health experts; brainstormed and collaborated with peer schools and their academic, athletic, student life, and health services teams; reflected on the most critical, defining, and differentiating aspects of the Canterbury experience (people, values, cultural norms, program); and taken steps to envision the community we will build this fall, a community shaped both by new safety protocols and by a shared love for our school and commitment to one another.  To that end, we now offer our most updated plan for Fall 2020 on Our Hilltop, a plan that will surely continue to grow in detail and be influenced by the medical landscape.

As you dive into the sections that follow, I would ask that we approach the weeks and months ahead with a combination of optimism, rational thinking, and acknowledgment of risk.  As a parent and Head of School, I have spent a great deal of time this spring and summer thinking about risk.  Every day, our choices and actions assume a level of risk to ourselves, to those for whom we are responsible, and to those in our broader communities.  The public health layer of my foundation often refers back to one of the first lessons we learned in graduate school: public health interventions like prenatal screenings, seatbelt laws, and drug-free school zones (and now mask-wearing, hand hygiene, and social distancing) are designed to protect both the individual and the population. Indeed, they are designed to mitigate risk.

Beyond protocols and regulations, however, is the role of personal responsibility in risk mitigation.  Boarding school communities have always relied on a collective dedication to their values and safety, and since Canterbury’s founding, moral leadership has been a central tenet of our mission.   I cannot emphasize strongly enough the role we must each play in bringing our community back together—a healthy, responsible, excited community—and my belief that as a small, student-centered boarding and day school, located in the part of the United States best containing COVID-19, and fortunate to have faculty and facilities prepared for the flexibility required to tackle the months ahead: if any institution can build the infrastructure to open safely and take exceptional care of its extraordinary community, Canterbury can.

As you know, this combination of citizenship, partnership, infrastructure, and compliance means that the fall will look and feel different.  From the expectation that all members of our community spend the weeks leading up to our opening days on campus in “quiet” mode (and some in quarantine), to an additional quiet month of September (no on-campus admission tours, no interscholastic athletic competition, “closed” weekends), a shift to a virtual Family Weekend in October, and the reality that packing the gym for the Pink Out can’t happen this year—I share your disappointment (sprinkled with some frustration), but know that the alternative is far worse.   At some point, we will shift to the next, far-improved chapter of COVID-19, and we will be grateful to have weathered the storm together.  And fear not: the Steers Center is on schedule to open in October, and there will be plenty of gorgeous, innovative, community space—designed with input from our students—in which we can socially distance as long as we need to!

The pages that follow, and the preparation involved across all aspects of community life, are the result of remarkable efforts by my colleagues. I am deeply grateful to our Grounds, Maintenance, Dining, Housekeeping, and Office Staff teams, the Teaching Faculty, my Leadership Team, and our Medical Task Force, a group whose wisdom, passion, and gravitas have been inspirational and invaluable.

Once you have read and processed this update, please do not hesitate to reach out to Associate Head of School for Academics Sue Roberts, Assistant Head of School for Student Life Peter LaVigne, Director of Athletics Jim Stone, or Business Manager Stephen Carleton.  Our August 19 Virtual Town Hall—now focused on the opening of the year generally and Athletics specifically—will also provide an opportunity for remaining questions and clarifications.  Meanwhile, we eagerly anticipate the return of our students in just a few short weeks; let the packing begin!

Gratefully,

Rachel Stone P '23, '24
Head of School

Dear Families,

On our hilltop this July, the Student Life Office is busy preparing for the 2020-2021 Canterbury school year, and we are so excited to welcome our students back to campus soon. Of course, our return to school this fall will be different than in previous years. Much of this letter and its associated links and documents focus on our primary goal of safely returning to the hilltop and the strategies to keep our community healthy thereafter. In addition to reiterating several important aspects of Rachel Stone’s July 1 letter, this letter contains other typical summer reminders from Student Life.  Please note that Canterbury’s August 1 correspondence will provide further details, protocols, and information.

