North Cross School COVID-19 Dashboard
All numbers provided are subject to change. Data updated October 19, 2020.
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NCS Student and Employee COVID-19
Test Results by Week
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Cumulative Total Positive Test Results Since August 24, 2020
14
10 Students • 4 Faculty/Staff/Coaches 
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Additional Resources
COVID-19 Testing
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*Parents must fill out the top portion of the COVID-19 test form prior to EACH individual test.
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Upcoming Testing Dates & Calendar Changes:
October 15: Half of the community October 29: Half of the community November 12: Half of the community *We will move to virtual instruction the week of November 30-December 4 while we test all students and await results after Thanksgiving Break. Wednesday, December 2: Grades 6-12 Thursday, December 3: JK-3 - Grade 5 *We will move to virtual instruction the week of January 4-8 while we test all students and await results after Winter Break. Thursday, January 7: Everyone |
North Cross School and the 2020-2021 School Year
We are committed to safely opening our 2020-21 school year on schedule, and we are taking steps to ensure that we remain open for the duration of the school year. Unless barred by the State government, we will open September 8th and finish our 2020-21 school year in class and on campus.
No plan we develop, regardless of how comprehensive we try to be, will be 100% able to prevent new cases of this disease. However, if our families, students, faculty and staff work together and try their best through testing, physical distancing, wearing of face coverings, good hygiene, and expanded cleaning protocols, we can all do our part and help to mitigate its spread.
We realize it won’t be the ‘normal’ we have been accustomed to experiencing. We will, however, do as much as we possibly can to make school as normal as possible. The normal you will experience this fall is our faculty’s commitment to teaching your children.
As a North Cross parent, you have choices. You may choose to send your child to North Cross each day where they will receive daily classroom instruction. If you are not comfortable sending them to school, you may choose to keep your child at home and have them join instruction virtually. When you are comfortable sending them to campus, they may join their classmates after they have been tested. Conversely, if you send your child to class and decide later to have them participate virtually, you may do that as well.
We have begun providing you with information on our planned testing protocol, but there may be no such thing as too much information in the situation we find ourselves. As events change, we must adapt to new circumstances. We trust the responses below to many of the frequently asked questions we have received will provide you with useful information regarding plans for the upcoming year. We will share additional information as it becomes available, including new or different approaches we may need to implement in order to open and operate as safely and as normally as possible.
Thank you for your support, your understanding, and the trust you have placed in our school.
No plan we develop, regardless of how comprehensive we try to be, will be 100% able to prevent new cases of this disease. However, if our families, students, faculty and staff work together and try their best through testing, physical distancing, wearing of face coverings, good hygiene, and expanded cleaning protocols, we can all do our part and help to mitigate its spread.
We realize it won’t be the ‘normal’ we have been accustomed to experiencing. We will, however, do as much as we possibly can to make school as normal as possible. The normal you will experience this fall is our faculty’s commitment to teaching your children.
As a North Cross parent, you have choices. You may choose to send your child to North Cross each day where they will receive daily classroom instruction. If you are not comfortable sending them to school, you may choose to keep your child at home and have them join instruction virtually. When you are comfortable sending them to campus, they may join their classmates after they have been tested. Conversely, if you send your child to class and decide later to have them participate virtually, you may do that as well.
We have begun providing you with information on our planned testing protocol, but there may be no such thing as too much information in the situation we find ourselves. As events change, we must adapt to new circumstances. We trust the responses below to many of the frequently asked questions we have received will provide you with useful information regarding plans for the upcoming year. We will share additional information as it becomes available, including new or different approaches we may need to implement in order to open and operate as safely and as normally as possible.
Thank you for your support, your understanding, and the trust you have placed in our school.
Chris Proctor
Head of School |
Victor Lamas
Assistant Head of School for Academics |
David Lake
Director of Institutional Advancement |
Reopening FAQs
These FAQs will be updated and will evolve as the School receives more information about the ongoing health situation. Any information that has been modified or added will be displayed in red.
