North Cross School
  • WHO WE ARE
    • Vision & Values
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Building Character
    • Student & Parent Handbook
    • Board of Trustees
    • Senior Administration
    • Head of School Search
    • Head of School's Blog
    • Campus Map
    • In the News
    • NOW@NORTHCROSS
  • ACADEMICS
    • Lower School >
      • Early Childhood Program
      • First through Third Grades
      • Fourth and Fifth Grades
      • Sixth and Seventh Grades
      • Meet Our Faculty
    • Upper School >
      • Eighth through Twelfth Grades >
        • Global Studies Distinction
        • STEM Distinction
        • Fine Arts Distinction
        • Internship Program
      • Course Catalog
      • College Counseling
      • Meet Our Faculty
    • Hancock Library
    • CrossWalk for Learning Differences >
      • Meet Our Faculty
    • Distance Learning
  • ARTS
    • Band
    • Chorus
    • Studio Art & Graphic Design
    • Theater
    • Friends of the Arts
  • ATHLETICS
    • Athletics Calendar
    • Teams & Schedules
    • Championships & Awards
    • Forms
    • Facilities >
      • Carter Athletic Center (CAC)
    • Meet Our Athletics Staff
    • Athletic Boosters
    • In the News
  • STUDENT LIFE
    • Dress Code
    • Extracurriculars
    • International Students
    • Boarding at North Cross
    • After-School Opportunities
    • Summer Programs
  • COMMUNITY
    • Log in to FACTS
    • School Calendar
    • Parent Resources >
      • Back-to-School
      • Student & Parent Handbook
      • Contact Us
    • Alumni >
      • Awards
      • Athletic Hall of Fame
      • In the News
      • Class Notes
      • In Memoriam
    • Spirit Stores >
      • Apparel
      • Gifts & Accessories
      • RaiderGear Athletic Wear
    • Faculty and Staff Links
    • Employment Opportunities
  • ADMISSIONS
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • What is an independent school?
    • Inquire & Tour
    • How to Apply
    • Tuition and Fees
    • International Student FAQs
    • Meet Our Team
  • SUPPORT
    • Give to North Cross
    • The Legacy Campaign
    • Meet Our Team

A Follow-Up on our Second Round of COVID-19 Testing

9/17/2020

0 Comments

 
This is a follow-up letter to last evening’s report on our first results. We received word that there were no additional positives among the remaining tests that were processed overnight. Thus, our positivity rate for the second round of testing was 0.65%. In addition, there were no commonalities between the three students that tested positive, so we have an early indication that our mitigation efforts to prevent on-campus spread have been successful. We will test our community one more time on September 29th prior to determining our future testing schedule.
Testing definitely adds a level of stress to already stressful times, and I have asked Kelsey Yardley, our Lower School Counselor, to speak with our students during guidance about what is happening and why they should not be frightened. This comes a day late for our fifth and sixth graders that have been isolated, but Kelsey is reaching out to many of them via Zoom this afternoon. I apologize to those parents with children that were distraught; in the future, we will be more proactive in our explanations.

It is important to remember that testing, and the resulting quarantines and isolations, are an important part of our ability to identify and measure the level of virus in our school population. To date, all our positive cases have been asymptomatic and would have remained undetected but for our testing. We have reset the school population and now will work towards our next two-week cycle. Again, our efforts at school will only be successful if our community continues to mask, socially distance, and avoid crowded spaces.

Having had teenagers and having worked with teens for 30 years, I know how difficult it is for a parent to exercise control over teens once they are able to leave the house on their own. During this time of COVID, it is extra important that you ask your teens where they are going for the evening and remind them that their bad decisions won’t just hurt themselves but could also result in large numbers of students having to distance learn, athletic teams being forced to cancel games, and given the nature of this virus, much worse. In advance, I appreciate your hard work.

And finally, I appreciate your patience in the sporadic nature of communications surrounding positive test results. The results usually are received late in the afternoon, and we must carry out initial contact tracing and notify all of the students that are directly involved prior to the beginning of the next school day. Only then are we able to get general information out to the entire community. In this era of social media, we are unable to keep up with the pace of the electronic grapevine, so you are far more likely to hear unofficial news from a friend prior to receiving official notification from the school. In addition, our official news must be necessarily vague about the students involved. Know that we are doing our best to get accurate information out to our community, but once we have contacted one person, that information spreads rapidly.

