Dear Putney Families,

I am writing with a few important details from the health office to prepare for the start of the school year regarding health forms, preparation for long fall, and information about our beginning-of-the-year Covid protocols.

1. If you have not submitted all the necessary health forms please do so as soon as possible to have a smooth transition, reduce chaos on registration weekend and allow us to best serve your student’s health needs. If you have any questions about what is needed please reach out to us at healthforms@putneyschool.org.

2. If your student takes medications we are asking that you prepack, in a pill planner or medication envelopes, five days of medications in preparation for Long Fall trips. Please label with your student’s name and name of medications. This allows us to be sure they get the correct medication as they have their outdoor adventures.

3. I know we are all sick of Covid and the disruptions it causes in our lives, but we are creating a community from all over the globe and want to follow protocols that allow our community be as safe, be healthy, prevent missed time and opportunities especially at the beginning of a school year by avoiding a need for isolations, and to have an open community as soon as possible.

We ask that every student should have TWO negative Covid-19 rapid antigen tests before coming to school. Tests should be 24 hours apart and the second test should be on the same day as travel to Putney. Home tests are fine and we ask that you confirm both tests were negative by filling out this form. We do not need to see results, but are relying on you to answer honestly and in a timely manner before arriving on campus.

We will be testing all students with a follow up rapid antigen test 72 hours after arrival, before they leave on Long Fall trips. Until everyone has been tested we will be asking the Community to mask indoors. Masking will end with the start of Long Fall trips.

Following the new CDC guidelines students who test positive will still need to isolate for a minimum of 5 days. Because of our limited isolation spaces on campus we will ask that families who live within five hours or a 300 mile radius pick up their student and have them isolate at home. Families will need to contact the heath office to be cleared for returning to campus at the end of the isolation period.

Students who are close contacts of someone who tests positive will be asked to wear a mask for 10 days. Students who are ill, especially with respiratory symptoms, will be asked to wear a mask while ill, but can continue to participate in classes and activities as appropriate. Health Services will administer Covid tests as recommended and at our discretion.

Public health officials and our school medical provider are encouraging that everyone is up to date on vaccinations and recommended booster shots. While new updated boosters are promised for the fall, the timing and availability, especially for different age groups is still unknown. It is recommended and encouraged that if your student is not fully vaccinated and boosted with a full three doses, rather than wait, we encourage them to get a booster before coming to school. Current boosters are still the best we have to prevent serious disease, to restore or enhance protection that may have decreased over time, and stop the spread of Covid in our community. (and don’t forget to share booster information with the health office!)

We hope that you all have a fun and relaxing end of the summer and look forward to welcoming everyone back to Putney.

The Health Services Team