Back to School 2020

Wilbraham & Monson Academy understands that many of you may have questions or concerns related to the outbreak and spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). We continue to track news and global response to the outbreak on a daily basis, and we continue to mold and adapt our plans as the situation develops. The safety and well-being of our WMA community is our highest priority, and we will continue to adapt and respond to changing circumstances as readily as we are able.

Please reach out to us at backtoschool@wma.us if you have questions, concerns or suggestions.

Hybrid Learning Plan

Hybrid Learning Plan

This plan is used when campus is open and students are accessing their education either “On Campus” or “At Home.” Students and teachers are physically present at school, but some students are learning from home online by choice or due to necessary quarantine/isolation.

Students “On Campus” will follow the “On Campus” Daily/Weekly Schedule.

Students “At Home” will follow the daily and weekly plan of their classes online in Canvas. Students will have everything they need in Canvas to learn, practice and explore content and skills, as well as be assessed and reflect on what they have learned. Students will have the option to watch their classes live and access recordings of their classes should they want to.

Whether a student is “On Campus” or “At Home,” the class activities in Canvas will run parallel with the same activities done in the live classroom. When a student is “At Home” and ready to return to “On Campus” they will be able to do so seamlessly, and vice versa.

Remote Learning Plan

Remote Learning Plan

This plan occurs when campus is closed to students and all students are accessing their education online “At Home in the World.” Students are not physically present in school. This was planned in advance for classes upon return from Fall Vacation (Nov. 30) and before the start of Winter Vacation (Dec. 18), but ready to implement at any time during the school year should circumstances warrant.

For students “At Home in the World,” they will follow the daily and weekly plan of their classes online in Canvas. Students will have everything they need in Canvas to learn, practice and explore content and skills, as well as be assessed and reflect on what they have learned.

Students “At Home in the World” will follow “At Home in the World” Daily/Weekly Schedule, which will augment their classes online in Canvas.

Video: Facility changes update from Mr. Easler

FAQ

As WMA updates information related to our Back to School preparations for the 2020-2021 academic year, we know parents have many questions.

We have a created a list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions to help parents, students and families.

Click here to read our FAQ page.

2020-2021 FAQ Page

Health Services Updates

All WMA
Health Service
COVID Updates

Communications related to Opening of School

Jan. 11 - Western Mass. News (TV): Interview with Head of School Brian Easler

Jan. 4 - Day students Return-to-Campus testing plan from Head of School Brian P. Easler

Dec. 30 - Boarding Students testing and arrival procedure

Dec. 23 - Return to Campus student testing plan from Head of School Brian P. Easler

Nov. 29 - Remote Learning Plan standards for students from Head of School Brian P. Easler

Nov. 20 - Changes to Spring 2021 calendar updates from Head of School Brian P. Easler

Oct. 28 - Athletic schedule updates from Head of School Brian P. Easler

Oct. 1 - First month update from Head of School Brian P. Easler

Sept. 11 - Important message from Head of School Brian P. Easler

Aug. 26 - Middle School updates from Director of the Middle School Stuart Whitcomb

Aug. 25 - Information regarding wearing face masks from Head of School Mr. Easler

Aug. 24 - Community expectations from Head of School Mr. Easler

Aug. 23 - WMA's testing process with Head of School Mr. Easler

Aug. 20 - Western Mass. News (TV): Interview with Head of School Brian Easler

Aug. 20 - Day student registration and COVID-19 testing update from Dean of Students Elizabeth Fontaine Squindo

Aug. 18 - Zoom webinar updates for day students and families

Aug. 17 - School expectations update from Head of School Brian P. Easler

Aug. 16 - Updates on Athletics and Afternoon Programs protocols from Director of Athletics Don Nicholson '79

Aug. 14 - Beginning of the year student expectations from Dean of Students Elizabeth Fontaine Squindo

Aug. 12 - Zoom webinar updates for boarding students and families

Aug. 12 - Updates for day students (only)

Aug. 7 - Updates for boarding students (only)

Aug. 7 - Introduction to Canvas, our online learning system from Dean of Academics Erik Kindblom

Aug. 4 - Twice-a-week testing and required Informed Consent form information

July 27 - Updates on Fall Athletic Season from Director of Athletics Don Nicholson '79

July 16 - Western Mass. News (TV): Interview with Head of School Brian Easler

July 13 - International Student Return to Campus Plan from Dean of Students Elizabeth Fontaine Squindo

July 9 - SEVP Update for International Families from Head of School Brian P. Easler
*note-visit SEVP's website and ICE guidance on COVID-19 for latest updates

July 6 - Academic Schedule Updates from Dean of Academics Erik Kindblom

June 18 - Opening of School press release (public) from Head of School Brian P. Easler

June 14 - Opening of School update from Head of School Brian P. Easler

May 5 - Update: Preparing for next school year from Head of School Brian P. Easler

Precautionary Plans

Social distancing, mask-wearing and hand washing are the most essential behaviors needed to mitigate the risk of infection and spread of the coronavirus. But even these precautions will not eliminate the risk of infection. For this reason, testing, contact tracing and our ability to quarantine and isolate members of the community, if necessary, will be keys to returning to campus safely. We have a multi-layer approach for the school year.

