COVID Protocols

Dear UNIS Community,

Based on our testing, there is no indication that COVID is spreading in our facility. For this reason we are changing some of our COVID-19 protocols beginning Monday, November 15. We are confident that our school community will continue to be safe with the modifications and will continue to utilize our pool testing to monitor the presence of any virus.

Effective November 15 the following changes to our protocols include:
•    Restoring the use of lockers for students in both the MS and the Tut House.
•    Allowing students to congregate four to a table at lunch time in the Tut House and the Middle School.
•    Opening the locker rooms for PE classes in the Tut House.
•    Allowing vaccinated parents to attend indoor athletic contests, along with a select number of students.

As always, if we see any sign of a spread of the virus, we will reexamine the protocols. Similarly, if we continue to see no evidence of community spread after these changes are in place, we will look to lessen restrictions further. 

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There have been several questions regarding how we will treat the week following the winter break. Acknowledging that many of our families travel during this time, we will offer a hybrid model of learning from January 3 through January 7. Families can choose to either have their children study on campus or study remotely during that week. All will be accommodated. We simply request that you inform your division principal by Wednesday, December 15 so that we can plan accordingly.

On January 10, we will resume on campus instruction with the exception only of those who have committed to fully remote learning prior to the break.

We continue to follow CDC quarantine rules for travel. No quarantine is required for domestic travel but is required for the unvaccinated who travel internationally. Please click here for more information regarding travel.

Best,

Dan

Dear UNIS Community,

Unfortunately there continues to be confusion around the UNIS COVID protocols, so I am taking this opportunity to share the most updated information we have received from the City and State. My hope is this will clearly outline the rules that apply to UNIS students and families. Please know that we have now tested almost 3200 students with no new cases to report.

UNIS Rules for Domestic Travel
Per NYC Travel Restrictions:
Quarantine periods for domestic travelers entering the state are no longer required.

However, if you are symptomatic you must follow the CDC recommendations seen below:

• Get tested with a viral test 3-5 days after travel AND stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel.
  • Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days.
  • If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
• If you don’t get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
• Avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness for 14 days, whether you get tested or not.
• Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms; isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.

UNIS Rules for International Travel

Per NYC Travel Restrictions:

For the fully Vaccinated:

• No quarantine necessary if asymptomatic
• Must get tested with a viral test 3-5 days after travel.
• Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms; isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.

For Unvaccinated:

• Get tested with a viral test 3-5 days after travel AND stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel.
  • Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days.
  • If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
• If you don’t get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
• Avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness for 14 days, whether you get tested or not.
• Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms; isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.

Quarantining in School
Per NY State Guidelines a close contact in schools is now defined for students as being less than 3 feet from a person who tested positive, who was also not masked.

This rule does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor classroom setting as they should continue to socially distance 6 feet apart from students whenever possible.

The practical implication for this rule is that we will not automatically quarantine a full class of students if a student tests positive. Instead, we will contact trace based on the new guidelines and only quarantine those students who are immediately impacted.

I hope this information is helpful and answers any questions that still remain. Of course, when and if there are changes from the City or State, I will update you promptly.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

Best,

Dan

Dear UNIS Community,

The school year is rapidly approaching. I am happy to report that all of the administrators are back on campus, working diligently to prepare for the upcoming school year.  We are committed to delivering a first class international education, and we are excited to greet our students on September 8.
 
As you know from the news reports, the threat of the COVID-19 Delta Variant continues to grow and present us with new challenges.  When we left school in June we did not know the impact the Delta Variant would play upon our return.  We have learned much since then, including its level of contagion and the increased risk for younger children to become ill.

While our entire faculty and staff will be vaccinated when school begins, over half of our student body is not eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, as they are under the age of 12.  We continue to encourage all students ages 12 and older to be vaccinated, knowing that the data clearly shows that COVID-19 has significantly increased among children in the past several weeks (click here for the report).

Because of these increased risks and the knowledge of “breakthrough” infections, we are refining our protocols from last year to ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff.   For a full summary of our COVID-19 protocols please click here.

REMOTE LEARNING POLICY

We remain committed to having all students learn on campus knowing there is no substitute for in-person learning.  However, we anticipate positive cases during the year because of contagion of this variant.  We are obligated to have the  infected student and their unvaccinated “close contacts” quarantine for ten days when this occurs.  In these cases all of the  students affected will be able to zoom into their classrooms for their ten day quarantine. 

After communicating with many community members we know some families may feel the need to choose remote learning due to their individual circumstances.  As a result, we will permit parents to make the decision to have their child study remotely providing they make a  commitment to stay fully remote through the end of the marking period. 

Students may not go back and forth between remote and in-person learning as they did last year.   A parent may choose to have their child return to in-person instruction at the start of each marking period (11/1, 1/24, 4/11). To enroll your child for remote learning, please click here. 

The logical question is why are we not maintaining the same flexibility that was in place last year, allowing for the shifting back and forth between learning platforms? After analyzing last year’s experience, we know that the uncertainty of in-class versus online attendance became disruptive to the overall learning process. The current model allows for full remote learning but not at the expense of the classroom experience.  

Finally, the remote learning option will be granted for any student/family traveling and cannot return to the US based on international travel restrictions.  This does not include anticipated testing requirements, but rather changing quarantine rules or the inability to leave the country based on that country’s imposed restriction.  

Remote learning will not be offered beyond what has been outlined.  As an example, a student who is sick for the day will not be eligible to zoom into their classes.  Instead they should concentrate on healing and returning to school as soon as possible.

ON-CAMPUS VISITORS

The only adults who will be able to interact with students during the course of the school day will be faculty and staff. In doing so, we are limiting unnecessary exposure to our unvaccinated student body, who are most vulnerable to COVID-19 and the Delta Variant.  Parent meetings and any outside organizations/groups will only be allowed on campus after the school day.  

UNIS is committed to engaging with parents on campus and believe strongly in building a sense of community.   We will make every effort to present opportunities for parents to visit campus and to be able to socialize with each other.  

MASKS

The data remains consistent. Masks are the first defense against the virus.  As such all community members will be required to wear a mask while on campus as per CDC guidelines. 

COVID TESTING

All faculty, staff and students, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to participate in COVID testing prior to attending school on September 8.  All students will test on September 7. The testing schedule is as follows: 

• Junior School: 7:00 am - 10:00 am
  • All students should be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• Middle School: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
  • All students should be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• Tutorial House: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Students or faculty who cannot attend the testing dates provided should contact Ernie Lentini, Director of Security, for an alternate solution.

As a reminder, here are the three optional action items for you from this email:  

1. Please click here to provide information re. your child’s vaccination information. (Log in with your Veracross credentials)
2. Please click here to enroll your child in remote learning through at least November 11. The deadline to enroll is August 25. 
3. Please click here to provide Parent vaccination status.  

While we are clearly not over COVID-19 we are a far cry from last year:

• I am so glad that all of our children will return on the first day of school.  
• I am so glad that many in our community had the opportunity to travel and see family, in some cases for the first time in 18 months! 
• I am so glad to see the administrators back in action talking about teaching and learning and not singularly focused on opening day COVID protocols. 
• And most importantly I can’t wait to see all of our students back with the excitement that only a first day of school can generate!

As always I will update you as more information becomes available.  Please enjoy the remaining days of summer.

Stay healthy.  Stay safe.

Best,

Dan