About Us

COVID-19

A message to parents regarding state covid protocols

September 1, 2022

Dear Harborlight Friends,
 
As we turn the page on a new school year, I want to update you on our COVID protocols.
 
As we have since March 2020, we will continue to follow Federal and state health
guidelines. The attached memo from Chris Wilson outlines our current COVID
protocols.
 
We will continue to alert you of any positive cases in your child’s classroom, just as we
do for any other communicable illness such as strep, flu, or hand/foot/mouth.
Some teachers and students will want to wear masks, and we respect that. No one
should feel uncomfortable for making a personal health decision.
 
We also rely upon you as our first line of defense; while we can deal with COVID in
house, we cannot control what comes to our doorstep. We need you to monitor your
child’s health, and not send them to school if they exhibit symptoms. This is true for
any potentially contagious condition, not just for COVID. In that regard, if you have
medical questions, you should consult your pediatrician.
 
COVID has not gone away, and we will have to be flexible in dealing with whatever
comes our way. Working together, we can keep our children in school and as healthy as possible.
 
Be safe,
 
Paul
September 1, 2022 
To: Harborlight Community 
From Chris Wilson, Health Care Consultant 
Re: COVID Protocols 
 
The Department of Health and DESE have recently updated COVID-19 isolation and exposure guidance for schools. The start of this year will look very different than the previous 2 years. DPH is no longer recommending mask requirements, surveillance testing, or contact tracing. Additionally, the state has ended the test-to-stay program in all schools. The only in-school, mitigation strategy recommended by the state is the testing of symptomatic individuals. We have a large supply of rapid tests at school to test any student or staff that becomes symptomatic during the school day. 
 
Isolation and exposure guidance has also changed and Harborlight will adhere to the following protocols recommended by DPH: 
 
1. Quarantine is no longer required for any individual exposed to COVID. The exposed person should be asymptomatic and masked, if possible, through day 11, to remain at school. Anyone who develops symptoms should be tested immediately and stay home. If your child does have an exposure outside of school, especially and in home exposure, it would be best practice to test then prior to coming to school each day. 
 
2. Children who test positive should remain home for 5 days and mask for an additional 5 days upon return. The day of the positive test or the day symptoms started is day 0. Children who cannot mask (infants and toddlers), must have a negative test on day 6 or later to return to school prior to day 11. 
 
In addition to the state guidelines, we ask that you keep any child with new symptoms, other than a mild runny nose, home for a day until whatever it is declares itself. Please test your child before returning to school. 
 
I will be available at drop off in the morning for questions or concerns. Additionally, if you have an issue after school hours, please email me and Stephanie, as opposed to texting or calling me. I will call you in the morning when I get to school. If you have true emergency, I will try to reach out sooner.

Healthy Students, Healthy Classrooms


Our ability to maintain healthy classrooms, (especially the Infant-Toddler and Children's Houses) begins at home.  We rely upon parents/guardians to look for symptoms.  Early indicators may include: 

  • change in sleep patterns: restless sleep, lethargy when awake, or
  • needing more sleep than usual 
  • change in appetite: refusing food or beverages, difficulty swallowing or digesting
  • mood changes: irritable, clingy, or difficult to soothe 
 
These characteristics are often associated with an onset of illness when not associated with a disruption in routine (such as changing from crib to bed, recent tooth eruption, overnight guests at home, etc.) 
 
Children exhibiting these symptoms often have difficulty making it through a full school day. If possible, giving a child a day to rest can prevent the onset of illness during the school day, which is disruptive to everyone, including the parent who has to arrange pick up.  
 

Daily Health Attestation

SYMPTOMS OBSERVED IN ABOVE NAMED OR HOUSEHOLD MEMBER IN THE PAST 24 HOURS:

  • Fever of 100.0 or higher
  • Cough
  • Sore throat
  • Rapid breathing or difficulty breathing (not physical activity induced)
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea, nausea, vomiting)
  • Fatigue (fatigue alone should not exclude a student from school attendance)
  • Headache (headache alone should not exclude a student from school attendance)
  • New loss of smell/taste
  • New muscle aches

WITHIN THE LAST 14 DAYS: Have you or your child had close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual?

If your answer is yes to any of the above, please do not enter the campus.

Public Health Resources

The situation regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus) is ever-changing. Harborlight continues to monitor the following resources for up-to-date, accurate information in our decision-making.

Rapid Testing Documents

Who to Contact

Health and wellness: Chris Wilson, Health Care Consultant

To report a student absent: School Office; 922-1008

General Harborlight: Paul Horovitz, Head of School

Infant & Toddler: Hiromi Sudachi, Director

Children's House: Nichole Schrafft, Director 

Lower/Upper School: (Grades 1-8): Elisa Pitkin, Director

Facilities: Peter Dickman, Director

Admissions & Financial Aid: Rachel McAlpine, Director

Finance: Jed Dickman, Director

Donations to Harborlight: Development Chairs

Contact

243 Essex Street
Beverly, Massachusetts, 01915
Phone: (978) 922-1008
Fax: (978) 922-0594

About Harborlight

Harborlight Montessori is an independent, co-educational, day school for children from infant-toddler through grade 8 that is committed to innovative teaching and learning.
©2019 Harborlight Montessori. All Rights Reserved.