Return To Campus Plan & FAQs

Parents have always played a big part in the daily routines of the school day.  Due to COVID, public health recommended decreasing exposure on campus by limiting the number of adults on campus. The roles parents volunteers filled for us in the past were usually a time commitment of 1-3 hours during a day, with anywhere between 15-30 additional parents coming to campus on any given day. To decrease the number of adults on campus, we have consolidated all those duties/roles (e.g., recess and lunch), plus added additional coverage to ensure students follow safety guidelines.  These roles are currently being covered by faculty and staff.  Our current employees are already at maximum for that coverage, so we are looking to hire additional staff to assist with duty coverages all day, five days a week.  These additional hires would need to undergo monthly COVID testing like all current faculty and staff.

On July 15, MHHS and MCOE, responding to the increase in positive cases of COVID-19 in Marin, announced that the earliest date that schools can resume in-person learning is September 8.

On July 17, Governor Newsom announced that all schools must remain in remote learning until its county is off the state COVID-19 watchlist for 14 consecutive days. In order to remain off the watchlist, a county needs to have <100 cases per 100,000 people. These data can be tracked on the state’s COVID website.

After Governor Newsom’s announcement in July that all schools must remain in remote learning until its county is off the state COVID-19 watchlist for 14 consecutive days, some CA counties announced that they will be accepting waiver applications from K-8 schools to allow elementary students to have in-person learning even if their county is not yet off the watchlist.

Updated 9/18: MCDS's waiver application has been approved by local and state health authorities. As long as Marin County remains in Tier 2, which allows for in-person learning, we will not have to use the waiver option to return to campus on October 5.

Updated 9/15: MCDS has completed and submitted a waiver application for K-5 in-person learning to Marin County health authorities.

Updated 8/17: Marin County has started inviting applications for waivers. MCDS will not apply for a waiver in order to return to campus in September, as we have committed to distance learning for September 2-October 2. If we need to apply for a waiver in order to return to on-campus learning on October 5 as planned, MCDS will engage in the process in consultation with families, teachers, and staff as required. 

While we understand why families feel they may need to consider this option, the school is unable to help create pods, monitor how pods are formed or adjust class lists to facilitate pods. We strongly urge families to consider our school values of diversity, equity, and inclusion with regard to this practice.

As of Tuesday, October 27, Marin County has moved to Tier 3 on the state’s reopening plan. Tier 3 allows for increased indoor capacity for restaurants and commercial businesses.  It does not change the county mandated cohort model or the need to keep cohorts separate, so there is very little impact on schools and unfortunately does not help with getting more children on campus during the day.

In the hybrid model students and teachers alternate between in-person and remote learning/teaching. MCDS’s model allows K-2 students to be on campus four days a week with one day in distance learning.

Beginning in January 2021, days on campus will increase for students in grades 3-8. Please refer to the Hybrid 2.0+ Schedule for details.  

We consider this model the safest and most reasonable option for in-person learning, considering the ongoing risks to public health in our area. By having K-2 on campus most of the time, we are able to serve our students who have the hardest time learning remotely. Having all other grades alternate days on campus allows us to spread out, and ensures that we rigorously adhere to guidelines set by MHHS with reduced density of students on campus. 

The Incident Management Team (IMT) has been the primary group responding to the new challenges of COVID-19 since February, and we have been working collaboratively with the Board on all of our new initiatives and school plans.  The IMT will continue on this new task force, and we are adding more voices to work towards getting more students on campus as well as to explore solutions for space constraints, staffing, safety, expanding COVID testing, and transportation.

The task force will include members of the IMT, faculty and staff representatives, the Family Association president and two parent Trustees. As part of its process, the task force will also be surveying the larger community. The task force will work to have a plan drafted by December. Any plan generated by the task force will roll out changes on an incremental basis. During the planning phase, the school will remain in Hybrid 2.0. 

All grades will be in distance learning after winter break from Jan. 4-8, 2021. 

