August 11, 2020

Dear Parents,

On behalf of the Trinity-Pawling Health Center, I would like to welcome you to the 2020-2021 school year! We are looking forward to a safe and healthy year together. As we prepare for the opening of school later this month, I would like to highlight and clarify some new and important procedures that we will be following on campus.

While the Health Center staff has had the opportunity to correspond with several new and returning families this summer, we would like to offer you the opportunity to schedule a one-on-one phone consultation if you require a more in-depth conversation. The scheduling program pickAtime will be used to schedule the phone meetings, in lieu of in-person meetings that might typically occur during check-in days. This phone call can be used to review your son's healthcare plans, medication regimes, or simply a time to introduce yourself to one of our nurses. Our goal is to facilitate a healthy school year for your sons through open communication. You can book a time slot here. Once you have secured a time slot, a member of the Health Center staff will call you at the time of your selected appointment.

Magnus Health: Requirements

I would also like to remind you of the Magnus Health Portal. It is imperative that you upload all of the following requirements to Magnus as soon as possible:

100% compliance – all required documents uploaded by you; the Health Center staff cannot upload on your behalf. If you have difficulty uploading your documents to Magnus, they have recently developed a mobile app which is very simple to use. You can learn more about the mobile app and access all Magnus Health information in the Parent Portal.
A negative COVID-19 test must be obtained and uploaded to your son's Magnus Health record 4-7 days prior to arriving on campus. Out of an abundance of caution, we request that you also bring a hard copy of your son's negative COVID test when coming to campus for the first time. Without a proven negative COVID-19 test, your son will not be allowed on campus.
This year, all students, both boarding and day, are required to have a designated emergency contact who lives within 300 miles (five hours) driving distance from school. This local guardianship must be established prior to the start of school. The guardian must be willing to take responsibility for your son in the event he is required to leave campus due to COVID-19 illness. The name and contact information of your established guardian must also be recorded in the Magnus Health portal. Should you need assistance establishing guardianship for your son, Student Health Advocates offers this service for boarding school families. If you have any questions, please reach out to Dutch Keel, Dean of Residential Life, at dkeel@trinitypawling.org.

Checking In On Campus

During the Opening of School, the check-in process will take place outside of the Smith Field House. During the health check-in, a health care provider will greet you and your family while you remain in your vehicle. We will perform a brief health screening by asking you and your family several questions. We will also take the temperatures of everyone in the car. We will then perform an anterior COVID-19 nasal swab on your son. Lastly, should our vaccine allotment arrive prior to check-in, and you have consented to flu vaccine administration at Trinity-Pawling, we will administer it at this time.

Day Students will be asked to report to campus on Tuesday, September 1 for a COVID-19 nasal swab test and to obtain a flu shot. These are the only tasks required of Day Students that day. The next scheduled on-campus commitment for Day Students is planned for September 3. In the coming weeks, the School will communicate with you as to the time you should plan to arrive to campus on September 1.

Medications

If you need to drop off medications, a member of the Health Center staff will also be available to accept them. Below are a few important reminders regarding medications:

Please have all medications in a plastic bag, clearly labeled with your son's full name and phone number.
Please be sure to label all epi-pens and inhalers with a permanent marker.
Our local pharmacy, Resolution RX, may also assist you by prefilling your son's medication prior to your arrival. You can reach them at 845-855-4125.

Throughout the summer, upgrades and enhancements have been made in the Health Center in order to safely accommodate all students — those who may require isolation and those who do not. Our staff has done significant work this summer, including attending educational training sessions, collaborating with the School's reopening task forces, and establishing new safety protocols.

We are looking forward to working with you and your family and we thank you for your cooperation in keeping the Trinity-Pawling community safe and healthy. We wish you a safe and enjoyable rest of the summer!

Sincerely,