Please Note: The information below applied to the previous school year, 2020-2021. Up-to-date information will be coming soon.
COVID-19 Updates & Resources
At Friends’ Central, we pride ourselves on the fact that we have taken special care to ensure our students still feel like they are a part of a community, even when they’re not in our classrooms. Clubs, team sports, and other extracurricular activities still meet virtually so that students can still benefit from these important relationships. Students also experience a blend of synchronous and asynchronous learning to better meet their social and emotional needs, as well as their academic needs. Some parents have chosen to have their children learn 100% remotely, and we support them in that choice. Mitigation and safety protocols and a great deal of planning by our committed administration working tirelessly with medical experts have allowed us to move to a largely in-person learning experience, toggling to virtual when necessary.
Ask a Question
We understand you may have questions regarding RUVNA, COVID testing and mitigation efforts, virtual and in-person learning, etc. Please ask your question here, and we will get an answer for you as soon as possible. Before you ask your question, take a look at these FAQs to see if your question has been asked at one of our info sessions.
Message from the Head of School
Message from Craig N. Sellers - 8.19.20: Community Behavior, Safety, and COVID-19 Testing Schedule
Message from Craig N. Sellers - 11.7.20: Assessment to Keep Campuses Open
Message from Craig N. Sellers - 11.10.20: Virtual Learning in All Divisions
Message from Craig N. Sellers - 12.3.20: Factors for post-Thanksgiving Return to Campus
Message from Craig N. Sellers - 12.6.20: Lower School Return to Campus, City Ave Remains Closed
Message from Craig N. Sellers - 1.20.21: COVID-19 Testing Delayed
Message from Craig N. Sellers - 1.28.21: Latest Round of COVID-19 Testing Recap
Message from Craig N. Sellers - 3.4.21: Testing Update for Families
Important Messages from the Health Services Office
August 31, 2020 - Daily Health Screening and Support with RUVNA
August 26, 2020 - Masks, Illness Symptoms, Vaccinations, and more
RUVNA and COVID-19 Testing
Friends’ Central has contracted with RUVNA to provide a daily health screening and assessment for each student and employee. Each morning before coming to school, parents and employees will receive a text with a link to an online form asking them to identify any of the 10 symptoms commonly found in COVID-19 infections and to answer three questions. Students and employees may not come to campus without a complete daily online assessment. Questions about RUVNA? Email: ruvna@friendscentral.org
Appropriate COVID-19 testing measures will take place for students in Pre-K through grade 12 who will be learning on campus and FCS employees who will be teaching/working on campus. COVID-19 testing results will be sent as soon as they are available. If families have questions about COVID-19 testing, they can email covidtestingresults@friendscentral.org.
Should anyone test positive, that person (or the parent/guardian, in the event of a student who tests positive) will be contacted directly by the lab and by a member of the FCS Health Services Office. A positive test result will be reported to Montgomery County, and contact tracing will proceed. It is our hope that testing ahead of our return will give us a safer start. Should anyone test positive, we will make every effort to maintain the confidentiality of that person, AND we will notify the community of a positive test result and any actions necessary to mitigate infection.
Testing Schedule:
- Tuesday, August 25: Pre-K and all Employees
- Tuesday, September 1: Students in Kindergarten-grade 8
- Friday & Saturday, September 11 & 12: Repeat testing for all employees and students in Pre-K-grade 8
- Friday, September 25: Testing for Upper School students (grades 9-12)
- Friday & Saturday, September 24 & 25: Repeat testing for all employees and students in Pre-K - grade 8
- Friday & Saturday, October 9 & 10: Testing for all employees and students
- Friday & Saturday, October 23 & 24: Testing for all employees and students
- CANCELLED: Friday & Saturday, November 13 & 14: Testing for all employees and students
- Wednesday & Thursday, December 2 & 3: Testing for all employees and students
- Thursday & Friday, January 14 & 15: Testing for all employees and students
- Thursday, February 4: Testing for all employees
- Wednesday & Thursday, February 17 & 18: Testing for all students
- Tuesday & Wednesday, April 6 & 7: Testing for all employees and students
Helpful Links
- Department of Health
- CDC
- Montgomery County Office of Public Health
- World Health Organization
- Informative Talk and Q&A with ICU Pulmonologist at Weill-Cornell
- Dos and Don'ts of Social Distancing
- Athletics & Wellness Tips for Middle & Upper School Students
- How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronavirus
- CNN: Kids and Social Distancing
- 5 Ways to Help Teens Manage Anxiety About the Coronavirus
- Talking to Teens and Tweens About Coronavirus
Division Planning Updates
Upper School
- Upper School Transition to Hybrid Model - 9.18.20 email
- Upper School Update - 9.2.20 - Orientation for Families new to Upper School
- Upper School Update - 8.28.20
- Upper School Update - 8.19.20
- Upper School Update - Virtual Learning - 8.13.20
- Upper School Planning Update 7.24.20
Middle School
Lower School
Health & Safety Plan 2020
FCS Health Services Team
Penny Rosenblum, Upper School Nurse
(610-649-7440 x5084)
prosenblum@friendscentral.org
Barbara Cole, Lower School Nurse (610-642-7575 x7456)
bcole@friendscentral.org
Jennie Nemroff, Lower School Nurse (610-642-7575 x5065)
jnemroff@friendscentral.org