We are planning for masks to be worn by everyone. Exceptions will be when a person is eating or drinking or is in a room by themselves with the door closed, or for residential students when they are in their assigned family units. Rare exceptions will be granted only through our Health Services Office. Students will be expected to bring their own masks to school, labeled with their name. We will also have a stockpile of masks for emergencies and mishaps. Understanding that a full day of wearing masks will be difficult, we are also exploring the creation of outdoor spaces that will allow students and faculty to interact, at a social distance, without masks.

We have completed an exhaustive audit of physical spaces on campus. As a result, select campus renovations to existing classrooms are underway and other locations are being outfitted as classrooms. All learning spaces will maintain a minimum of 6 feet between people and will be configured to reduce exposure.

Air purifiers will be placed in all classrooms, offices and double-occupancy dorm rooms. We have acquired over 200 Honeywell HEPA air purifiers and extra filters to accommodate the various room sizes on campus. The filters cycle all of the air in a room roughly every 12 minutes, making them an effective layering precaution.

To minimize hallway congestion, we will be utilizing some of the emergency exit doors in the academic buildings to designate Entrance and Exit doors. This, along with some directional stairways, will encourage a more circular flow of people within the buildings and limit groups of people crowding the halls.

Cleaning operations will be significantly enhanced, with guidance from Able Cleaning Services and their experience with other schools and universities. Able will analyze our planning for campus occupancy and will prioritize “high-touch” areas according to risk. Restrooms, bathrooms, dormitories and dining spaces will receive special consideration. Additionally, we will rely on every member of the community to do their part cleaning up their own areas. Community training in this regard will take place during the opening of school and will be ongoing. We are arranging for a significant supply of appropriate cleaning materials to have on hand and available for all.

We are planning for regular virological testing of those who stay on, or travel to and from, campus. Everyone will be expected to consent to and participate in our testing regimen. We are coordinating with state and local officials, as well as colleges and universities, for participation in a state-wide school-based testing protocol. We are planning on testing every student and forward-facing faculty and staff member on a regular basis. This testing is critical to opening our campus safely and mitigating risk and will be conducted by our Health Services Staff.

Academics

Calendar

For all students, we plan to open the school on the general timeline previously communicated. The first day of school will be August 31. The specific details around the opening days will be communicated later in the summer.

There will be a few changes later in the year. We will plan to convert to our Remote Learning Plan for the three weeks between Fall and Winter vacations. This will reduce the risk of viral spread resulting from travel and vacation activities, and it will provide an added layer of protection for students, families and staff. This means that we will end in-person classes at the beginning of Fall Vacation (Nov. 24) and switch to Full Online Learning from Nov. 30 through the start of Winter Vacation on Dec. 18. All students will return to campus at the conclusion of Winter Vacation and we will start with Remote Learning from Jan. 5-8. In-person programming begins Jan. 11. This precautionary tactic is being utilized by a large and growing number of reputable private schools and post-secondary institutions.

Program

We are planning for live in-person classes, but we also need to be ready for the possibility of disruptions. We are preparing for this with an exciting, new and flexible learning experience  for students and faculty this fall. Referred to in the education realm as Hybrid Learning, our new approach represents a necessary industry-wide shift in the delivery of a first class education. This teaching model will provide the flexibility necessary to navigate the wide variety of possible circumstances next year, such as students who may be unable to attend in-person for a period of time. It will provide a learning experience that is personalized for each family’s needs, regardless of whether students or faculty are in the classroom or accessing the class remotely.

This new model will allow teachers and students maximum flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances throughout the year. While we wish it were under different circumstances, we are excited about this educational shift and the benefits it promises for our students, their families and the Academy going forward.

We have decided to move to a reputable and widely-used Learning Management System (LMS) this year, called Canvas. It will be accessible to all of our students - whether on campus or across the globe. Canvas will also sync with PowerSchool and has a much more refined student and faculty interface.

To ensure the quality, scope and excellence that defines our academic program, WMA has invested in comprehensive summer professional development in Hybrid Learning for all faculty and administrators. The result of these technology upgrades and training will be an exceptional academic program designed for both in-person and remote access.

DAILY SCHEDULE

Athletics & Activities

Afternoon Programs

Afternoon Programs

Latest updates:

From Director of Athletics Don Nicholson '79

In coordination with our peer schools, we are currently coordinating a winter schedule.
Disruptions to these plans are possible, so we all need to be ready to pivot like a striker, attack, forward, dancer or actor to the circumstances as they develop. We will have a full contingent of possible program alterations and alternatives depending on conditions and restrictions that may occur.

