"Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence."

- St Augustine

Fall 2021 Guidelines and Protocols


Austin Prep Reopening Plan for 2020-2021

Austin Prep 2020-2021 Reopening Plan

Spring Break Health and Safety Plan

Last Updated: April 14, 2021

Phased Return to Campus Schedule

Updated School Dismissal Procedures

Updated School Drop Off Procedures

Austin Prep has been evaluating the latest trends in public health data and consulting with medical and public health experts to develop a timeline for discontinuing the hybrid model and transitioning to full return to campus. Austin Prep remains compliant with public health mitigation protocols and the reopening plan remains the blueprint to keep the community as safe as possible.

This transition began Friday, March 12th as we welcomed the entire Class of 2021 to campus. Seniors have discontinued hybrid operations and are welcome to campus every day through their last day of classes, which is April 30th.

We are developing a careful and incremental plan for increasing the number of students who will be on campus over the next several weeks. 

 


 

Reopening Austin Prep

Following the closure of schools here in Massachusetts, in our nation and worldwide in response to the global pandemic, educators were required to reimagine and adapt the delivery of education to the students they serve. Using mission as the compass to chart our Journey, the Austin Prep community rose to the challenge and demonstrated extraordinary resolve in exemplifying veritas, unitas, and caritas.  The Journey ahead will continue to be uncharted, but if past is prologue, the Austin Prep community will continue to move forward with care, competence, and confidence.  

Although we are being vigilant and public health data in Massachusetts remains relatively positive as of early August, the risk of exposure to COVID-19 at Austin Prep and all other schools will not be zero. While no one single strategy or mitigation effort will ever be perfect, all strategies operating together will help to reduce the risk.

As a leader in education, the success of our remote teaching and learning program created a standard of best practices and demonstrated an educational model that other schools replicated. Our close attention to the diverse needs of our students with regard to technology access, accessibility, social-emotional support, remote learning styles and academic guidance is part of our ongoing commitment to equity and inclusion for all students. As we stand on the threshold of the 2020-2021 academic year in just a few weeks, Austin Prep is poised to remain in the vanguard of secondary education. 

To learn more about our reopening plan for the 2020-2021 academic year, please view the document below.

Austin Preparatory School | Reopening Plan 2020-2021 School Year

vanderzouwan

Reopening Details

shield

Guiding Questions in the Reopening of Austin Prep

Our approach to reopening within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic was guided by our mission as we responded to the following Guiding Questions:

  • How do we keep the community safe?
  • How do we ensure the continuity of operations?
  • How do we enhance the capacity to deploy technology for those students who may require access to remote learning?
  • How can we build a sense of community that honors the three pillars of an Austin Prep education: veritas, unitas, and caritas?
  • How can we continue to offer students social-emotional opportunities with access to counselors and access to mental health providers in the community?
  • How can we continue to offer students, parents, and faculty members spiritual opportunities to enact their faith?
  • How can we reinvent major events?
  • How can we assist our faculty so that they can manage the transition to reopening?

Teaching and Learning Options for the 2020-2021 Academic Year

These guiding questions shaped the design of our framework and the implementation of the action plan as it unfolds upon the shifting terrain of the global pandemic. Our belief is that we can continue to offer a quality education and unique learning opportunities for our students, parents, and faculty.  With that in mind, we have designed three plans for the 2020-2021 School Year:

On-Campus Learning

All students on campus following risk mitigation protocols.

Remote Teaching and Learning

All students participating from home in a full schedule (similar to what Austin Prep implemented in spring 2020).

Hybrid Learning

Two cohorts alternating between on-campus and remote learning.

zoom

Although remote teaching and learning (RTL) cannot replicate the highly personalized interactions that students and teachers experience in an actual classroom, we are proud that our efforts during the Spring of 2020 propelled Austin Prep to emerge as a proactive leader in remote teaching and learning.  Our plan to reopen blends remote and on-campus learning to best mitigate the risk of contagion and will require the flexibility of staff, students and parents moving forward. Such flexibility will include creativity to sustain the outstanding learning opportunities that are hallmarks of an Austin Prep education.

We Began our Phased Return to Campus on March 12th

Austin Prep has been evaluating the latest trends in public health data and consulting with medical and public health experts to develop a timeline for discontinuing the hybrid model and transitioning to full return to campus. Austin Prep remains compliant with public health mitigation protocols and the reopening plan remains the blueprint to keep the community as safe as possible.

This transition began Friday, March 12th as we welcomed the entire Class of 2021 to campus. Seniors have discontinued hybrid operations and are welcome to campus every day through their last day of classes, which is April 30th.

We are developing a careful and incremental plan for increasing the number of students who will be on campus over the next several weeks. The overarching goal is to have all classes back on campus during 4th Quarter. See the Phased Return to Campus Schedule above. 

Additional Considerations

With ever changing public guidelines, we understand that some of your questions may remain unanswered. Additionally, some elements of this document may change.  We will continue to update information as it becomes available to us, while also communicating any changes to current school procedures and protocols. We thank you in advance for your continued patience and consideration.

grad photo 2

Reopening Resources

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Reopening Process at Austin Prep

Key Contacts Regarding the Reopening Process at Austin Prep

school front