Thank you again for all your support and all your patience.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Christian J. Proctor, PhD

    Dr. Proctor is the ninth Head of School at North Cross and has served as such since 2011. He has more than 30 years of experience in education. He has served as headmaster at Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina, St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metairie, Louisiana, Grace Episcopal School in Monroe, Louisiana, and as Interim Headmaster at Wesley Academy in Houston, Texas. In each location, Dr. Proctor’s tenure was marked by creativity, innovation, and school growth. 

    Dr. Proctor earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Geology from Colgate University, a Master’s Degree in Geology from Duke University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A native of Chapel Hill, NC, Dr. Proctor and his wife, Ellie, have two children, Katherine and Andrew ’14.

    He can be reached at cproctor@northcross.org.

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017

    Categories

    All
    Academics
    Alumni
    AP Scholars
    Arts
    Athletics
    Back To School
    Board Of Trustees
    Campus
    Capital Campaign
    Carpool
    Character
    China
    College Placement
    Commencement
    Community
    Construction
    COVID-19
    Development
    Distance Learning
    Dyslexia Awareness
    Education Reform
    Extracurricular
    Faculty
    Global Studies
    Literacy
    Lower School
    Nanchang
    Public Speaking
    School Closings
    State Of The School
    Statistics
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Vertical Divider

4254 Colonial Avenue
Roanoke, Virginia 24018
540-989-6641 • (540) 989-7299 (FAX)

HOURS: M-F; 8AM-4PM

North Cross Shanghai
North Cross School is an independent, coeducational, college-preparatory day school founded in 1944 and governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees.

All contact information listed on this website is for official North Cross School business only. North Cross School does not accept unsolicited advertisements sent to school email addresses, phone numbers, or fax numbers listed on this site.

North Cross School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status in the administration of its educational, admission, financial aid or employment policies, or any other programs administered by the School. For more information, read our Inclusivity Statement.

​Accreditation
North Cross is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools. North Cross School's Junior Kindergarten is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools who is recognized by the Board of Education pursuant to §22.1-19 of the Code of Virginia authorizes the Virginia Council for Private Education to accredit private nursery, preschool, elementary and secondary schools in Virginia
.

Memberships
North Cross is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, National Association for College Admission Counseling, and Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling, The Cum Laude Society and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

​
Privacy Policy
  • WHO WE ARE
    • Vision & Values
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Building Character
    • Student & Parent Handbook
    • Board of Trustees
    • Senior Administration
    • Head of School Search
    • Head of School's Blog
    • Campus Map
    • In the News
    • NOW@NORTHCROSS
  • ACADEMICS
    • Lower School >
      • Early Childhood Program
      • First through Third Grades
      • Fourth and Fifth Grades
      • Sixth and Seventh Grades
      • Meet Our Faculty
    • Upper School >
      • Eighth through Twelfth Grades >
        • Global Studies Distinction
        • STEM Distinction
        • Fine Arts Distinction
        • Internship Program
      • Course Catalog
      • College Counseling
      • Meet Our Faculty
    • Hancock Library
    • CrossWalk for Learning Differences >
      • Meet Our Faculty
    • Distance Learning
  • ARTS
    • Band
    • Chorus
    • Studio Art & Graphic Design
    • Theater
    • Friends of the Arts
  • ATHLETICS
    • Athletics Calendar
    • Teams & Schedules
    • Championships & Awards
    • Forms
    • Facilities >
      • Carter Athletic Center (CAC)
    • Meet Our Athletics Staff
    • Athletic Boosters
    • In the News
  • STUDENT LIFE
    • Dress Code
    • Extracurriculars
    • International Students
    • Boarding at North Cross
    • After-School Opportunities
    • Summer Programs
  • COMMUNITY
    • Log in to FACTS
    • School Calendar
    • Parent Resources >
      • Back-to-School
      • Student & Parent Handbook
      • Contact Us
    • Alumni >
      • Awards
      • Athletic Hall of Fame
      • In the News
      • Class Notes
      • In Memoriam
    • Spirit Stores >
      • Apparel
      • Gifts & Accessories
      • RaiderGear Athletic Wear
    • Faculty and Staff Links
    • Employment Opportunities
  • ADMISSIONS
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • What is an independent school?
    • Inquire & Tour
    • How to Apply
    • Tuition and Fees
    • International Student FAQs
    • Meet Our Team
  • SUPPORT
    • Give to North Cross
    • The Legacy Campaign
    • Meet Our Team