With the health and safety of our community of utmost importance, our COVID-19 Response Teams are meeting regularly and working with experts in the following organizations:

• Marin County Office of Education (MCOE)
• Marin County Public Health (MPH)
• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
• California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)
• The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS)
• Space planning consultant, Michael Tauber Architecture
• HVAC consultants, Lefler Engineering and Ongaro & Sons HVAC Division
• California School Nurses Association
• National Association of School Nurses

We have also consulted with several experienced local physicians including current and past San Domenico parents who have graciously shared their considerable expertise with our team:

In addition, we have been on daily and weekly webinars and conference calls with local, regional, and national education and infectious disease experts to keep abreast of the latest research.

Select resources include the following (click through to read more):

When our students, faculty, and staff return to campus, new safety protocols and campus modifications will help us mitigate risk.

Social Distancing and Face Coverings

Facilities Cleaning, Disinfecting, and Airflow

All community members - students, faculty, and staff - will be asked to do their part to keep surfaces clean. All disinfectants are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

New, highest quality HVAC filters have been installed throughout campus and will be replaced every three months. We are also adding air filtration/purification/circulation systems in some classrooms and common areas to improve air quality and flow.

Health and Safety Training for our Community

Testing

Testing recommendations have been changing regularly and therefore, School guidelines are still being developed. At the minimum, the School will follow current requirements from Marin Public Health and Marin County Office of Education.

We will share more information on testing as applicable.

COVID-19 Decision Tree for Student or Staff with Symptoms for TK-12 schools, youth programs/activities, and child care

COVID-19 Decision Tree for Student or Staff with Symptoms for TK-12 schools, youth programs/activities, and child care

In terms of communications around possible and/or confirmed exposure, please know that as soon as the School receives notice of a possible exposure, the process of tracking and tracing will begin AND it takes time to work with Marin Public Health to assess data and identify the persons involved. We will communicate as recommended and as soon as possible while still following privacy laws.

Once a positive case is reported, our Health Services department and support team will work in collaboration with Marin Public Health and Marin Health and Human Services to conduct testing, contact tracing, follow up, and evaluation. Employees must also work with our Human Resources Department.

Across all school levels, while on campus, San Domenico supervises students attentively, tracks daily attendance, and upholds a range of behavioral expectations that contribute to health and safety. We also expect all students, parents, staff, and faculty to partner with us, both on and off campus, to do your part in support of our collective health and safety.

As part of this partnership, we are asking all employees, students and families to commit to this Healthy Community Commitment representing an understanding of our shared responsibility and acknowledgment of the behaviors needed to promote safety, trust, respect, belonging, and inclusion for all.

Healthy Community Commitment

(Note: Students, parents, and guardians will be asked to read and sign this Healthy Community Commitment. You will receive a follow-up email.)

Our HyFlex model encompasses four scenarios to allow for the flexibility needed to quickly pivot and adapt as the guidance for schools changes.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, San Domenico School remains committed to providing students with an exceptional educational experience. As part of the educational program for the 2020-21 school year, the School plans to offer on-campus, in-person instruction. We recognize that community transmission of COVID-19 continues, and we all play a role in slowing its spread. We must take precautions in order to return to campus and also must be ready to make further adjustments and changes to our plans in response to the circumstances.

To prepare to invite students back to our campus, we carefully considered relevant guidance and best practices for reopening the school, and we are adopting various measures to help maintain a healthy and safe environment. It is only with your partnership and support that our efforts can be effective. We ask that all parents and guardians carefully review this Back to School 2020: Stronger Together plan and discuss the School's policies with their child(ren) before school begins. We will update the Back to School 2020: Stronger Together Plan throughout the year, and we will alert you as we do so. Please make sure to refer to the school's website for the latest version. Parents and guardians should also be familiar with the requirements of Marin County and the state, which are available here https://coronavirus.marinhhs.org/ and here https://covid19.ca.gov/.

The Pledge

As a valued member of the San Domenico community, I understand it is my duty to not only protect myself, but also those around me, including those who may be more vulnerable, in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. I will do my part by acting in a responsible manner at school and away from school, understanding that making my own health and safety a top priority protects us all. I agree to abide by all behaviors, policies, procedures, and orders related to COVID-19 implemented by the state, county, and school.

