2022 School Opening Resource Guide

Dear Whitby Parents,

I am pleased to share our School Opening Guide for 2022-2023. As it was a year ago, our highest priority remains to teach in person while safeguarding the health and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff.  

Please take the time to read through the Guide before the start of school. You'll find practices we are keeping and policies that have changed. This school year, we welcome parents back to campus to reconnect parents-to-teachers and parents-to-parents for "live" events, whenever appropriate.

All the best,

Jack Creeden, Whitby Head of School

• COVID testing is required for all students and faculty/staff before school starts.
• As we started last spring, we welcome parents back on campus. However, at this time, parents are not permitted inside classrooms during regular school hours. The exceptions would be limited assistance with special classroom events that are coordinated with the classroom teachers.
• Masking inside the school is optional.

• Cohorts. There will be no cohorting of classes. However, this is subject to change based on future CDC and State of CT health and safety guidelines.
• COVID Quarantine. Students will no longer be required to quarantine at home if exposed to a COVID-positive person, regardless of vaccination status. Click here for current COVID-19 Policies and Procedures.
• Primary Drop-off. All Primary students must be dropped off at the Brent Oval entrance and met by a Primary faculty or staff member. Lower School and Middle School students can exit the car with their Primary siblings. See more about Arrivals and Dismissals. 
• Arrival Health Check & Hand-Sanitizing. Staff will no longer ask the car driver if a health check has been performed. We expect parents to monitor their child's health and not send the child to school if they are not feeling well, especially if they are exhibiting COVID symptoms. Hand-sanitizing can be done as the student enters the building, not when they exit the car. 
• Student Pick-ups. We are implementing an enhanced Pick-up Policy & Procedures to further ensure the safety of our students. Students (Primary - Grade 8) will only be allowed to enter a car that 1) has a Whitby Pick-up Placard displayed or 2) has notified the school via Veracross that there is a change as to who is picking up the student. All parents have been mailed Pick-Up Placards. Refer to Arrival & Dismissal Guide for more details. 

• NEW After-School Program. We are providing our students with meaningful learning experiences beyond the regular school hours while accommodating our parents with pick-up times that can be aligned among siblings, plus giving parents additional time to coordinate busy schedules. ASP provides all students, Stepping Stones through Grade 8, the option to remain at Whitby until 5:00 PM. Click the link below to view the options by grade level. Click here for more details.

The health and safety of the Whitby community are dependent upon our collective behavior on and off campus. It is essential that we start the school year knowing we have taken all the necessary precautions to ensure that our students, faculty, and staff are operating in a safe and healthy environment. To that end, we require that all students, faculty, and staff (vaccinated and unvaccinated) submit a negative COVID-19  test before the start of school according to the steps outlined below. Students who recovered from COVID in the last 90 days do not need to test. Please contact the School Nurse with this information.

• All students (vaccinated and unvaccinated) must submit a negative COVID test (PCR or Rapid Antigen) on Monday, August 29, before 5:00 PM.
• Submit the negative test results to covidtest@whitbyschool.org. Please include this information:
  • Name of child(ren) 
  • Grade level of each child
  • Copy or screenshot of the negative PCR or Rapid Antigen test result for each child
• Your child will not be able to start school until a negative test result is received.
• After testing, please avoid public crowds or social gatherings.
• If your child tests positive, please contact School Nurse Carol-Ann Ball immediately (caball@whitbyschool.org).

Click here to view our current COVID Policies & Procedures.

Late Day Program Description
We offer programs supervised by Whitby faculty and staff who will provide age-appropriate activities and learning experiences in a fun, stress-free environment. Students in Stepping Stones through Grade 8 have the opportunity to remain at Whitby until 5:00 PM, Monday-Friday.

• Children’s House: Supervised play, rest, and snack time.
• Lower School: Supervised play (inside and outside), rest and snack times; potential for an additional WECCP offering.
• Middle School: Supervised academic work time with a Whitby educator; a productive time to complete homework/ask questions, provides effective time management guidance.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL THE OFFERINGS BY GRADE LEVELS

Program Details: What You Need to Know

• The ASP program will run the entire school year based on the trimester calendar used for WECCP.
• Fall ASP runs September 12-November 18, the same as WECCP.
• ASP is a fee-based program. Each Fall 2022, Monday-Friday, Late Day program offering is $1250. 
• Space is limited. Programs are on a first-come, first-serve basis, and students may be waitlisted.
• Programs require a minimum enrollment, and we will notify parents when a Late Day program cannot be offered.
• ASP will not be provided on school holidays, school cancellation days such as a snow day, or when all students are dismissed at noon.