Notre Dame Academy Community:
Over the last several months, a taskforce of faculty and staff have been developing plans for the 2020-2021 academic year. Our priorities are the health and safety of our entire school community and ensuring academic excellence and continuity for our students. Our planning is informed by guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Hingham Board of Health.
We are awaiting final review on key elements of our approach, and our full plan, Learn & Lead Together, will be released by Wednesday, August 19. In the interim, we want to call your attention to a few key details.
Academic Approach
Given our extensive campus and spacious facilities and the intense dedication of our faculty and staff, we will offer in-person learning while meeting and in many cases exceeding state health and safety guidelines, particularly with regards to social distancing, class sizes and the flow of students. NDA will provide synchronous, full time remote learning on an individual basis for students who have health concerns, live with family members who have health concerns and/or are unable to return to campus this fall. Families who select this approach should communicate with NDA by August 24.
Given the evolving nature of the pandemic, if schools across the state are ordered to close by the governor, or if NDA administration deems it necessary to limit in-person instruction, we will transition to full remote learning for all students.
When NDA does reopen this fall, all students in all grades will be full time, in person, five days per week beginning September 21, 2020. Students who must study remotely will also be full time from home starting on this date. A full day runs from 7:55 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
As you will read below, the week of September 8 is reserved for orientation by grade level. The week of September 14 is a combined approach of in person and remote learning by grade level to gradually return students to full capacity on campus. The week of September 21, all students in all grades, except those required to study remotely, are back on campus full time. Please review the calendar here.
COVID-19 Protocols
On campus, we will follow stringent health and safety protocols that for many have already become a way of life, including daily symptom and temperature checks, maintaining six feet of physical distancing, wearing approved protective face coverings, frequent handwashing and hand sanitizing and rigorous cleaning of our facilities.
NDA has taken major precautionary steps to prepare our campus and facilities to meet and exceed health and safety guidelines, including to note a few:
- Reconfiguring most classroom spaces to accommodate 16 students seated six feet apart with all desks facing the same direction
- Making hallways and stairwells one directional for traffic flow
- Utilizing multiple entrances and exits for arrival, dismissal and class transitions
- Upgrading our HVAC systems to allow for the maximum amount of outdoor air circulation and improved indoor air quality and purification
- Repurposing outdoor space for learning, relaxation and mask breaks
- Increasing our cleaning schedule to 24 hours per day and hiring additional staff to sanitize classrooms, restrooms, high-touch surfaces and common areas on a near-constant basis
All community members will participate in comprehensive COVID-19 awareness and training. This will occur during orientation for students and professional development workshops for faculty and staff.
Orientation
Students will begin the school year the week of September 8 with orientation from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Students will come to campus by grade to visit classrooms, meet teachers and review expectations for in-person and remote learning. Students will participate in a health training and practice new routines, such as social distancing, staggered dismissal from classes and one-directional hallway patterns.
Orientation Date |
Grades |
|---|---|
Tuesday, September 8 |
Grades 7-8 |
Wednesday, September 9 |
Grades 9 |
Thursday, September 10 |
Grades 10 |
Friday, September 11 |
Grades 11 & 12 |
First Week of Class
Beginning the week of September 14, we will implement a combination of in-person and remote learning to gradually return students by grade level to campus. In-person and remote learning will consist of a full school day and run from 7:55 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
First Week of Class Dates |
Grades |
|---|---|
Monday, September 14 |
Grades 7 & 8 on campus and 9 -12 remote |
Tuesday, September 15 |
Grades 7, 8 and 9 on campus and 10 -12 remote |
Wednesday, September 16 |
Grades 7, 8, 9 and 10 on campus and 11-12 remote |
Thursday, September 17 |
Grades 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 on campus and 12 remote |
Friday, September 18 |
All students in all grades on campus |
School Day
For the 2020-21 academic year, in-person and remote learning will consist of a full school day and run from 7:55 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. We will communicate more details about arrival and dismissal procedures and the separate entrances each grade will utilize to maximize physical distancing.
Block Schedule
For the 2020-21 academic year, NDA will utilize a block schedule that prioritizes a strong academic approach with deeper engagement. Our previous, standard schedule featured eight, 40-minute class periods which met daily. The block schedule will feature four, 80-minute class periods that will meet every other day. Like the standard schedule, the block schedule will rotate so classes will meet at different times of the day. The block schedule reduces by half the number of times students and faculty change classrooms and move throughout the building and provides teachers and students more time for deep learning, critical thinking and collaboration.
Athletics and Co-Curricular Activities
DESE and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs are developing guidelines for K-12 fall sports, which are expected to be released in the coming week. Once released, the MIAA will have three full working days to develop a plan for member schools. Based on MIAA guidance, the NDA Athletic Department will develop an appropriate plan per fall sport, including tryout, practice and game schedules. We will relay these plans as soon as possible. All updates will be added to the team portal pages as they become available. We will phase in co-curricular programming starting in October 2020.
Uniforms
We are working with Land’s End to select a warm weather uniform option. Details will be forthcoming in our full reopening plan.
Ordering Books
State guidelines recommend that we do not use lockers for the first several months of the academic year. As such, every effort is being made to identify e-book versions of this year’s textbooks. Families can purchase required hard copy textbooks on eCampus. The Shop by Schedule feature lists the books for each class on your daughter’s schedule. To log into eCampus, please follow these steps:
- Click on the Books (eCampus Bookstore) link in either the Student or Parent Portal
- Click on Visit eCampus Bookstore
- Once in the bookstore, click on Shop by Schedule
- On the login page, enter the student's NDA email address
- Due to eCampus increased security measures, click the Forgot Password link and create a new password even if you already have an account. Please note that the Password Reset email will be sent to your daughter's school email address so be sure you have access to it.
In Summary
While this coming school year will be different in many ways, we must do what we have always done as a school community: to love and respect one another, to learn and lead together and to do our part to advance the common good. We can reopen responsibly if everyone – students, families, faculty and staff – work to preserve the health and safety of all. Notre Dame women have always risen to meet the challenges of their day. Now is our time. We will embrace this unprecedented moment and return to learning, leading and using our education, service and faith to make a difference in the world. Thank you for your cooperation and support. May God bless you and our entire NDA community.
| Annemarie Lynch Kenneally ’80 P’13 ’15 | Kristin Melley |
| President | Interim Principal |