FOR AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE RETURNING TO CAMPUS I/MY FAMILY WILL:

• Self-quarantine as a family to the best of our ability so as to limit potential exposure to COVID-19 by staying at home as much as possible. We will avoid group gatherings, refrain from travel outside of our local area, and strictly follow all local and state regulations and public health orders related to preventing the spread of COVID-19.
   

ON CAMPUS I/MY FAMILY WILL:

OFF CAMPUS/AT HOME, I/ MY FAMILY WILL:

Please watch for a follow-up email on this Healthy Community Commitment

As has been the case since the pandemic began, Boarding Students and Resident Faculty will continue to live in the dorms, their on-campus home. Significant protocols will continue to be in place to protect the boarding community as well as the broader SD community.

Boarding students on campus will be supported while attending classes with our via Hybrid Flex (HyFlex) program.

All students who fly into the Bay Area will complete a 14-day quarantine period before joining the community. Boarding families will receive detailed information on move-in protocols and daily life rules and procedures.

San Domenico is happy to share that all students are in class full-time for the 2021-22 school year. We continue to ensure the health and safety of our students by adhering to guidance from Marin County Health and Human Services, Marin County Office of Education, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With our commitment to educating the whole child, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is an integral part of teaching and learning and a core part of our program. As we resume school, we recognize the complex and varying ways in which our community members are experiencing this pandemic, including a range of emotions related to stress, anxiety, trauma, loss, and isolation. We will continue to assess our SEL program, approaches and support structures to enhance our students’ well-being.

Support Resources

Through program features such as Lower School Responsive Classroom, Middle School Advisory Program, and our Upper School Mentoring Program, we will continue to promote supportive adult-student relationships to ensure that every student has a caring adult in the community who checks in with them regularly and to whom they can reach out as needed. Now more than ever, we strive for all students to feel a sense of belonging and connection to our SD community.

Contact

Families are encouraged to reach out to our Student Support and Wellness team with any concerns related to their child’s mental health or learning support needs.

CONTACTS

For a full directory of Student Support staff, visit: www.sandomenico.org/StudentSupport

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Creating an inclusive, equitable community is integral to social and emotional wellness, as highlighted by our school’s Social Vision Statement: “We are a community of belonging where students, staff and families are dedicated to the inclusion and respect for all.”

The DEI Committee was active through the summer and met collaboratively with Upper School student representatives in DEI to continue the evolution of programming to address the effects of systemic racism and specifically, its effects within our community. For our teachers, we are facilitating professional development, “Anti-Racism Classrooms by Design” in the fall term, beginning in August.

Additionally, we have set in motion professional development for each school level in support of the ongoing evaluation of our curriculum and teaching to better support our diverse community.

DEI Resources

We highly encourage community members who have ideas or concerns related to diversity, equity and inclusion at SD to please contact us at dei@sandomenico.org.

Your counselors, teachers, school-level directors, and Head of School are also here for you and available to hear your concerns and help address them.

Athletics

Athletics and physical education are a critical part of school life at SD and we plan to maintain the experience to the fullest extent possible in all scenarios during this school year. Under current guidance from Marin County Health and Human Services and Marin County Office of Education, all indoor athletics will continue to require face masks. Masks are optional when outdoors, including all outdoor sports.

Physical Education, Recess, and Use of Outdoor Spaces

We will offer an intramural program where possible, following Marin Public Health guidelines. This will support our students to get outdoors, experience the physical and emotional benefits of exercise, work with our stellar coaches, and enjoy the interpersonal growth that comes with our athletic program and philosophy.

• The use of outdoor space for instructional purposes will be maximized, shared, and coordinated to ensure students remain in their cohorts.
• Recess and time spent outside is critical for the mental, physical, and emotional health of children. Especially in a year when students may be more limited to particular classrooms, we will prioritize recess and time outdoors.
• Recess times in the Lower and Middle Schools will be staggered to reduce large groups on the playground at once and to limit mixing between cohorts. Grade levels will be assigned a designated area of the playground which will rotate throughout the year to offer variety. Students will be asked to wash their hands before and after playing outside.
• Additional spaces will be made available to students in all divisions to encourage time outside. The Lower School blacktop, Chase Field, Kesterson Field, and the courtyard behind the fourth grade classrooms will all be used by children in different school levels for socially distanced outside time.
• Use of shared equipment will be limited in favor of physical activities that require less contact with surfaces. Shared equipment will be cleaned between uses.

