August 14, 2020
Dear Northwood Families: As the week comes to a close and we look forward to welcoming day students on August 21 and boarding students on August 24, I write with a few reminders and tips, especially about pre-arrival testing, based on what I have been hearing from other families. Pre-Arrival Testing Our medical directors have advised us that, while we are positioned for the safest start if everyone in our community has a pre-arrival test that is no more than 72-hours (3 days) old, they will permit a test that is 4- or 5-days old. Many of our families have reported good results with Vault Health, which delivers a test to your home. You connect with a nurse via Zoom who supervises the administration of the test at home and then return the sample to their lab in the pre-paid next-day envelope that is included with the test. If you choose an at-home test to fulfill this requirement, we recommend that you order the test today and it will arrive early next week. Day students can administer the test the day it arrives and return it the same day for a result before the August 21 arrival. Boarding students can administer and return the test on Wednesday, August 19 for a 5-day old test on the August 24 arrival day for boarding students. Students will not be able to onboard and move in on campus unless they have this pre-test. Health Forms It is also important that all students have their required health forms turned in, which includes the Emergency Contact Designation form and COVID-19 Screening/Testing Consent form. Additionally, you can upload the negative pre-arrival COVID Test in Magnus in advance of the respective check-in and registration date. Please double-check and log-in to your Magnus Health account to check the status of your forms.
Tomorrow we will share the Northwood School Community Pledge all students will be required to sign and adhere to, in addition to our regular student handbook, in order to ensure the wellness of our community this year. On Monday we will have more information about what to expect on arrival day, including your specific arrival appointment time.