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. For your convenience, a Parent Checklist can be found on this page, which includes all action items and forms to be completed over the next few weeks (due dates included). 

PRIOR TO RETURN TO SCHOOL
As stated, our goal is to return to school healthy and COVID-19-free.  With this in mind, please note the following:

• We are asking students and families to partner with us in mitigating the risk of exposure as much as possible before returning to campus. To that end, we ask all families to be particularly attentive to your child’s travel and interactions during the two weeks leading up to registration. During this quiet time, we ask that your child avoids large crowds and places of recent outbreaks, minimizes exposure to sick people, physically distances by six feet, and wears a mask in public.

• With guidance from the Canterbury Medical Task Force, all students must present proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within seven days of arriving on campus (this is an adjustment from the July 1 letter). This timing may change according to the State of Connecticut or CDC guidelines. For a list of resources to help families identify testing locations, please click here. In most locations, it is now taking up to 3-5 days to receive the results of a PCR test. The time between testing and arrival on campus is especially critical for students to self-quarantine. Please note that students will not be permitted on campus without proof of a negative test. 

• 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 August 17. This will allow us to limit the number of people in dorms at one time and lower the density normally associated with orientation. Families will schedule a date with the Student Life Office to drop off belongings and return home. Families will hear from us after August 1 about scheduling these appointments. 

• Students arriving from states or countries that require a 14-day quarantine MUST plan on arriving at Canterbury during the week of August 17 to quarantine on campus OR must plan to arrive in CT/NY (or another state that does not require a quarantine) 14 days before their arrival and quarantine at another location. Please be aware that states whose residents will be required to quarantine for 14 days may change between now and the start of the school year. We understand that some families will require special consideration regarding early arrival. We are happy to work with families from those states impacted to help arrange plans. 

• As a reminder, each family will need to provide the School with an emergency departure plan in the event that your child tests positive for COVID-19 and needs isolation or if the School is required to shift to a fully remote learning model based on state or local conditions. In the Student Life Questionnaire explained later in this letter, each family will have an opportunity to provide us with their emergency contact/local guardian. For families who need help securing a local guardian, please reach out to the Student Life Office. 

• If a member of the community tests positive for COVID-19, Canterbury’s medical team will communicate with families appropriately. Based on clearly-defined contact tracing, other students who may have been exposed will be required to quarantine. When possible, we strongly recommend students quarantine off campus or at home. That being said, we have a limited amount of space on campus for students who live at a great distance to quarantine.

ARRIVAL AND REGISTRATION
As mentioned in the July 1 letter and on the Opening of School website, each Form/grade will return to campus on a specific date. While new students to Canterbury will arrive on campus and register in person, our returning students will complete their registration online prior to arrival. We need to limit the number of family members permitted on campus on arrival and registration days.  

WHAT TO BRING
In addition to the normal belongings on the packing list, below is a list of COVID-19-related items to consider:

• Because students will be required to wear a mask for the majority of the day, students must bring 5-10 cloth masks (Canterbury will provide each student with two masks). We advise students not to use masks with valves in them as they are not effective. Mask patterns must be appropriate.

• Boarding students must also bring a portable shower caddy as no student belongings can remain in the bathrooms between uses. 

• We recommend that students bring a thermometer.

• We also recommend that students bring a portable or window fan for their dorm room.

• Please note the adjusted dress code requirements for 2020-2021. The decision to simplify the dress code this year stems from our desire to make students feel more comfortable given the additional COVID-19 protocols that will be in place. 

• For several reasons, including the need to keep rooms clean and the ability to pack rooms quickly in the case of an unforeseen shutdown, we ask families to PACK LIGHTER than normal.