Clubs

Clubs for Middle and Upper School students are an integral part of the SD experience. These co-curricular offerings will continue under all learning scenarios, though the format may vary as health directives shift.

Visual and Performing Arts

The arts are a critical means of expression, particularly valuable during this unstable time in the world. While the mode of instruction will vary depending on the health directives in place at any given time throughout the coming months, we will provide a rich array of opportunities for our artists to continue learning, growing, and creating. Students will participate in visual, digital, music, and performing arts classes and performances including school plays, gallery showings, and concerts. The Virtuoso Program has returned to live performances open to the public, and musical productions are in full swing.

Meals

Meals will be served outside at much as possible. Students will be distanced as much as possible with good ventilation when eating inside.

Visitors to Campus, Group Events and Gatherings

While SD has long cherished parent, guardian, and alumni involvement on campus, visitors to campus will be limited at this time for health and safety reasons.

Overnight and Field Trips

All students that attend overnight field trips will need to be fully vaccinated with the COVID vaccine series. Some field trips may also require a negative covid test before attending.

Transportation

At this time we are planning to maintain SD bus transportation, including adding a Tiburon bus stop. That said, Marin Public Health/MCOE has not yet released formal guidance on school bus density, and we will follow their recommendations. We do know that capacity for each bus will be reduced, and families who can drive their children to school will be encouraged to do so. We will provide more information as public health recommendations are determined and shared. First Student, SD’s bus partner, will follow all regulation safety protocols for disinfecting buses.

San Domenico has invested over $2.0M in safety measures to mitigate risk in light of COVID-19.

COVID-19 Response Teams

Thank you to the many individuals who have contributed to our back to school planning in the time of COVID-19.

Strategic Financial Response Team

Cecily Stock ’77, M.A., J.D., Head of School
Pablo Bizjack, Board Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair, dad to Jillian (10th) and Parker ’20
Richie Goldman, Board Chair, dad to Ava (11th)
Anna Heidinger, Director of Advancement
Jennie Nash, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management
Kimberly Pinkson, Director of Marketing and Communications
Liz Revenko ’87, Trustee, Finance Committee Member
Gregory Rivers, Trustee, Finance Committee Member, dad to Braelyn (4th) and Abigail (2nd)
Glenn Snyder, Former SD Board Chair, dad to Grey ’20
David Wise, Chief Financial Officer

COVID-19 Response Team Committee

Kali Baird, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Claire Bukata, Associate Director of Middle School & Math Department Co-Chair
Shari Byrnes, Administrative Assistant to Director of Lower and Middle School
John Campbell, Construction Project Manager
Mark Churchill, Athletic Director
Jason Clarke, Director of Information Technology
Jennifer Cronan Flinn, Director of Design, Engineering, and Educational Technology
Rob DeNunzio, Director of Music and Music Conservatory
Shelley Flint, Director of Sustainability
Tracy Froehlich, Director of Human Resources
Anna Heidinger, Director of Advancement
Kathy Laughlin M.F.T., Director of Counseling
Natasha McKeown ’87, Director of International Scholars and HyFlex Learning
Molly Morris, Executive Assistant to the Head of School
Jimena Motta, Administrative Assistant to Asst. HOS for Student Life
Jennie Nash, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management
Jose Padilla, Director of Facilities
LeaAnne Parlette, Lower and Middle School Director
Nick Vidinsky, Director of Marketing and Communications
Kate Reeser, Assistant Head of School for Academics & Director of Upper School
Lisa Richter L.C.S.W., Lower School Counselor
Carrie Robley, Assistant Head of School for Student Life
Krista Alborg, Health Care Administrator
Erica Smith, Director of Dance and Theatre Arts
Cecily Stock ’77, M.A., J.D., Head of School
Karlyn Strand, Librarian
Amanda Tredinnick MS ’01, Upper School Dean of Students
David Wise, Chief Financial Officer