Updated September 8, 2020
Does North Cross plan to open on September 8th?
Yes.
Will students be on campus all day, every day, or will there be some sort of an alternate day scheduling?
All students will be able to attend classes on campus daily.
Will students be required to physically distance, and will the school do its best to enforce physical distancing guidance?
Yes. Using the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidance, we have restricted classroom capacity to the maximum number of seats possible while maintaining a six-foot distance between them. There have been several organizations that have advocated closer distances if students are masked, but we have retained six-foot margins. Admissions has been quite brisk this summer, and we have turned away qualified students because of these COVID maximum capacities.
Will students be required to wear masks?
All students in JK-3 through Grade 12 are required to wear masks when indoors or outdoors and unable to maintain six feet of separation from other people. This is a change from our earlier requirement that students in grades 3 and above be masked. We have been very pleased with the ability of our youngest students to wear masks during our summer camps and mini-school and I am hopeful our teenagers will be as receptive. In addition, all faculty will wear masks and all visitors to campus will be required to wear masks when indoors or outdoors and unable to maintain six feet of separation from other people. We will have masks available should you forget, but we will rely on students bringing their own masks from home.
This is a requirement, but we do realize that some of our youngest students may struggle a bit with masks. We will be supportive of their efforts to wear them and will not create any unwanted anguish if a child is having a tough day with the mask. That being said, after the first week of our ECP mini-school, we can cheerfully report that our three-year-olds, four-year-olds, and five-year-olds have worn their masks for several hours each day with no problems! Of course, we also recognize the need for time to be spent without masks, and teachers will specifically build in time outdoors when masks can be removed.
This is a requirement, but we do realize that some of our youngest students may struggle a bit with masks. We will be supportive of their efforts to wear them and will not create any unwanted anguish if a child is having a tough day with the mask. That being said, after the first week of our ECP mini-school, we can cheerfully report that our three-year-olds, four-year-olds, and five-year-olds have worn their masks for several hours each day with no problems! Of course, we also recognize the need for time to be spent without masks, and teachers will specifically build in time outdoors when masks can be removed.
Will students remain with only their group every single day?
To the extent that we can reasonably keep students isolated from other groups of students, we will. This allows us to limit the interruption to other students’ learning should we have a student test positive for COVID-19. Some of this isolation will depend on the age level of the students. The older the students, the more they will move in order to go through their academic schedule. The younger the students, the likelier it is that they stay together, while following as normal a schedule of activities as possible, to include recess and P.E. This may mean that younger students go to a very large space outside or in the CAC for P.E., or that teachers, rather than students, travel to classrooms.
Will students gather in large groups at events like pep rallies, morning assemblies, and lunch?
No, we are limiting such gatherings. Lunch, for example, may be brought from home or ordered through the cafeteria and consumed in classrooms or outside, weather permitting. Students will also be prevented from sharing their meals. Upper School students, upon arrival, will go to their first period classroom during A Weeks (second period classroom during B Weeks) for announcements and other scheduled activities that are broadcast directly to all classrooms. Lower School students in Grades JK3 - 5 will report to their homerooms as usual, first thing in the morning, and students in Grades 6 - 7 will go to their advisory rooms. If it is determined that we can safely hold outdoor activities like pep rallies, we may choose to do so.
Are co-curricular activities, such as sports programs and club activities, going to be available to students?
Yes, some activities will be available. Intramural athletic opportunities in our lower school are being designed in response to the closing of local youth sports.
The North Cross School Athletic Department has spent much time consulting various professional organizations and has given considerable thought and careful consideration as to how we can offer our usual slate of fall athletic opportunities.