OTHER COVID-19 CONSIDERATIONS
Canterbury’s Medical Task Force has worked diligently since May planning for the opening of school. With their guidance and directives, we have revised and/or planned a safe residential life structure, flow and arrangement of the dining hall, configurations and maximum capacities for classrooms, and a format of the Health Center. The Task Force is also helping Student Life create daily safety protocols such as required daily wellness checks, clearly-defined contact tracing, and concrete rules regarding when students will be required to wear masks. In addition, the Task Force is highly recommending that all students receive a flu shot this year. The Health Center will be able to provide this for a fee if receiving the flu vaccine on campus is easier for families than scheduling one prior to their child's arrival. Please see Magnus for more information. On August 1, the Student Life Office will share a comprehensive set of on-campus expectations having to do with health and safety. 

Good health hygiene will be more important than ever as each person contributes to the overall well-being of our community. Students will need to comply with protocols and encourage one other to do the same. Because an outbreak on campus could result in state or local authorities deeming it necessary to close down the school, each student needs to be ready and willing to adhere to guidelines for wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, and keeping rooms clean. It will be very important that students hear and follow directions as intended and be proactive in protecting the health on our hilltop. In addition to requiring parents to sign an informed consent form, we will be asking each student to sign and comply with a Saints Pledge to keep Canterbury safe.

ATHLETICS
We know you have likely heard that certain collegiate and high school leagues have announced that they will not be competing in the fall. Canterbury recognizes the importance of athletics to the overall health and well-being of students as well as to the college aspirations for some of our athletes. It is still Canterbury’s hope that our fall varsity teams will be able to play an altered interscholastic schedule with other independent schools following similar preventative protocols starting in early October. In Connecticut, high school athletic programs began practicing in late June and youth programs began competing in July. In the event that we cannot compete against other schools, we are committed to providing a robust training and athletic program for our athletes on campus, including daily practices, skill development, and gathering film for recruiting purposes. Canterbury’s varsity teams will not hold preseason practices but will begin practice once students return to campus. There will also be scheduled times for off-season sports teams to work on skill development in the fall. Canterbury will be hosting an athletic-focused Town Hall Zoom Meeting on the evening of July 28. Please stay tuned for more details. 

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. In order to start the year as healthy as possible and limit potential exposure off campus, students will likely not be able to sign out for weekend travel in September without special permission from the Student Life Office. Our hope is that we will be able to allow students to sign out in October, but there will be additional steps to the signout and return-to-campus procedure. We will provide additional details on weekend signouts and visits in our August 1 letter from the Head of School.

FACULTY ADVISOR AND BIG BROTHER/SISTER
New students should expect to hear from their faculty advisors in the next two weeks. Faculty 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 Brother/Big Sister in the coming weeks. Your Big Brother/Sister is a returning student who will be another resource for you as you transition to your life on our hilltop. The group of Big Brothers/Sisters is excited to meet you all!

2020-21 STUDENT HANDBOOK AND FORMS
The Student Handbook for 2020-2021 is now available, and I ask that you read it while paying particular attention to the following sections: Major Rules, Policy on Healthy Relationships, the Policy on Alcohol and Other Drugs, and Terms and Conditions for Internet Use. As mentioned above, please notice the adjusted dress code for 2020-2021. Once your family has reviewed the Handbook, a parent/guardian must complete and submit this form to confirm. Students will sign a similar form during the first week of classes. In early August, we will share an additional document that includes a more detailed list of community expectations regarding COVID-19 safety, including the Saints Pledge. That said, we expect that some aspects of the Handbook (e.g., weekend signout procedures, rules regarding day student and interdorm visitation in dorms) will be altered. Sections such as Major School Rules and Policy on Healthy Relationships will remain unchanged.

The School Calendar is found on the last page of the Handbook and online. As stated in the July 1 letter, we ask for your patience regarding our plans following the December break. Once we are back on campus as a full community, we will finalize our January-June calendar. These calendar dates reflect our best predictions at this point in time and are subject to change should the State of Connecticut guidelines and/or medical landscape shift in ways that prevent Canterbury from opening as scheduled. 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 Leonard, Canterbury’s System Support Specialist, if you have issues or questions accessing your portal. 

