November 30-December 4The Upper School's instructional day will be one hundred percent remote and online for all Upper School faculty and students.  In-person instruction will resume on Monday, December 7. 

For more information on campus and post-travel protocols, daily screening questions, links to the CDC's positivity rates and case rates by state, and the MDH and MSDE's attendance decision aid, click the image to navigate to the AACS pandemic protocols page.

New "Quarantine" Day Class ScheduleWe managed a couple of quick pivots successfully this fall when positive COVID-19 tests within our student body required that our school day move to a remote operation temporarily for some or all of our teachers and students.
Class periods were shortened to 50 minutes for those in quarantine. Should quarantine be necessary for some or all of our campus community again, the school day will run from 8:00 a.m. to 3:10 p.m., and classes will follow the normal 90-minute block schedule with the lunch break. Quarantine school days will NOT be shortened days going forward.  

Snow Days and Virtual ClassesWe have "budgeted" for two “regular” snow days.
If inclement weather prevents in-person attendance, we will not hold any classes on those first two “snow days.”  After those initial two snow days are used,  the school day will be online and teachers and students will access classes via Zoom/Google Classroom from remote locations. This allows us to maintain continuity in our classes and meet the state requirements for school days without having to alter our school calendar and extend the school year into the summer.

Notification Requirements for Short-Term Online Class AttendanceIf your student needs to attend online classes for a temporary period and will not be on campus, please contact each class teacher, Mr. Wiley, and Mr. Palumbo as soon as possible. 
This will help maintain accurate records as to who is or is not on campus each day. 

Uniform Policy on Cold Weather DaysColder days are coming, so please take note of school’s outerwear/jacket policy.
ALLOWED
• Lands’ End navy fleece jackets, vests, half-zips, rain jackets, or insulated vests with the school’s logo.  
• Approved team/club jackets  

NOT ALLOWED
• Outerwear, fleeces, or sweaters NOT from Lands’ End.
• Non-uniform outerwear is not worn during the school day on campus unless an exception is granted due to extreme weather. 
• If you have questions about approved Lands’ End or athletic jackets, please contact Mr. Palumbo or Mr. Wolf.

Late-Work PolicyAs the second quarter begins, please note of the late-work policy for students at the Upper School.

• On time assignments are what we want, and these receive full credit.
• Late work will be received for credit, with a grade deduction, if submitted within the window of the current academic unit.
• Once a unit’s final assessment is completed and a new unit begins, students may not submit late homework from the prior unit for credit.

There is no grade deduction if classwork, assignments, and assessments are completed within the agreed upon extension period for absences due to illness, bereavement, and other approved special circumstances.