Community Wellness Guide

    • aerial 2020

Community Wellness

The Brookwood School Wellness Committee is working to provide you with clarity regarding daily school operations and to maintain our community wellness. Our plans incorporate the School’s guiding principles, which are mission-driven, and will provide us with the roadmap in our planning and several operating modes which are informed by state and national health and safety guidelines. We will keep our community updated here and via email messaging.

It is our vision to make life on Brookwood's campus as normal as possible, with students physically in classrooms, while taking appropriate precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne and communicable diseases. 

Guiding Principles

Our guiding principles are mission-driven and will provide us with the roadmap in our planning.
 

List of 4 items.

  • Calm

    We feel firmly that reopening and running in-person school is essential to the well-being, growth, and success of Brookwood students. We have taken a level-headed approach to running the school in the midst of the pandemic.

    Our overarching goal has been to make life on Brookwood’s campus as normal as possible while staying as safe as possible for our students within the context of our current environment.

  • Community

    We are still in the midst of a global pandemic and need to take appropriate precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While we are hopeful for the best, it is realistic to expect that it will continue to be disruptive in all of our lives for the foreseeable future. 

    We also know how important it is for our students to be on campus, learning from our teachers. As we have shared previously, children need to be in school in order to meet key developmental milestones for growth: academically, physically, spiritually, and socially.

    The success of this school year depends strongly on the good faith, flexibility, and understanding between families and the school in the mutual goal of having students thriving at school.

  • Compassion

    While our priority is to be on campus as much as possible, we are also preparing for potential interruptions and may need to adjust the school calendar accordingly. As always, we will work closely with our families to communicate more information when and if needed.

    As we adapt to this new normal, we seek compassion in all of our procedures, remembering that our students and families are the reason Brookwood School exists.

  • Connectivity

    Brookwood places a high value on classroom-based, engaging education with teaching and learning experiences on campus. However, for those students who are out sick, are in quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure, or have a family member who is at high risk for exposure to COVID-19, we will provide this alternative, short-term option of Broadcast Learning through Google Meet to students who are at home. This will be a live video broadcast of the classroom or teacher.

    Broadcast Learning will vary by division. In most cases, the classes will include audio and video broadcasting when appropriate. This will provide real-time access into classroom activities and the classroom community for our students learning from home.

    Similarly, faculty who are unable to come to school, but are well enough to teach, can teach from home into the Brookwood classroom using the same technology. In this instance, there will be a Teaching Assistant or Substitute Teacher in the Brookwood classroom to facilitate the class.

Operating and Learning Modes

Operating and learning modes are informed by health and safety protocols, classroom schedules, cafeteria procedures, cleaning protocols, gathering and common spaces guidelines, extracurricular and field trip activities.

List of 4 items.

  • Blue

    In this mode, Brookwood will cautiously proceed with many aspects of normal school operation while limiting some activities due to their elevated risk to the health and safety of our community.
    Read More

  • Yellow

    This mode employs multiple physical distancing strategies to limit transmission risks by increasing physical space between students and limiting interactions in large group settings.
    Read More

  • Orange

    This mode employs multiple physical distancing strategies to limit transmission risks by increasing physical space between students and limiting interactions in large group settings. Face Masks are required.
    Read More

  • Red

    This mode requires us to close the campus or a portion of the campus to students. The continuous learning plan is implemented for those students. This may have to be implemented in short periods by division or the whole campus.  We would expect to close the campus only in the events of  1) widespread presence of the virus on campus or, 2) government-mandated shutdown.
    Read More

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

We will update these Frequently Asked Questions periodically. We will answer questions on a rolling basis as needed.

List of 12 items.

  • Will students and faculty be required to wear cloth face coverings?

    The current Operating Mode will dictate the specifics on mask wearing for each division. 

    Students are required to provide their own cloth face coverings. Like all outerwear, slogans or advertising are not acceptable.

  • What constitutes a cloth face covering?