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT
As a reminder, Canterbury is offering the opportunity to engage in summer academic enrichment at no cost to our families. While some sessions began last week, students (new and returning) are able to participate in test prep skills sessions, creative writing workshops, and summer reading book discussions. To see a full list of the academic enrichment offerings and schedule, please click here. Students should consider taking advantage of these opportunities and are required to pre-register for the sessions; links are included on the schedule.

In conclusion, we understand that even as we provide updates and answers, there will continue to be more questions about the fall. We will have more specific Student Life plans as we get closer to September, but please do not hesitate to contact me, Dean of Students Jake Dellorco, 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 next year. 

Regards,

Peter D. LaVigne
Assistant Head of School for Student Life

To the Canterbury Community,

Warm summer greetings from New Milford. As we officially transition to the 2020-21 school year, we are writing with the latest updates regarding next year as the second of three official letters to the extended Canterbury family (June 1 State of the School linked here).

The most accurate description regarding the return of our students this fall remains cautiously optimistic. On the one hand, outlined below is a tentative calendar that aims for a school schedule that is as normal as possible in hopes of establishing a familiar, effective, and healthy routine for our students. From August training for our student leaders to new course offerings (and the fall opening of the Steers Center!), our goal is to retain the spirit and sense of belonging that are hallmarks of the Canterbury community. On the other hand, we acknowledge that the pace and pattern of our routines on campus will include necessary changes, from socially-distanced academic and dining spaces, to the importance of wearing masks and the role of COVID-19 antigen testing throughout the year. Along the way, our commitment to our students and to meeting their needs is unwavering, and we are intently focused on welcoming back our school community come September.

To that end, please find below a series of updates.

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I. Calendar Update
We will be offering a number of academic enrichment opportunities starting the week of July 6; please see a Donovan Center for Learning update from Associate Head of School for Academics, Sue Roberts, later today. This letter will also provide updates regarding your child’s courses for 2020-21.

Week of July 13: Letter from our Student Life Office regarding family forms and questionnaires, students’ Faculty Advisors, the Big Brother/Big Sister program, student dress code updates for the fall semester, and the timeline/process/option for boarding students to bring items to their dormitories prior to registration.

July 21: Virtual Town Hall Meeting for New & Returning Families

• Topic: Athletics. Further details and registration link to come.

August 19: Virtual Town Hall Meeting for New & Returning Families

• Topic: Final Details regarding the Fall Semester. Further details and registration link to come.

Beginning August 17: In order to address the current complexities of international travel, our international students will be welcomed back to campus for dormitory move-in beginning on August 17. We understand that current travel restrictions require some international students to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in the United States and/or to quarantine in a third country prior to arrival in the United States. For all of our international families, please continue to review the current CDC travel restrictions, to reach out to Director of International Students, Gillian Ritter, with updates or questions, and to know that we are also closely monitoring these protocols and are eager to work individually with each international family.

August 17-30: Boarding students will have the option to sign up through the Student Life Office to bring belongings to dormitory rooms in a staged, scheduled manner. Details to follow from Assistant Head of School for Student Life, Peter LaVigne, and Dean of Students, Jake Dellorco.

August 31 (a.m.): Student Leaders return for registration and dormitory move-in. Information regarding specific arrival times to come.

• Leadership Training begins.

September 2 (p.m.): Sixth Form and Postgraduates (Senior Class) return for registration and boarding student dormitory move-in. Information regarding specific arrival times to come.

• Our Fall Athletic Preseason was initially scheduled to begin on September 2. As Canterbury’s plans for athletics continue to clarify, we ask for your patience regarding the start of practices for fall teams. We will provide an athletic update during the July 21 Town Hall.

September 3: Fifth Form (Junior Class) returns for registration and boarding student dormitory move-in. Information regarding specific arrival times to come.

September 4: Fourth Form (Sophomore Class) returns for registration and boarding student dormitory move-in. Information regarding specific arrival times to come.