Effective Jan. 11, we will move to the Hybrid 2.0+ schedule. You can find the schedule here.   

We acknowledge and appreciate that so many of our families are doing their best to keep students and our school community safe by staying close to home. During winter break, we recognize members of our community will have the opportunity to travel and gather with loved ones and friends outside of their household. The safety of our community is always our primary concern.

Therefore, all grades will be in distance learning the week of January 4-8 — with in-person learning resuming on January 11. This will allow us to have mandatory testing for all students and faculty/staff so that we can return to in-person learning on January 11 in the safest way possible.

School hours are:

Lower School

8:30 am-3:00 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and 8:30 am-1:20 pm on Wednesdays. 

Upper School

8:25 am-3:00 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and 8:25 am to 1:50 pm on Wednesdays. 

Teachers will be available to students during these hours.
 

You can find the current Morning Carpool and Afternoon Dismissal Schedule here. 

Please note that the drop-off/pick-up schedule will be subject to change as we continue to evaluate its effectiveness in reducing traffic and wait times.

Our current footprint for usable space is 10 acres, which includes the Lower Field.  We have more students than our peer schools, which means we also have more cohorts to manage and to keep separate. We are currently maximizing the use of all available indoor and outdoor spaces on campus. Both fields are used for lunch and recess, as well as for PE classes. Tents have been installed to provide additional teaching spaces. Each cohort has a designated space for lunch, snack and recess requiring the full use of these outdoor spaces for significant portions of the school day. Currently, our pinch points are recess, lunch, and outdoor spaces.  The Hybrid 2.0+ Task Force will be solving for how to remedy space and scheduling constraints while following MHHS safety guidelines (i.e., cohorts, 4-6 feet of distance between students).

We have learned a lot since March! Our academic leadership and faculty have worked throughout the summer to reflect upon our experience last spring and to consider the feedback we received from students and parents during the 2019–20 school year, and we are using that input to develop a thoughtful and strengthened program and schedule for our students. 

Faculty have continued to work through the summer months to learn all they can and to plan for distance learning. We invested a significant amount of time in professional development, with all faculty attending Reimaging School: The Transition from Emergency to Planned Distance Learning by NCAIS. This course allowed teachers to learn new techniques, tools, and skills for working within the virtual medium.

Division Heads and Assistant Division Heads attended Scheduling in a Pandemic by ISM to learn more about best practices for a distanced program. Faculty and administration completed other courses focused on equity, social emotional learning, and pedagogy in the remote environment.  Summer school courses offered teachers a chance to practice and implement some new skills.

Faculty have met in grade level and disciple-specific teams to thoughtfully plan ways to build community, engage students and redesign curriculum to leverage distance learning. In total, our faculty spent nearly 400 days this summer working on summer grants individually and with team members. 

We also examined our schedules carefully, resulting in more synchronous learning, small group work, and one-on-one check-ins in Lower School. The schedule in Upper School will be similar to that of last spring to accommodate a rigorous program of academics and time for social-emotional learning, coupled with longer breaks between classes.  In both Divisions, we hope students will experience what feels like a “school day” from home.

Beginning in January 2021, school will move to the Hybrid 2.0+ schedule, to view the schedule please click here.

We will share class lists with families on Wednesday, August 26. We will replace our beloved tradition of mailing letters home this year, and instead homeroom teachers and advisors will send emails and videos on Friday, August 28. We do not provide class lists earlier because we carefully consider class placement for each individual child and do not make changes once class lists are distributed.

Relationships are the foundation of teaching and learning, and our teachers are committed to forming strong bonds with students and families in the fall.

All kindergartners will be able to come to campus in very small groups to meet their teachers in person, while new 6th grade students will have a virtual orientation with their advisors on September 1 from 9:00-10:00 am.

Teachers in grades 1-5 will meet with students and families one-on-one via Zoom during the first days of school. In addition, we will send questionnaires to parents/guardians of all students so that you can let us know important background information about your child.