    Per CDC guidelines, a cloth face covering should  
    • fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
    • completely cover the nose and mouth
    • be secured with ties or ear loops
    • include multiple layers of fabric
    • allow for breathing without restriction
    • be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape

  • How will students be informed of Brookwood’s health and wellness procedures?

    A weekly Health Update newsletter is emailed to our community on Fridays. The newsletter and this webpage will provide information regarding ongoing procedures. 

  • What data is being used to drive our decisions about operating modes?

    We are prepared to move fluidly from one operating mode to another as necessary while preserving the integrity, continuity, and excellence of our academic programs. When transitioning from one operating mode to another, a teacher workday may be required to prepare and plan.

    We have developed the Health Advisory Committee. This committee is composed of Medical professionals who will guide policy and procedures and make decisions throughout the year.

    Additionally, our decision-making is informed by:
    • American Academy of Pediatricians
    • Center for Disease Control
    • National Federation of State High School Associations
     

  • Can divisions be in different operating modes?

    Yes. There are many factors that would go into changing the operating modes. The decision to change an operating mode would be made in consultation with the Health Advisory Committee and would be a judgement call based on the number of positive cases in that division.

  • What is the protocol for a positive COVID test of a faculty member or student?

    Any persons with suspected COVID-19 symptoms will be asked to quarantine until proven otherwise. 

  • How can families maintain health/safety routines when not at school?

    When not at school, families can help reinforce safety protocols by:
    • Teaching healthy hygiene practices
    • Teaching and encouraging our health protocols
    • Maintaining preventative health practices
    • Help keep students emotionally safe
    Read More

  • How can my child stay connected with classwork when she or he is out of school?

    Brookwood places a high value on classroom-based, engaging education with teaching and learning experiences on campus. However, for those students who are out sick, are in quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure, or have a family member who is at high risk for exposure to COVID-19, we will provide this alternative, short-term option of Broadcast Learning through Google Meet to students who are at home. This will be a live video broadcast of the classroom or teacher.

    Broadcast Learning will vary by division. In most cases, the classes will include audio and video broadcasting when appropriate. This will provide real-time access into classroom activities and the classroom community for our students learning from home.

    Similarly, faculty who are unable to come to school, but are well enough to teach, can teach from home into the Brookwood classroom using the same technology. In this instance, there will be a Teaching Assistant or Substitute Teacher in the Brookwood classroom to facilitate the class.
     

  • Will you continue to offer bus services?

    Yes. We continue to offer our morning and afternoon bus routes to and from Moultrie and Cairo each day. We will be requiring the following before a student may board the bus:
    • Assigned seating on the bus
    • Students will be required to wear a cloth face covering on the bus at all times
    • Buses will be sanitized after each use

  • What will athletics look like?

    We recognize that athletics and physical education are key elements of a Brookwood education, and we are committed to doing everything we can to continue to excel in that area. We are currently proceeding with athletics and will reevaluate as needed based on community transmission rates.

  • What will performing arts look like?

    We are proceeding with plans for grade level products, One Act, and the all-school musical. We will continue to evaluate and provide updates as needed. 

  • What about Warriors After School and ACE?

    WAS and ACE are available when needed. As with all other programs, these will be evaluated on an on-going basis.

Committees

Faculty, staff, and administrators make up the Brookwood School Wellness Committee.

HEALTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Katie Badger, RN
Amy Cooper, MD
Bob Miles, MD
Mark Hudson, DO
Brandi Warren, MD
Randy Watts, PhD
Vann Middleton, Board Chairman

We Are Warriors

Health and Wellness Resources

List of 3 items.

Policy and Procedures

Please reference the Student/Parent Handbook for information pertaining to daily school policies.

The flow chart linked below pertains only to those individuals who are not yet fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The content of this webpage will be updated periodically, especially as circumstances change. We would like to thank the Southern Association of Independent Schools, and notably Porter-Gaud School, for the guidance in putting together the content for this page.

Brookwood School

Located in Thomasville, GA, Brookwood School is a private school for grades JK-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.