Response level - Our response level spectrum, which ranges from maximum (red) to low (green), is based on several health and safety factors. Each level has a corresponding set of key safety precautions that must be adhered to at all times. 

Cohort - A cohort is a small group of students and faculty members that remain together throughout the course of the school day to minimize the risk of exposure across the community. 

Special residencies - Instead of engaging in all of their specials during the week, lower school students will experience an in-depth exploration of a special subject over multiple weeks. Middle school students will likely experience a mix of in-person specials and remoting-in. 

Remote-in - Remote-in is a scenario where students will remain in their classroom, and a faculty member will join them remotely, via Zoom or a similar platform.

BYOD - BYOD stands for “Bring Your Own Device.” It is the program that Middle School students follow for their technology devices. Every middle school student is required to bring their own charged laptop to and from school each day.

Contact tracing - Contact tracing is used by organizations to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It involves identifying people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and the people who may have been exposed to them and working with them to interrupt disease transmission.

Quarantine - At Meadowbrook, we are defining quarantine as a 14-day period in which a student, faculty member, or full cohort remains at home, participating in distance learning, in the event that they have tested positive, or someone in their cohort becomes a person under observation.

Isolation - At Meadowbrook, we are defining isolation as a period of time that a student or faculty member remains separated from their cohort (in-school), or their family members (at-home) if they are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or have tested positive for COVID-19.

Meadowbrook @ Home - Meadowbrook @ Home is our program delivered virtually to students who choose to remain at home during the school year or are required to be home due to medical reasons while our campus is open. The program will consist of a dedicated faculty guide who will provide personalized support, ensuring a link between the student/family and school and on-campus cohorts. 

Air quality dilution - Increasing ventilation and filtration through HVAC systems to turn over the air in a space at or above ASHRAE, EPA, and CDC guidelines. 

De-densifying spaces - The practice of reducing the number of people allowed in a single space to ensure that the 6-foot physical distancing guidelines are met. Also improves indoor air quality.

Teacher’s aide - An additional adult embedded with a cohort who helps the lead teacher and provides additional support for the students. 

Reset - A 48-hour period away from school (usually a weekend) that allows the school to shuffle the makeup of the cohort. 

Distance learning - At Meadowbrook, we are defining distance learning as learning that happens when a cohort must shift to remote teaching/learning due to a quarantine that requires them to be away from the school, or if our campus needs to be closed. 

Meadowbrook has consulted with medical, facilities, and educational experts, both locally and from around the country, to learn the best practices that will help our students thrive. The administration attended twice-weekly pandemic briefings with health experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, among others. We have also been in close contact with the Weston Board of Health and the Massachusetts Department of Education. 

We believe that students going to a healthy school every day is the best possible way to advance their academic and social-emotional development.

Many schools can’t fit all the students on campus with the new distancing guidelines, so they opt for a hybrid model, having some of the students attend school on one day and some on another day. We are uniquely resourced with the building space to have the room for every child to maintain 6 feet of distance. By moving classrooms, reappropriating space, reimagining the schedule, leveraging technology, and hiring additional teachers, we can welcome all of our students back to campus for in-person learning five days a week. 

Our response levels range from our maximum, high, moderate, and low. Each response level has specific key safety precautions and a campus opening status. We will begin the school year at the “high” (orange) response level, which means full in-person learning on campus with strict modifications. We will maintain strict cohorts, enforce the 6-foot physical distance rule, and everyone will be required to wear a mask at all times. No visitors will be allowed on campus. 

Yes. Meadowbrook is hiring additional teacher’s aides to assist with classroom supervision, as well as a group of substitute teachers to be available in case a teacher needs to be out for an extended period. The teacher’s aides will be part of the cohort and will remain with their cohort all day.

Students in the lower school will have “special residencies,” an in-depth exploration of a special subject over multiple weeks. We are planning for the Middle School art experience to be embedded into the classroom, both with live teaching and “remoting-in.” Students in a cohort will all be engaged in arts at the same time. 

Yes, lower school students will continue to have P.E. during their days on campus. A plan for middle school athletics will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead. We expect guidance from the state by mid-August. At this time, we are planning for synchronous P.E. during the school day for middle school students. 

While we are at a strict response level, we will not be able to offer our usual After School program. We will, however, offer online After School programming at 1:30 p.m. for JK and 4:00 p.m. for students SK-8th Grade. Our After School team is hard at work developing programming that can be done online. 

No, not like we traditionally have. At the beginning of the school year, under our high response level, we will not be able to hold our usual school-wide assemblies. As the year progresses, we hope to move towards the low response level and welcome more people to campus to experience some of the time-honored traditions our students love. 

No. Until we are at a lower response level at school and in a safer place state-wide, we will not be sending students on field trips. 

Yes. Lower school students will be required to use their school-owned devices for all of the learning and projects, and they will be required to bring them to and from school each day. Middle school students will follow our BYOD (bring your own device) program for personal laptops, and will also be required to bring them to and from school each day. Students must bring their device fully charged each morning.

Yes, all students should have a printer at home for school use. If your family needs assistance in obtaining a printer, please email help@meadowbrook-ma.org.

Cohorts are small groups of students and faculty that will remain together in a single space throughout the school day. There will be two cohorts per grade, each roughly half the class size. 

Many factors will be considered when placing students in cohorts, including teacher insight from the previous school year, children’s academic needs, social-emotional wellbeing of students, friendships and peer relationships, student interests, and host-buddy relationships. 

As we consistently evaluate student needs, there is a possibility that cohorts might change. In the event that a student is going to move to another cohort, the family will be informed. No students will be moving cohorts for the first month of school as an additional safety precaution.  We are hopeful that in the future cohorts will be able to interact or even mix as the situation improves.

Lower school cohorts will include one grade-level classroom teacher and either a specialist or a teacher’s aide. Middle school cohorts will include two or three teachers. For all of our students, other faculty members may “remote in” to provide additional support and instruction.

The size of the cohorts, roughly half of each class, reflects strict safety guidelines, including maintaining a six feet distance throughout the day. Additionally, the cohort sizes allow students to engage in meaningful learning with their peers and benefit socially from peer interactions.