Over the month of September all other grades will come to campus in small groups to meet teachers and learn systems prior to October 5.

Families with medical concerns may opt into distance learning. Students in K-5 will have a distance learning teacher who will provide direct instruction and coordinate learning for them in connection with the classroom teachers and specialists. 

Students in 6-8 who are in distance learning will be assigned an advisor and be integrated into classes through Zoom and Google Classroom. If extra assistance is needed, the learning specialists or an additional distance learning teacher will provide support for at-home learning. Since distance learning students will be following the curriculum in “real time,” they may enter back into in-person learning. 
 

The school’s schedule of being in a hybrid model for only a portion of the first semester means that students who require distance learning because of medical concerns can be integrated into classes with their peers for much of the time.

Students in K-1 will begin the year in distance learning with their classes. When in-person learning begins, a distance learning teacher will work with K-1 students through the hybrid program and beyond. When the distance learning model resumes in November, these students can be reintegrated with the rest of their peers.

For students in K-1 please contact Stephanie Deitz, LS Division Head, as soon as you know that you will need this option, and by Friday, August 21. 

Students in grades 2-8 will be integrated into their classes for the first semester. During in-person learning weeks, students in grades 2 - 5 will have support from a distance learning teacher who will coordinate lessons with the classroom teachers. Students in 6 - 8 will do distance learning via Zoom and Google Classroom with support as needed from learning specialists. Families of students in grades 2-8 who need to continue in distance learning for the second semester will need to contact the appropriate Division Head by December 4. 
 

Yes, families can opt into the program and later transition their student to in-person learning. Families can also start their student with in-person learning and opt into distance learning if they develop medical concerns. 

The distance learning strand is not intended for movement in and out on an ad-hoc basis. Thus, once a student is in the distance learning strand, families should plan for their children to be in that model until a significant change occurs that would allow them to return to in-person learning. 
 

As of early January, the Stay Home Order  for the Bay Area and the rest of California has been extended indefinitely.  Please refrain from mixing households, having playdates, sleepovers, or holiday parties and non-essential travel. 

This order is mandatory under state law. We need everyone’s sincere commitment to keep COVID from our school so that students and staff can continue with on-campus programs. 

• Hosting or attending gatherings with people outside of one’s immediate household is not permitted.
• Non-essential travel outside of the Bay Area (including Tahoe) is not permitted in the Stay Home Order. Families who engage in non-essential travel will need to quarantine for 10 days upon return. Distance learning is reserved for students whose families have health considerations, or because they are not cleared for campus due to symptoms or potential exposure. Distance learning is not intended for families who engage in non-essential travel.

Visit covid19.ca.gov for more info.  

The health of our school community is a collective responsibility. It is vital that all members of our community strictly adhere to health and safety protocols as outlined by state (covid19.ca.gov) and local health authorities (as well as those detailed in the MCDS COVID-19 Family Handbook, which include:

• Keep your child home if sick.
• Keep your child at home if exposed.
• Notify the school if your student or someone in your household tests positive for COVID-19 and/or if anyone in the household is subject to quarantine or isolation. 
• Adhere to public health mandates and social distancing requirements: avoid large events and gatherings, maintain physical distancing, wear masks in public, stay at home whenever possible, and observe the rules for outdoor gatherings of  “social bubbles.”
• When on campus, follow new health protocols and practices including wearing face coverings, physical distancing, handwashing, and daily symptom screening. Watch the Return to Campus video to learn more about safe procedures and protocols.
• Out of an abundance of caution, if travelling, we request that all families return to the Bay Area for at least 14 days before they return to campus. Please refer to the CDC website for more information on travelling in the US or abroad.

MCDS will reimburse families for unused bus fees. Families who do not plan to use the bus at all for 2020-21 may request a refund in the fall. Families who use the bus may request a refund for the prorated amount of unused bus service at the end of the fiscal year.