We hope you are enjoying a fantastic summer and can’t wait to welcome you back to the Hilltop! I can’t recall a time when we’ve more eagerly anticipated the arrival of your children and the amazing energy they bring to every inch of this campus. As Mark conveyed in his
summer letter, we’re looking forward to a joyful school year “...and the collective effervescence we’ll feel in informal, impromptu interactions, in morning greetings with students and colleagues, and in assemblies, concerts, and classrooms."
With the first day of school—September 1—right around the corner, we wanted to share current plans for the start of the school year.
As I’m sure you are aware, the summer brought a surge of COVID-19, fueled by the Delta variant, leading
the CDC and
the American Academy of Pediatrics to recommend universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to schools
regardless of vaccination status.
On August 5, the
State of CT issued guidance for schools to follow universal masking through September 30, 2021. Despite hopes to lift these requirements for vaccinated individuals, St. Luke’s will honor the state’s recommendation and require everyone on campus—vaccinated or not—to wear masks through September 30. At that time, the State and St. Luke’s will reevaluate the policy based on prevailing health conditions.
Though we share concern about the increase in cases across the country, St. Luke’s is planning a seamless and exciting start to the year. Every eligible member of our community will begin the year fully vaccinated—a powerful step in our collective effort to protect one another and end this virus—and we have excellent safety protocols already in place to further protect the community while on campus.
Please take a look through the guidelines (linked below) and mark your calendars for an August 19 SLSGathers, where we’ll provide updates and field questions about the opening of school.