Covid 19 Update

Reminders/Requests

Small group gatherings, including after school playdates, are a primary path for exposure and infection and are a sure way to negatively impact in-person schooling.

• Please limit gatherings to a small consistent group, if you must have them at all.

• Masks must be worn out-of-doors.

• Children and adults must stay a minimum of six feet apart.

• You will be considered to be exposed to a person if you were proximate to another person for more than ten minutes, cumulatively.

• No sleepovers, please.

• Limit adult gatherings, following the same guidelines as listed above for your children.

• And for our older students – the same rules apply.  No small group gatherings or parties.

Upcoming Breaks/Calendar Updates

Holidays

There are a number of holidays and celebrations in the coming months – Lunar New Year, Easter, and Passover among them. I encourage you to limit the number of people with whom you observe any holiday/observance and to consider celebrating with your immediate family/household only.

Presidents Day Weekend

Monday, February 15 and Tuesday, February 16 are days off from school for the Presidents Day weekend. We will not be extending this break nor adding remote days after it. Our expectation is that all students will return to class for a typical Wednesday on February 17. Students in the lower school will not be able to join a remote group that week unless they are remote already or if they have been excluded due to exposure or illness. Students in the middle school and high school are expected to return to class online on Wednesday and in person, if they typically do, on Thursday.

I strongly suggest you resist the urge to travel over this long weekend.

Spring Break

We will be adding a week of remote learning for all students in all grades during the week of April 5, immediately following Spring Break. While I am concerned about any travel during this break and do not want to be seen as encouraging it, I am being realistic that some will choose to travel.

I want to make sure that we are able to return safely to campus in April. All families who choose to travel are required to follow NY State requirements for testing and quarantine, as outlined below. As I calculate it, it is nearly impossible to travel for the full break and to return in person on time. Please keep this in mind if you choose to travel. You will likely have to return home a number of days before the end of the break.  Please plan accordingly.

Everyone must have a negative lab-confirmed COVID PCR test to return to school in-person in April.   See details below.

Return to School After Spring Break

• Spring Break ends on Friday, April 2.

• For the week of April 5-April 9, we will be operating as LREI@home for ALL grades.

• Family Conference Days (NEW DATES) 

  • Thursday, April 8 – Lower School and Middle School conferences.  High School is in session remotely. 

  • Friday, April 9 – Conferences for all three divisions. 

• In-person schooling will resume on Monday, April 12.

• Everyone must have a negative lab-confirmed COVID PCR test to return to school in-person in April.  Tests must be taken on or after Saturday, April 3. If you are planning on gathering with anyone outside of your household for Easter (Sunday, April 4) please wait until the fourth day after your gathering to have your child tested. Email results to testresults@lrei.org.

• Test results must be submitted by 5:00p.m. on Saturday, April 10 in order to return on April 12.

• Students who do not submit a negative test result by 5:00p.m. on Saturday, April 10 will not be able to return on April 12 and will not be able to join remotely.

Travel Guidelines

• If you are planning to travel, please read the protocol below. This protocol is subject to change with little notice.

  • Please email nurses@lrei.org with your travel dates. If this protocol is not followed, you will be required to quarantine for 14 days (by the state of NY).

  • The nurses will be on break as well. If you do not email your plans by Thursday, March 18, we will not be able to respond with specific guidance until April 5.

• The NYS Travel Advisory applies to anyone traveling outside of NY or the contiguous states (NJ, PA, CT, MA, VT) or to a CDC Level 2, 3 or 4 Country for 24 hours or more.

• Test while traveling, no earlier than 3 days before your return to NYS (may be rapid, saliva or PCR testing).

• Arrive back in NY and quarantine for 3 full days (travel day does not count as a quarantine day).

• On your 4th day back in NY, test again (MUST be a saliva test or PCR).

• If traveling internationally, you must quarantine for at least a full 7 days prior to returning to campus AND have a negative test on or after day 4 of quarantine (CDC). 

• If you travel to a destination that is subject to a virus-related travel ban, you will not be able to test out of quarantine and must quarantine for the full 14 days.

• Send both results in the same email, with your travel location and dates to nurses@lrei.org, and wait for clearance to return to school.

• Refer attendance questions to your division’s principal.

• NOTE: All household travelers must follow this protocol. If an adult travels without all household members, the adult must quarantine fully away from the rest of the family until their NY test is resulted as negative.