September 5: Third Form (Freshman Class) returns for registration and boarding student dormitory move-in. Information regarding specific arrival times to come.

September 6: Orientation activities held for all students (required community event).

September 7: Classes begin.

Virtual Fall Family Weekend (date TBD)

November 21: Classes end for Thanksgiving Break.

December 1 - December 17: Our plans for the final weeks of the Fall Semester remain flexible. We know that some boarding schools have already decided that students will not return to campus between the November and December vacations and will instead pivot fully to distance learning; we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 medical updates in order to make as informed a decision as we can regarding a return to campus for in-person classes vs. a shift to distance learning. If at all possible, we will bring our community back together to finish the semester safely and productively.

January 5: Spring Semester classes begin on campus.

Spring Semester: We ask for your patience regarding our plans following the December break. Once we are back on campus as a full community, we will finalize our January-June calendar.

These calendar dates reflect our best predictions at this point in time and are subject to change should the State of Connecticut guidelines and/or medical landscape shift in ways that prevent Canterbury from opening as scheduled. We understand that students who travel a great distance to join our community have questions about the availability of staying on campus during breaks, and we are working in earnest to address those questions. Finally, we would ask that all of our families continue to monitor local and national/international travel guidelines/restrictions; the State of Connecticut currently has a Travel Advisory in effect for several states, which we are closely tracking and about which we will provide an update in our August 1 communication.

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II. Medical Update
We have learned a great deal about COVID-19 since our students departed in March, and there is general consensus—both among the broader medical community as well as within Canterbury’s Medical Task Force—that the ways in which we can most significantly reduce the arrival and spread of illness on our campus rely on two critical components: 1) all students, faculty, and staff check for symptoms daily and seek medical care if feeling unwell; and 2) all members of the Canterbury community practice good hygiene and adhere to safety protocols (e.g., engage in social distancing and wear face masks as is reasonably possible). Our shared, persistent commitment to these practices will serve as our community’s best defense against coronavirus and our best avenue toward a healthy, productive, on-campus experience this fall.

This commitment will include:

“Quiet” period for students, faculty, and staff prior to students’ return to campus. We will ask all families to be particularly attentive to your child’s travel and interactions during the two weeks leading up to registration on campus in order to limit points of intersection with COVID-positive friends and relatives.

COVID-19 (PCR) Testing within four days prior to each student’s arrival on campus. Students must arrive for registration with official medical documentation of a negative test. At this time, antibody testing cannot be used to replace PCR testing. We know that the logistics of scheduling a test within this four-day window may be challenging for a small group of our families; please be in touch with Director of Health Services, Colleen Cook, if you have questions or concerns about scheduling the PCR test prior to your child’s return to campus. For a list of resources to help families identify testing locations, please click here.

Prior to returning to campus, parents and students will review and agree to Canterbury’s Medical Response Action Plan and Informed Consent language (regarding adherence to safety protocols and understanding of the reasonable risk associated with COVID-19). These documents will be shared digitally as part of Canterbury’s August 1 community letter.

Daily symptom checks. All students, faculty, and staff will be asked to self-check for symptoms daily and seek medical attention if experiencing symptoms. Details regarding these protocols will be included in our August 1 Medical Response Action Plan.

Testing protocols will continue throughout the school year and will be communicated with families as part of Canterbury’s Medical Response Action Plan. We will have an antigen quick testing device in our Health Center for use by our medical team for testing of symptomatic students, and our testing protocols for surveillance screening will be shaped by forthcoming state guidelines.

In the case of a positive COVID-19 test on campus, a family member will be required to take their child home for isolation if ill or for quarantine if considered a close contact. For families living further away than 300 miles/five-hour drive, an emergency contact/local guardian must be identified (as is the School’s expectation every year). We will have the ability to manage only short-term (<24 hours) isolation/quarantine on campus.

