Coronavirus 2021-2022

Dear Families,

We are so grateful we have been able to welcome our students back to campus safely, and we hope your school year is off to a fantastic start. COVID-19 continues to be a serious public health issue, and this pandemic is not over. Our goal is to keep school open and our community safe. We continue to consult with Marin County Public Health (MCPH) and Marin County Office of Education (MCOE), as we pivot and adjust to new data and information. At assembly today, I shared the new guidance with students. Below are the current changes that we are implementing: 

• Students will eat and drink outdoors only, although they may continue to sip water with straws under their masks in class. We expect students to maintain a distance of six feet when they are actively eating and drinking.
• We will continue to have an open campus; however, students must distance themselves at lunch. Marin Academy has an incredibly high vaccination rate; therefore, we avoid having assigned seats at lunch. Should we be required to have assigned seating at lunch, we will likely need to change our schedule. Let’s avoid that!
• We are reducing the number of people who can gather together indoors. Through public health and scientific guidance we’ve determined caps on the number of people in indoor communal spaces, including the library, during lunch, and tutorial. We are moving large class meetings outdoors.

If you are looking for information about testing or updated quarantine guidelines, our MyMA Resource Board contains detailed COVID practices and protocols.

I thank you for your cooperation in reminding your student to do their Ruvna each morning before leaving home, taking health precautions in daily life, and keeping students home from school if they have even the mildest symptom. Your partnership is invaluable. 

Warmest regards,

Dear Marin Academy Community,

I hope you have enjoyed your summer and are as excited for the new school year as we are. As you are undoubtedly aware, the new wave of coronavirus cases due to the Delta variant has led to renewed vigilance and updated health and safety mandates. While many of us wish we could finally remove our masks, we are confident knowing that we are entering this year with the knowledge and experience garnered from last year. We are ready to safely welcome our students back to campus. 

Let’s start with the four main things we all must do to keep our community safe: 

• Masks are required for everyone on campus, both indoors and outside.
• We will require vaccinations for all students, faculty, staff, and all visitors on campus unless medically exempt.
• Vigilant hygiene and handwashing will continue.
• If you are sick, even experiencing very mild symptoms, we need you to stay home. 

We are delighted to report that after our summer call for vaccination information, Marin Academy had 100% of faculty and staff and 97% of students fully vaccinated. Unless medically exempt, the entire population will now be at least partially vaccinated by the beginning of school. We also will now require parents, volunteers, and visitors to be vaccinated to come on to campus or attend any MA events. 

Mandates and guidelines will change, and we will continue to adjust as needed. You can always find more detailed information about all of our COVID-19 protocols and procedures updated on the resource board in MyMA. As we begin the year, here are additional updates to our protocols:

• We will return to an open campus, and students will now be able to leave campus during lunch and free periods. That said, we must continue to follow safety protocols even off-campus. Unfortunately, a lack of compliance with masking and distancing off campus may require us to return to a closed campus. 
• Our classrooms will look much more like we are used to as physical distancing in hallways and classrooms is no longer required as long as masks and hand hygiene remain. 
• We will continue to require daily assessments with Ruvna. 
• Our beloved café will reopen! Although students will now be able to eat lunch where and with whom they wish, masks are to be removed only when actively eating or drinking.
• Clubs and tutorials will be in-person again, with safety protocols in place.
• We will continue to follow the CDC regarding travel guidelines for both domestic and international travel.
• As of today, there are no updated guidelines regarding athletics, drama, music, or dance. We will continue to follow last year’s guidelines until new ones are issued.

Lastly, students will not have the option to attend class virtually this year, regardless of circumstances. Students should plan to attend all of their classes in person. If students are sick, even with mild symptoms, they should stay home and rest in order to protect our community.

There will be a Public Health Update for the School Community to review the guidelines for all Marin County schools on August 17, 2021, at 1:00 PM. We encourage you to join this meeting or view the most updated guidance from the county here. 

Thank you for your continued support, we are looking forward to seeing you soon

Warmest regards,

Travis