Burlington, VT — For years, Rock Point School has admitted students when they are ready. This can be after they finish wilderness or other therapeutic programs, or when they find the school they are in just isn't the right fit. Enabling students to start at many different times throughout the year (called “rolling admissions”) is yet one more practice in education potentially jeopardized by the pandemic. Rock Point School has announced new Covid-19 safety protocols to maintain a flexible opportunity for new students to join its learning community without compromising the health of those already living at the School.
Rock Point School provides mini-orientations for students who join the school mid-year. The orientation includes one-on-one time with each teacher, meetings with administration team members, and time in the evening with a small group of students and Residential Staff to learn about the dorm program. With added COVID safety protocols, RPS will be able to continue rolling admissions to serve students and families who need a new school at a non-traditional time.
A new student noted recently: "I had the chance to go home after being at a wilderness program to see if I could manage my schoolwork. But I fell back into some old patterns. When I did poorly in one of my classes, it impacted how I did in the other classes. I knew I needed more support. It was helpful that there was rolling admission so I could come to Rock Point School. "
Rock Point School added these new COVID-19 protocols to the existing rolling admissions protocols:
- Students traveling by car from out of state should quarantine at home before their arrival and receive a negative COVID test before they leave. If they are traveling through and stopping in areas with high rates of infection, they will be required to restart their quarantine and take another COVID test once they arrive in Vermont. Students can join school once they have tested negative. If they are not stopping in areas with a high infection rate and quarantined and tested negative before departure, they can come straight to campus when they arrive.
- Students who travel by air are required to quarantine in Vermont for seven days, take a COVID test, and receive a negative result before moving into the school. The School offers a location on the lakeside campus where students may stay during their quarantine.
The latest information about quarantine and travel to Vermont can be found here https://www.healthvermont.gov/response/coronavirus-covid-19/traveling-vermont.
About Rock Point School
Rock Point School is an intentionally small, independent, co-ed boarding high school in Burlington, Vermont on the shores of Lake Champlain. The school was founded in 1928 with a mission to serve young people that remains strong to this day. Rock Point School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.