About

CA's COVID Response

New school year; same diligence to the pandemic

A new school year is upon us, and we can’t wait to see students and parents return to campus. The 2021-2022 school year promises to be full of new beginnings at CA, as this will be our first year in the new Leach Center for the Performing Arts, and we will debut our new Lower School playgrounds. We also look forward to welcoming many new faculty members and staff, including our new Upper School Principal Max Delgado.
 
We do return with ongoing attention to the pandemic. This webpage will serve as your resource for CA’s response to COVID-19. Our actions are guided by local, state, and federal public health agencies’ response to current virus activity in the community.
 
Our top priority for the 2021-2022 school year is to maintain a safe and healthy learning environment with students learning in person. View the 2021-2022 CA COVID-19 Handbook (updated 8/16/2021).
 
CA will continue our layered mitigation approach to reducing the spread of the COVID-19 virus and will employ a number of recommended measures including:
  • Promoting good hand hygiene
  • Promoting the wearing of masks, per public health guidelines
  • Promoting the “How Sick is Too Sick” guidance for staff/students to remain at home when feeling ill
  • Encouraging social distancing among students and staff
  • Maximizing outdoor activities
  • Providing ventilation within buildings and classrooms
  • Providing cleaning/sanitizing and disinfecting measures aligned with public health guidelines
  • Promoting COVID-19 vaccination among students, their families, faculty, and staff
  • Monitoring community transmission, vaccination coverage, and occurrence of outbreaks in the Denver metro area
Individuals 12 years and older are eligible for the free COVID-19 vaccine. Find a vaccination site here. If your student has received one or both vaccines, please update their vaccination record in Magnus, our health portal. This information will help us as we make important decisions, including mask-wearing, social-distancing, and more. Adding a copy of your child’s COVID-19 vaccine record is simple and takes just a few minutes to complete three steps:
  1. Take a photo of the vaccination record.
  2. Log in to the Magnus portal on the CA website by clicking on the “Resources” tab.
  3. Upload the image of the vaccination record as part of their “immunization requirement.”
To report an exposure to the school, please email COVID-reporting@coloradoacademy.org.

CA's COVID-19 Response Timeline

List of 19 frequently asked questions.

  • June 2021

    1

    With safety protocols in place, Fifth and Eighth Grades had their Continuations in person.

    3

    With safety protocols in place, the Class of 2021 had an in-person Commencement on CA's Firman Field.

  • May 2021

    13

    Students 12 and older are eligible for vaccinations. CA encourages all eligible students to get their vaccines.

  • April 2021

    2

    Upper Students 16 and older are eligible for vaccinations. CA encourages all students to get their vaccines.

  • March 2021

    31


    A majority of CA faculty and staff complete their vaccinations.

  • February 2021

    1

    Sophomores, Juniors, and Seventh Graders return to full-time, on-campus learning.

    3

    Sixth Graders return to full-time, on-campus learning; all students are now back on campus, full time.

    8

    CA teachers begin getting COVID-19 vaccinations, per the State of Colorado's Phase 1B.2 distribution schedule.

  • January 2021

    4

    CA begins on-campus serial testing of Middle and Upper School students.

    19

    Seniors return to full-time, on-campus learning

    25

    Freshmen, Eighth Graders return to full-time, on-campus learning

  • December 2020

    14-17

    CA begins a trial run of on-campus student testing program, using the Yale SalivaDirect test.

  • November 2020

    5

    Environments (surface swabbing) testing begins at CA.

  • October 2020

    13

    CA begins partnership with COVIDCheck Colorado to regularly test all faculty and staff.

    24

    CA provides off-campus testing for symptomatic or exposed students.

  • September 2020

    Week of September 1

    Middle and Upper School students return to CA's campus on the Flex schedule. The student body is divided into two groups—The Mustangs and The Rockies—and the groups alternate their days on campus, while the other group Zooms into classrooms.

    1-2

    CA Seniors welcome the Freshmen class to the Upper School, with a socially distant celebration. This year's theme was Superheroes.

    14

    CA brings back the entire Lower School for in-person, on-campus learning. LS students can still opt to continue learning remotely. Middle School and Upper School students remain on the CA Flex model.

    18

    CA begins weekly wastewater testing as an early warning system to detect COVID.

  • August 2020

    10

    CA announces its 2020-2021 Opening Plan that will begin in a fully remote fashion for one week for Lower School, and two weeks for Middle and Upper School, followed by a slow phase-in of bringing back partial groups of students, specific to each division.

    10

    The school releases its COVID Safety Handbook that describes in detail how the community will work together to navigate school every day.

    18

    CA opens the 2020-2021 school year in FLEX mode.

