Back to School

Will students need to be in dress code for orientation days? Should students bring their books or laptops? 

Yes, students are asked to come to orientation in dress code. Each class will be ten minutes long so they should not bring their books or laptops. 

Where do I purchase a dress code shirt? 

The shirt with the Cheverus logo can be purchased from Land’s End . If you have any questions about the dress code, please reach out to our Dean of Students Dan Costigan. Mr. Costigan can be reached at costigan@cheverus.org and is happy to answer any questions you may have about dress code. Orienta

Do I have to wear a mask? 

All members of the Cheverus community (students, faculty, and staff) will wear masks/face coverings at all times, everywhere on campus, with the exception of eating lunch. 

What type of Mask can I use? 

Masks must cover the nose, go under the chin, and be tight along the cheeks. Neck gaiters will be allowed. Students may choose to wear any color or pattern mask. No written messaging will be allowed on masks. Cheverus branded masks will be allowed. Students are urged to choose a mask that is comfortable to wear for an extended period of time, as masks will need to be donned at all times, everywhere on campus. All masks are subject to the approval of the Dean of Students. Students are encouraged to have an extra mask in their backpack in case they forget one.

What time should students arrive for school? 

In order to create an orderly health check each morning students are asked to arrive on school days between 7:30 and 8:00 am. After health check, students will go directly to their first class. There will be no homeroom to allow ample time for the entire student body to be evaluated. If a student arrives late,  check-in at the Main Office for a health check-in mandatory

Can students stay on campus after classes are done? 

Keeping our campus clean is a top priority. Our facilities team will be cleaning all gathering spaces every afternoon. In order to do this, we ask that students not congregate in spaces that need to be cleaned. We recognize that students may need to stay after school for various reasons and will communicate to students what areas are open to them. 

What if the weather doesn’t allow students to be outdoors? 

We have now erected our tent to create additional outdoor space on the parking lot behind the main building. This space will be open to students after school. Seats will be physically distanced and protected from the elements. 

What if a student needs extra help from a teacher? 

The hope is that with longer, 75-minute classes teachers will be able to create more time for more individualized instruction. This spring, teachers and students were able to utilize zoom for virtual extra help sessions, and department chairs would like to continue some form of this model in the fall. 

Will students have access to lockers? 

In an effort to maintain appropriate physical distancing and due to the placement of lockers above one another as well as the location of lockers in hallways, Cheverus will not utilize lockers this year. With the Purple and Gold days, students will attend 4 classes per day, limiting the number of books that will need to be brought to school. In addition, teachers have been encouraged to communicate what books will be needed for each class in an effort to limit the number of books students would need to bring each day. 

What if a student has something large that needs to be brought to school that can’t be carried from class to class? 

We recognize that these situations arise and urge students to talk with someone in the main office about how to handle a specific situation. 

What about athletic lockers? 

While the decision is yet to be finalized regarding fall sports seasons, if there is an athletic season, the locker room will be open under strictly enforced physical distancing rules with no more than 3 students in the locker room at once. More information will be shared once the final decision has been made regarding fall sports.

Will the cafeteria be open? 

The cafeteria will be closed. The cafeteria space will be utilized as a designated, physically distanced, and proctored study space. Lunch can be ordered ahead of time (more information to follow as we get closer to the first day of school). Lunch will be eaten at the conclusion of second period in the classroom.

How has Cheverus addressed ventilation in the school buildings? 

The Cheverus ventilation systems draw fresh air directly from the outside. Our systems will run 24 hours a day to continually draw fresh air in. Our facilities team has evaluated all systems to ensure maintenance checks have been completed. Spaces that were classroom spaces in years past but do not have ventilation systems in place have been converted into non-classroom spaces. That means every classroom will have a ventilator.

How will cleaning be handled at Cheverus? 

We de-densified classrooms to create appropriate physical distancing to 6 feet apart in classrooms. Each classroom will be cleaned after each class is dismissed. The extended pass time of 20 minutes will be used to ensure not only safe, physically distanced passage of students from class to class, but also allows ample time for each classroom space to be surface cleaned. Each afternoon, our facilities team will utilize recommended fog cleaning of each classroom space.

If there are only 12 desks in a class and the class has 18 students, where do those students go? 

In order to accommodate larger classes, Cheverus has created overflow space in our gymnasium. Because we will utilize owl cameras in each classroom, if the class size exceeds the number of desks in a classroom, these students will be directed by the teacher to the designated overflow space to participate in class remotely, on campus. The overflow space will be proctored to ensure students maintain proper physical distancing and classroom behavior. Because of the possibility of needing to use overflow space in any given class, each student will need to come to school with a laptop/device and their own headphones each day. If this poses a problem for a student or family, they are encouraged to reach out to their guidance counselor.

Is there an option for a student to be fully remote? 

Yes, because each class will utilize the owl cameras in classrooms, there is an option for students to attend class remotely. This encourages students and families to be vigilant about staying home if a student does not feel well. Attendance will be taken at each class, whether in-person or remote. If a student is not present on campus, they will be unable to participate in afterschool activities. The majority of our families surveyed this summer had a desire for students to be in-person.