Canterbury’s medical and safety practices will include comprehensive use of PPE, cleaning supplies, cleaning protocols, and hand sanitizers following CDC and State of Connecticut Department of Public Health guidelines. We will have multiple members of our faculty and staff trained as certified contact tracers, will create separate “well” and “unwell” spaces in the Health Center, and will continue to be guided by: 1) local and state advisories and viral activity (new positive case rates and new hospitalizations) and 2) the Report of The Higher Education Subcommittee ReOpen Connecticut, the CT Independent School ReOpen Plan Education Subcommittee, and the State of Connecticut K-12 ReOpen Report. In addition, it is important and reassuring to note that COVID statistics in Connecticut are among the very best in the United States and that the June 25 American Academy of Pediatrics report (COVID-19 Planning Considerations: Guidance for School Re-entry) highlights: “The AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.”

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III. Academic & Athletic Update
As noted in our June 1 community letter, we know that the need for remote learning may continue into the fall for some students while others may need to engage in remote learning for short stretches during the year for a variety of reasons. Details regarding the structure of Canterbury’s remote learning option (an option that will provide access to our on-campus academic courses) will be shared in our August 1 letter; the prorated cost will be available to those families whose children cannot return to campus due to government-mandated travel restrictions or in the case of a temporary campus shut-down.

Our Athletic update remains unchanged from June: we are hopeful that fall athletics will be offered, albeit with additional safety protocols in place. In the meantime, we continue to closely monitor the experience and protocols of local/regional summer athletic programs that have begun, to learn from decisions among college athletic conferences, to take cues from the State of Connecticut, and to be in conversation with peer boarding schools. Additionally and in collaboration with peer schools, our athletic department is strategizing how to best support, develop, and showcase our athletes this fall, particularly those athletes who experienced a lack of exposure to the college recruiting process this past spring. We look forward to providing our latest thinking during the July 21 Virtual Town Hall.

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IV. Our Ongoing Commitment toward Building/Sustaining a Diverse and Inclusive Community
There is no question that our School’s focus on DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) work has run in concert with our focus on a healthy opening for the fall. You have seen recent communications from our hilltop regarding the Canterbury Faculty DEI Committee as well as our student forums and faculty forums, which will continue meeting throughout the summer (and years ahead) to read, reflect, discuss, and create action plans regarding critically important topics centered on anti-racism. In addition, we are building the framework for a broader committee that will involve student, alumni, trustee, staff, and faculty representatives of the Canterbury family, a committee whose work will begin in earnest this fall to help craft the long-term goals and roadmap reflective of Canterbury’s enduring commitment to social justice and to a diverse and inclusive school community. Regarding our most immediate short-term steps, we will seek feedback/perspective from members of the extended Canterbury family through structured focus groups, and we will formally open the 2020-21 school year with DEI-focused professional development.

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V. Closing Thoughts
Amid the chronic uncertainty and unrest we face today, let us not forget the hope and optimism we feel when envisioning the return of our students and reconnection of the Canterbury community. It is important that we prepare our students for new community norms around health and safety—indeed, things will look different!—as we also remind them that the relationships we build on this hilltop will not be precluded by masks and social distancing. To be sure, our returning students have carried the spirit and soul of this remarkable School with them since March, and they will share it with the new members of our community come September.

Until then, please continue to check our Opening of School 2020-2021 webpage and to stay healthy and safe throughout the summer. We shall stay in touch along the way.

Gratefully...and Go Saints!

Medical Task Force
Head of School Rachel Stone P ʼ23, ʼ24
Director of Health Services Colleen Cook R.N. ʼ02
School Physician Ken Marici M.D. ʼ87, P ʼ20, ʼ22
Trustee Anna Flik M.D. P ʼ21
Associate Head of School for Operations Pete Cotier ʼ86, P ʼ19, ʼ20
Associate Head of School for Academics Sue Roberts P ʼ24
Assistant Head of School for Student Life Peter LaVigne P ʼ14, ʼ16, ʼ17, ʼ20, ʼ23
Business Manager Stephen Carleton P ʼ16, ʼ20

June 1, 2020

To the Canterbury Community,

June greetings.  We trust this letter finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe.  As the coronavirus-impacted world begins to reopen, we are reaching out to all members of the extended Canterbury family with a State of the School update regarding the strength and stability of Canterbury, our ongoing COVID-19 planning, and our timeline for decisions moving forward.