Our dedicated coaches want to ensure that our students will have a safe environment for a variety of activities after school, not only for their physical well being but also for their mental health. Many governing bodies have decided to cancel fall athletics altogether, and many of the schools we would normally compete against have decided to follow suit. As a result, even some of our sports teams that are low risk have been left with no competitors for the fall. Still, we have allowed each NCS fall sports coach and their teams to make individual choices about how to proceed with the fall schedule. Some teams will only be able to practice, while others still have some games remaining on their original schedules; the athletics calendar can be found here. Practices will begin in September and run through October unless the situation warrants a change.
The North Cross School Athletic Department has spent much time consulting various professional organizations and has given considerable thought and careful consideration as to how we can offer our usual slate of fall athletic opportunities.
Our dedicated coaches want to ensure that our students will have a safe environment for a variety of activities after school, not only for their physical well being but also for their mental health. Many governing bodies have decided to cancel fall athletics altogether, and many of the schools we would normally compete against have decided to follow suit. As a result, even some of our sports teams that are low risk have been left with no competitors for the fall. Still, we have allowed each NCS fall sports coach and their teams to make individual choices about how to proceed with the fall schedule. Some teams will only be able to practice, while others still have some games remaining on their original schedules; the athletics calendar can be found here. Practices will begin in September and run through October unless the situation warrants a change.
If I’m not comfortable sending my child to school each day, is a distance learning option available?
Yes. If parents are not comfortable sending their children to join their classes on campus, we will be offering distance learning for those students.
If I CHOose distance learning for my child, will i pay a reduced tuition?
No. There will not be a discounted tuition if your decision is to have your child distance learn while most other students are receiving on-campus instruction. Should the school be forced to close the campus for longer than four weeks, tuitions will be discounted significantly, the degree to which is still under consideration.
What will distance learning look like?
Distance learning in the time when most students are physically on campus will likely be different from the experience from this past spring. Students will join their classmates virtually via live-stream with webcams or Zoom and will be expected to engage in synchronous learning, participating in class activities as much as they are able.
Mrs. Lily Angus will be serving as our Distance Learning Coordinator this year and will be outlining policies and procedures to streamline the process for families who are engaging in remote learning.
Mrs. Lily Angus will be serving as our Distance Learning Coordinator this year and will be outlining policies and procedures to streamline the process for families who are engaging in remote learning.
Is North Cross receiving guidance on health issues associated with its opening?
Yes. In addition to the guidance being given by the Commonwealth of Virginia, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the CDC, and the VA Department of Health, we are being guided by a team of local health professionals who are utilizing their professional resources to guide our reopening plans. We are also conferring regularly with other private and independent schools to share best practices.
We have established a medical advisory group of five physicians with ties to the North Cross community. Members of this group include physicians from a variety of specialties including infectious disease.
The Medical Advisory Group will review all test results and advise the school on appropriate responses. In addition, once we have established a baseline positivity rate in our school community, the Advisory Group will suggest a future testing schedule.
We have established a medical advisory group of five physicians with ties to the North Cross community. Members of this group include physicians from a variety of specialties including infectious disease.
The Medical Advisory Group will review all test results and advise the school on appropriate responses. In addition, once we have established a baseline positivity rate in our school community, the Advisory Group will suggest a future testing schedule.
Why is North Cross choosing to have students, faculty and staff tested?
The purpose of testing is not only to identify infected students but also to establish a baseline positivity rate and trend in positivity for the North Cross community. Following each round of testing, our Medical Advisory Board will review the results, make recommendations for further mitigation efforts, and determine the frequency of future testing.
Testing will not prevent the presence of the COVID virus on our campus, but it will help prevent a large outbreak. The analogy I have frequently used is driving in the dark with your headlights off. You don’t know you have driven off a cliff until you start to feel yourself falling, and at that point, it is too late to help yourself. Without testing, we are also driving blind, and we will not know if we have an outbreak until it is too large and requires us to close the school. Testing acts as our headlights, allowing us to see where we are going and make appropriate changes before we are forced to close school.