Dining

Dining Plan

Dining Plan

To accomplish appropriate social distancing and safe food service, as well as to adhere to state and health-agency guidance, we will need to alter our dining program. As such, we will be splitting our dining service between two large spaces. We will continue to use the Dining Hall, but we will also remove the pews from the Chapel and relocate half of the dining room tables into that space. Additionally, we will limit table capacity and install appropriate plexiglass screening on tables to keep people safe when they remove their mask to eat and talk with their friends.

Because this will limit room capacity, even with the two dining spaces, we will need to adjust dining room restrictions and schedules to make it work. The Dining Hall will have the ability to serve hot food options, and the new Chapel Dining Hall will operate strictly as a cold Grab-n-Go venue with prepared salads, sandwiches and other prepackaged items, much like similar facilities at most undergraduate institutions. Neither space will have any self-serve options such as traditional salad bars.

We may also utilize the Campus Center to further mitigate capacity issues. More information on this will be made available as plans develop, and we will continue to work with our food service provider, FLIK, which can draw on the network of independent schools it serves in order to ensure best practices.

With limited capacity to serve hot meals on campus, and the need to comply with state mandates, we will need to prioritize boarding students when planning hot/cold food options and availability at mealtimes. This is particularly true regarding breakfast and dinner. Planning in this area is still ongoing.

Typical dinner in the Dining Hall during the week is decidedly social in nature, with day and boarding students often gathering and interacting into the early evening hours. Because this sort of social activity will not be possible with limited room capacity, we will be requiring day students to leave campus after their last commitment. This means that we may also restrict the dinner meal to only residential students to further encourage end-of-school day student departure. We are still working on this and will have more details soon.

Bathrooms

Bathroom Plan

Bathroom Plan

Public restroom policies will be modified to support safety and distancing mandates. We will have more guidance on this before the school year begins.

Dormitory bathrooms will be assigned by a logical grouping of boarding students into ‘Households’. Each Household will be required to use only the bathroom they have been assigned in the dorm, which will likely be the one closest to their room.

To accomplish appropriate bathroom capacity ratios in Rich Hall, we will permanently convert one large room on the south wing of each floor into a new bathroom, including showers, which will supplement the existing bathrooms on the north wing of each floor. In this way, having a bathroom on each wing of each floor, we will be able to designate each wing on each floor as a Household with its own assigned bathroom.

Residential Life

Arrival dates
Boarding Plan

Arrival dates

Boarding Plan

Boarding students will be allowed to return to school early in order to accommodate travel complications and requirements. Students who return early will need to adhere to campus restrictions. We will establish a campus program of supervision, activities and food service during their stay. Families will be responsible for any additional associated expenses. Boarding students, no matter when they return, should expect to undergo a series of virology tests for the first few days upon arriving on campus.

Boarding students will be allowed, if necessary, to remain on campus during school vacations. If this is necessary, we will plan a relaxed campus program of supervision, activities and food service. Families will be responsible for any additional associated expenses.

We are continuing to plan for both single and double-occupancy rooms in the dorms. Each double occupancy room will be treated as a Family Unit and will be outfitted with an appropriately-sized HEPA air purifier that filters the air in a room once every 12 minutes.

In order to adhere to guidelines from both Massachusetts and the Center for Disease Control, we will need to revise our dormitory housing assignment process this year. We will assign rooms by grade to a specific floor. This may void room choice selections already made, and we apologize for this inconvenience. Dormitory assignments will be made by the Deans Office. Students with the most seniority and tenure at WMA per floor will have first choice on single rooms and returning students who do not get singles will be able to choose their roommates. New boarding students will be assigned by the Deans Office through our normal procedure. We will do our best to accommodate everyone’s wishes, and we thank everyone in advance for their patience.

Because of risks involved with interacting with people outside of WMA, who may not be taking precautions as seriously as we are, travel away from campus may be limited based on conditions at the time.

Budgetary Plan

We are opting for a responsive rather than proactive budgetary approach. It is just not possible to predict how or when disruptions may occur or how they might affect our budget. Therefore, we will enter the year as we normally would, with a budget based on full tuition and fees due from families according to their specific contracts. At the close of the 2020 - 2021 school year, we will assess the impact on expenses during the course of the year and make any appropriate year-long credit adjustments at that time.

We anticipate increased expenses in some budget areas. For example, we know that testing, contact tracing, quarantine/isolation and the ready availability of cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment will be a significant expense, one that was not factored into tuition rate calculations (which were determined last January). We also believe that part of these increased expenses may be offset by reduced expenses in other areas. This is an additional reason we are opting for a business-as-usual tuition and budget year, and we will reassess and adjust appropriately at year-end.

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