On May 23rd, we shepherded the Class of 2020 across the virtual Commencement finish line and congratulated them on staying the course despite the unexpected hurdles placed in their way.  As I said to the Sixth Form that morning: "Thank you for being my, and Mr. Stone's, diehard copilot class.  For never taking this place for granted.  For managing the disappointment and disruption of this spring with grace, humility, and resilience.  And for loving this school, and one another, so deeply."  Now, we turn our full attention to the 2020-2021 school year and the path forward to bringing our community back together on this hilltop.

Most critical to today's letter are the following key messages: 1) Canterbury remains an excellent, transformative option for students, now more than ever; 2) We plan to bring our students back to campus this fall, with classes to begin the week of September 7th; and 3) the financial, medical, and human infrastructure of our School is both enduring and extraordinary.

I. Why Canterbury: While the experience and program offered by Canterbury have always been life-changing, our ability to meet the needs of students and families in the wake of coronavirus is simply unmatched.  We are a deliberately small, student-centered community in safe, rural western Connecticut.  Our response this spring to stay connected to, and present for, our students was overwhelmingly well-received by our families; we are proud of the success of our Distance Learning Plan as well as our Student Life framework, from consistent touchpoints by advisors and coaches to virtual weekend activities and an explosion of student-driven social media. 

Moreover, we place the highest priority on the self-advocacy, independence, and personal growth of each student, and we foster that academic, athletic/artistic, and ethical growth by knowing our students as individuals and expecting them to play an active and engaged leadership role in building community.  As the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged each of us to affirm and prioritize our values, Canterbury stands as a reminder that excellent academic programming can be interwoven with an unwavering system of values: Honesty, Respect, Compassion, Spirituality & Self-Reliance.  Indeed, our School's mission to "inspire moral leaders in a complex, secular world" is as relevant and important now as ever.  As both an educator and parent, I cannot imagine a better time for families to consider boarding school as an option for their teenage children.  What our community can offer and inspire simply cannot be replicated by day and public schools.

II. Student Return: What we have learned about COVID-19 over the past three months will continue to grow exponentially in June, July, and August.  Knowing that each week will bring greater clarity and improve our ability to plan, we will proceed toward September under the expectation that both our boarding and day students will return for classes as originally planned the week of September 7th.  Certainly this timeline assumes that the medical landscape continues to improve and that Canterbury can meet the public health expectations established by the CDC and the State of Connecticut in order to take excellent care of our community.  Along the way, we will provide updates as possible when we reliably and transparently can regarding the following topics, a list that is incomplete at best:

• Our Partnership with Parents: To reiterate prior messaging, a successful return of our students to campus will rely on our continued strong communication and collaboration with our parents/families.  This partnership will include expectations regarding testing protocols (types, frequency, response to outcomes), summer medical physical exams, compliance with on- and off-campus safety protocols for our students, and acknowledgement of reasonable risk.  We will share Canterbury's Medical Response Action Plan by August 1st and ask that all families read, discuss, and acknowledge their understanding of the expectations and responsibilities placed on the School, our students, and our parents/families.

• Remote Learning Option: We know that for some families, the need for remote learning may continue into the fall.  We plan to offer a robust virtual academic program this fall (and winter and spring as needed) that provides access to our traditional and innovative on-campus academic schedule.  For enrolled students who need to access the Remote Learning option (due to travel restrictions, illness, or other complications), Canterbury will adjust tuition and fees accordingly.  Details regarding the Remote Learning Option, and its cost, will be available by August 1st.