Testing will not prevent the presence of the COVID virus on our campus, but it will help prevent a large outbreak. The analogy I have frequently used is driving in the dark with your headlights off. You don’t know you have driven off a cliff until you start to feel yourself falling, and at that point, it is too late to help yourself. Without testing, we are also driving blind, and we will not know if we have an outbreak until it is too large and requires us to close the school. Testing acts as our headlights, allowing us to see where we are going and make appropriate changes before we are forced to close school.
Why has North Cross chosen path group for testing and maintaining testing information on its population?
Previously, we planned to partner with Helix; however, the spike of cases in California, a population heavily served by Helix has caused delays in testing results. We will now be partnering with Path Group out of Nashville, TN. Path Group provides all of the testing for Lewis Gale hospital and has assured us that they will be able to return our testing results within a three-day frame. Path Group uses the same high-accuracy nasal swab testing as Helix does. Please be sure to fill out Pathgroup's COVID-19 Test Form for your child prior to each individual test.
Why has North Cross chosen to conduct multiple tests at 14-day intervals?
This 14-day period is consistent with the incubation period of the virus and necessary for establishing a baseline percentage of students and faculty that test positive. Once a baseline positivity rate is identified, follow up testing can then be used to determine whether our mitigation efforts on campus are successfully preventing the spread of disease. The second test, after the first week of school, will refine that number and the week three test will give us a good feel for the stability of that level. Thus, we can increase or decrease social distancing restrictions as indicated, increasing the likelihood we can remain open while other schools are forced to move to more restrictive environments. It is not a cure-all, but testing goes a long way toward preventing an outbreak.
Does the test have to be done by the School or can it be done by our own doctor?
Testing can be done at the School, which will forward samples to Path Group, or it may be administered by your doctor or a testing facility. If you choose the latter option, the results of the test must be submitted to the School before September 3rd.
Is the test at the School a deep nasal swab?
No. The Path Group test is a simple nasal swab (see video above) and does not require a deep probe that, for many individuals, is very uncomfortable. It is a simple and comfortable procedure.
If tests are performed at the School, who will administer them?
The tests will be self-administered by the students or, depending on the age of the students, with parental help. They will be administered under our nurses’ supervision in a manner like the drive-through testing at other sites. We envision families coming to school as if it were morning drop-off and many nurses and medical volunteers helping to supervise testing.
Who at the School will receive the test results, and what is done with them?
Aileen Fleming, our school nurse, will receive testing results from Path Group and will notify parents/guardians of positive results. Parents electing to test locally will deliver test results to Aileen Fleming. The School will adhere to The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). This federal Act helps protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge.
Does my child need to be tested before coming to school on September 8th?
Yes. The school is taking precautions to make sure that students joining their classmates have been tested for COVID-19.
if a child tests positive but is not symptomatic, what will be done?
The child will be sent home. All asymptomatic students testing positive will be required to remain in quarantine for 14 days from the date of testing while remaining symptom-free, before they are eligible to return to school.
If a child shows symptoms and/or tests positive, what will be done?
The Medical Advisory Group has determined a protocol which North Cross will follow in the event of a positive test result.
We will notify the school population of the presence and degree of positive results. Following a positive result, we will also notify the local Department of Health and we will begin contact tracing at school. Students deemed to have been in close contact, which is defined as being unmasked and closer than six feet for a period longer than 15 minutes, will be required to quarantine for 14 days from the time of exposure and should they develop symptoms, they should be symptom-free for 24 hours and have a note from a physician stating they are eligible to return.
Students that are masked and socially distanced are not deemed to have been in close contact. Out of an abundance of caution and where we suspect there might be sufficient proximity, we may require students to quarantine for five days and receive a negative test result prior to a return to school. All positive results and our response will be reviewed by the Medical Advisory Group to ensure scientifically safe practices.
