January 5, 2021
Dear Merion Mercy Community,
We are pleased to have kicked off the second semester this week and look forward to the opportunities ahead. Our goal is to return to campus to a five-day-a-week in-person model of instruction the week of January 19, while recognizing that we need to remain flexible as the toggle date could change. The decision to return to in-person instruction will be based on the information from the COVID-19 testing program.
We have spent considerable time and committed various resources preparing for this model. Our preparations for the toggle have included evaluating and repurposing parts of our facilities for social distancing and adding the COVID-19 testing program.
We remain committed to following guidelines from public health officials; they have informed our recently updated COVID-19 Exposure Response Chart. The COVID-19 Exposure Response Chart conforms with new CDC recommendations.
And, as previously communicated, we are implementing the additional mitigation measure of a COVID-19 testing program for all students, faculty, and staff who come on campus. This will begin with our baseline testing January 11-14. Merion Mercy will pay for the entire cost of testing.
Testing Protocol Our testing program consists of self-administered saliva-based mouth-swab PCR (polymerase chain reaction or "molecular photocopying") tests. The turnaround time for results is expected to be less than 48 hours, and test sensitivity is 99%.
After an initial baseline COVID-19 test of all students, faculty, and staff, MMA will conduct weekly surveillance testing on a percentage of the MMA population. We will use "pool testing" for both the initial and surveillance testing. Under this method, individual tests are "pooled" in groups of four or five and tested together. If a set of pooled samples tests positive, each sample from that pool is tested individually to determine which person's sample tested positive. Those in that pool may be asked to quarantine until the positive individual is identified. This approach is an accurate and cost-effective way of testing a large group of people.
Please refer to FAQ for more details.
COVID-19 Testing Program Consent Forms Implementing the MMA COVID-19 testing program requires parents, students age 18 and over, faculty, and staff to electronically sign consent forms. Please log in to MyMMA to electronically sign these forms. These forms must be completed by Thursday, January 7 in order for your daughter to be tested and return to campus.
Students who are 18 years of age or older must sign the requisition form required by the testing company themselves. The form is assigned to their MyMMA accounts.
Virtual students, and those who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days, will not initially participate in the testing program. A copy of your positive test result must be submitted to nurse@merion-mercy.com.
Testing Sign Up We are using SignUpGenius to schedule appointments in 15-minute increments. Testing for students will be outdoors in a drive-up setting. If you have any questions about the sign up or if drive-up testing presents a challenge, please contact Mrs. Anne Gregg at agregg@merion-mercy.com.
Student Testing Schedule*:
*Students will have an excused absence if they miss class while getting their COVID-19 test.
Test Day Details Based on our safety protocols, students may not carpool.
This is a drive-up test; students will remain in their cars. We ask cars to enter by way of the back entrance on Meetinghouse Lane and line up along the side of the school near the athletic fields. Testing will take place along the front of the school building by the main entrance. You are asked to exit by way of Montgomery Avenue.
Because consent forms have been signed in advance, a parent/caregiver does not need to be present for the test, and no additional paperwork needs to be brought on the day of the test.
Please review the links below prior to your testing appointment:
NOTE: Thirty minutes prior to the collection of the saliva sample you may NOT brush teeth, eat, drink, smoke, vape, or chew gum.
Form to Select Fully Virtual Instruction for Second Semester In anticipation of returning to five-day-a-week in-person instruction, families may opt for fully virtual instruction for their daughters. Virtual students will follow the same daily schedule as in-person students and join their classes via videoconference.
If your daughter has been fully virtual since the beginning of the school year, you do not need to resubmit this form.
If you would like to select the fully virtual option for your daughter for the second semester, please complete this form by Thursday, January 7. Please resubmit the form for multiple students.
Return to In-Person Learning If a student who was fully virtual for semester one would like to transition to in-person status, please notify Ms. Valerie Prucnal, Assistant Head of School for Academics, at vprucnal@merion-mercy.com, and Mrs. Kelley Glynn, Assistant to the Assistant Head of School for Academics, at kglynn@merion-mercy.com.
We look with hope and enthusiasm to the second half of the school year. Our ability to thrive depends on each of us, and we remain sincerely grateful for the support of our MMA community.
Warm regards,
MOST Team 511 Montgomery Avenue • Merion Station • PA • 19066 |