    18

    As in-person school rolls out in all divisions, CA works with SchoolPass to develop a daily wellness check for all students and faculty.

  • July 2020

    7

    9

    The Horizons at CA program begins in-person learning on campus, implementing COVID safety best practices, including small groups, social distancing, and masks.

    16

    CA hosts a webinar with Head of School Mike Davis and parents to share plans for school, explain safety protocols, and answer questions.

  • June 2020

    1

    CA hosts virtual Continuations for Fifth and Eighth Grade students, complete with individual student tributes and photo essays capturing the year.

    4

    CA hosts a virtual graduation in the morning, and in the afternoon, the first- ever diploma parade.

    22

    CA begins to announce re-open plans, with three possible learning scenarios and a 9:30 a.m. late start for Upper School students for the 2020-2021 school year.

  • May 2020

    14

    15

    CA converts year-end events to virtual events, including Field Day, Alumni Reunions, Fifth and Eighth Grade Continuations, and Graduation.

    22

    Last day of remote classes for Upper School students. AP Exams are administered at home. Lower and Middle School students complete class by May 29.

  • April 2020

    10

    CA cancels student summer trip to the Dominican Republic.

  • March 2020

    4

    CA’s Global Exchange partner in Greece announces that the Greek Ministry of Education has banned school trips abroad until the end of this academic year, because of concerns over COVID-19. Thus, the inbound visiting group of students from Pierce College in Athens cancels its springtime trip to CA. Also cancelled this week, trips to Ecuador and Costa Rica.

    6

    A positive COVID-19 case is identified at another local independent school with close ties to CA. CA notifies its families on symptoms and closure protocols.

    9

    CA faculty and staff take part in the first training on the Zoom video conferencing platform.

    10

    CA cancels its Spring Break Upper School athletic trips. The school also cancels faculty and staff travel for professional conferences through April, and later, through the end of 2020.

    12

    CHSAA suspends sports competitions through April; Mock Trial State competitions are canceled.

    13

    18

    Colorado Governor Jared Polis suspends all in-person learning in Colorado schools through April 17.

    25

    Students “return” from Spring Break for virtual learning, with all 1,000 CA students participating in class via Zoom.

    30

    CA launches Emergency Tuition Assistance Fund, and by the end of the school year, raises $350,000 to assist families suddenly in need of financial assistance in the wake of the pandemic.

    31

    CA launches remote learning survey to gain feedback on use of remote learning.

  • February 2020

    18

    CA appoints internal COVID task force and activates the school’s Crisis Management Team of employees and division heads to address the multiple aspects of our response.

    26

    CA issues health reminders regarding hand hygiene to CA parents.

    29

    CA postpones a planned June trip to China as part of the school’s Global Travel and Exchange Program, as well as a previously scheduled visit of Spanish students from Madrid’s Colegio Virgen de Europa. CA finalizes plans for faculty training to switch to remote learning.

  • January 2020

    15

    The patient who becomes the first confirmed U.S. case leaves Wuhan and arrives in the U.S., carrying the coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirm that first case in the U.S. on January 21.

    26

    CA reminds parents about children’s health, exclusion guidelines, and precautions surrounding COVID-19.

    30

    CA shares message with faculty, staff, and students about the celebration of Chinese New Year and the school’s intolerance of Anti-Asian racism.

  • December 2019

    16


    Doctors in China document admit a patient to Wuhan Central Hospital with a lung infection that was resistant to anti-flu drugs. Wuhan health officials later learn that a new coronavirus was causing the illness.

Testimonials

  • From a CA Middle and Upper School parent

    "You all at CA are doing absolutely everything in your power to keep kids/staff safe, to keep them healthy and happy, to keep them learning, and to keep them on campus. I am so grateful for your hard work and effort and that my kids are at CA. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  • From a CA Middle School parent

    "We appreciate all that you and the health staff are doing to keep everyone safe! Thank you for all the hard work and thought that goes into keeping the middle school up and running each day. This is not easy for any of us, but please know that we are so grateful for all that you do."

  • From a CA parent

    "Your guidance and the system that CA has developed during this time has been so impressive."

  • From a CA parent

    "The teachers are phenomenal in their ability to teach in-class, hybrid, and fully remote. The quality hasn't gone down one notch, and we feel so lucky we are at CA. My kids are as happy and as healthy as they can be given the circumstances and it's all due to CA."

  • From a CA parent

    "Thank you for all you and your staff are doing to keep our students safe while promoting learning during this pandemic. You have been a voice of reason and reassurance since March."

  • From a CA parent

    "We are incredibly grateful for your management of this new frontier and logistical mountain CA leadership continues to climb. We are behind you 100% and beyond grateful to be a part of this community."
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