Students living in the same residence with a family member that has tested positive will be treated as a positive case and will be asked to quarantine for 14 days and should they show symptoms, be 24 hours symptom-free and have a note from a physician stating they are eligible to return
If a child is at home and begins displaying symptoms, they should not come to school to avoid placing others at risk. If a child is in school, our nurse will call the parents/guardians to take the child home. Parents/guardians should contact their physician to evaluate the child, report the outcome of the visit to Aileen Fleming, and provide a physician statement indicating when it is safe to return to school. The School, in consultation with medical advisors, will determine which other members of our community were in close contact with the sick student, and these students will be quarantined at home until test results indicate they are virus-free.
We will notify the school population of the presence and degree of positive results. Following a positive result, we will also notify the local Department of Health and we will begin contact tracing at school. Students deemed to have been in close contact, which is defined as being unmasked and closer than six feet for a period longer than 15 minutes, will be required to quarantine for 14 days from the time of exposure and should they develop symptoms, they should be symptom-free for 24 hours and have a note from a physician stating they are eligible to return.
Students that are masked and socially distanced are not deemed to have been in close contact. Out of an abundance of caution and where we suspect there might be sufficient proximity, we may require students to quarantine for five days and receive a negative test result prior to a return to school. All positive results and our response will be reviewed by the Medical Advisory Group to ensure scientifically safe practices.
Students living in the same residence with a family member that has tested positive will be treated as a positive case and will be asked to quarantine for 14 days and should they show symptoms, be 24 hours symptom-free and have a note from a physician stating they are eligible to return
If a child is at home and begins displaying symptoms, they should not come to school to avoid placing others at risk. If a child is in school, our nurse will call the parents/guardians to take the child home. Parents/guardians should contact their physician to evaluate the child, report the outcome of the visit to Aileen Fleming, and provide a physician statement indicating when it is safe to return to school. The School, in consultation with medical advisors, will determine which other members of our community were in close contact with the sick student, and these students will be quarantined at home until test results indicate they are virus-free.
Does testing eliminate the need for mask-wearing and temperature checks?
No. Daily temperature checks will still happen. All students will be required to wear masks when indoors or when outdoors and physical distancing is not possible.
when will testing occur?
All faculty and staff will be tested on August, 24. All students will be tested on August 31 and September 1. The second test for faculty and staff will take place on September 15. Instructions for the student testing schedule will be issued soon. If your child is not able to be tested at the school on August 31 or September 1, you will need to make arrangements for your child to be tested at an external testing center no earlier than August 31. Please keep in mind that may take up to 72 hours for test results to be received, and students cannot come to campus until a negative test result has been received by the School. Please be sure to fill out Pathgroup's COVID-19 Test Form for your child prior to each individual test.
Will there be extra hygiene and disinfecting measures in place?
Yes, each classroom and all common spaces will have hand sanitizing stations. In addition, there will be regular reminders during the school day to wash hands or sanitize.
We have purchased a number of electrostatic disinfectors which effectively fog an entire room with disinfectant. All classrooms and common spaces will be fogged each evening, and high-traffic locations such as bathrooms will be fogged regularly during the school day. We will continue to wipe down all heavy touch surfaces, such as doorknobs, push bars, and desktops. Desktops will be wiped down between each class, and all seats will be assigned. We have also purchased air handlers, sized specifically for the capacity of the areas in which they will be placed, that use the HEPA 13 filters that are recommended for removing aerosol particles the size of the COVID virus.
We have purchased a number of electrostatic disinfectors which effectively fog an entire room with disinfectant. All classrooms and common spaces will be fogged each evening, and high-traffic locations such as bathrooms will be fogged regularly during the school day. We will continue to wipe down all heavy touch surfaces, such as doorknobs, push bars, and desktops. Desktops will be wiped down between each class, and all seats will be assigned. We have also purchased air handlers, sized specifically for the capacity of the areas in which they will be placed, that use the HEPA 13 filters that are recommended for removing aerosol particles the size of the COVID virus.