• Athletics: We understand that our students deeply value both the individual physical/emotional growth they experience through athletics and the benefits (and joys) of team competition. We are paying close attention to decisions made across local and state organizations, peer boarding schools, and higher education.  As of today's letter, there is promising news regarding athletic competition and avenues by which our Saints can resume play. As we determine when we can begin practices on campus—with the goal of interscholastic competition to follow—the safety and health of our student-athletes will be at the forefront of all decisions.

• Student Leadership: We still plan to bring our 2020-21 student leaders back to campus for training prior to the start of classes, most likely as the "first wave" of students to move into dormitories and learn our new safety protocols in order to help model and norm them in their interactions on our hilltop.

We plan to share formal updates by July 1st and August 1st and will offer relevant details along the way as possible; please also continue to check our Opening of School 2020-2021 webpage.  In addition, I am fortunate to have been invited to serve on the TABS (The Association of Boarding Schools) Healthy Opening & Operation Committee, a small working group that meets twice weekly to: "provide boarding school leaders and practitioners with concrete resources and actionable ideas that can help boarding schools open and operate in the healthiest possible way."  Finally, please note that Canterbury is on track to receive a Reopen CT Badge as part of our staged reopening this summer for employees, and we are following the guidance provided by the Reopen CT: Report of the Higher Education Subcommittee for the fall.

III. School Infrastructure: To be sure, COVID-19 has disrupted the world's medical and economic foundation.  We know that members of the Canterbury family have been affected as well, and we extend our thoughts and prayers to you.  As this healing continues, we believe that it is important for our broad community to know that our Trustees and Leadership Team have confidence in the vitality of Canterbury's infrastructure: 

• Our teaching faculty have not only risen to face the challenges presented by COVID-19 but have taken professional and personal ownership to sustain the attention, expertise, and presence we provide our students.  Their devotion to Canterbury is unparalleled.  Meanwhile, our Administrative Team—in partnership with our Board of Trustees—has been stalwart in responding to a disrupted spring with persistence, creativity, and devotion to the sustained well-being of this community.

• Careful stewardship of your financial support to Canterbury is very important to us, particularly in the face of the significant turbulence in the financial markets created by COVID-19.  Thanks to our Investment Committee, along with our Investment Advisor, the Canterbury Endowment has defended well during these last few months.  Moreover, we are not only on track to exceed our FY '20 Annual Fund goal but were thrilled and humbled by the outpouring of support during our May 19th Saints Giving Day: our aim was 300 donors and $100,000 to unlock a $100,000 match...and our outcome was more than 600 donors with $223,631 raised!  Furthermore, we are on track to open the Steers Center this fall, a project inspired by our students and reflective of our commitment to innovative academics grounded by values.  We believe that these successes will propel us toward the finish line for our capital campaign and help galvanize the critical work of growing Canterbury's endowment.

• As we create the roadmap toward welcoming students back this fall, we are fortunate to be located in Litchfield County, where the COVID-19 statistics (incidence, prevalence, mortality) have been low since March and have become increasingly reassuring.  In addition, our campus is located less than one mile from New Milford Hospital, and our Medical Task Force benefits from the extraordinary leadership, wisdom, and gravitas of School Physician Dr. Ken Marici '87, Director of Health Services Colleen Cook, RN '02, and Trustee/Pediatrician Dr. Anna Flik P'21.  Just as we work toward preventing the spread of coronavirus within our community, we also work to address the physical and emotional health challenges experienced by our students during this time apart.  Indeed, wellness is multifaceted and demands a collaborative, community-centered approach.

We hope this State of the School provides clarity, reassurance, and confidence in our School.  I look forward to connecting with our alumni virtually this weekend, and we will be inviting newly enrolled families to a virtual Town Hall on June 10th.  Finally, please encourage friends and family with teenage children to attend our Admission Virtual Open Houses on June 24th and July 22nd.

We can't wait to welcome our students back to campus this fall! 

Go Saints!

Gratefully,

Rachel E. Stone P '23, '24
Head of School

Robert H. Steers '71, P '11
President, Board of Trustees