Dear Gould Students and Families,
Greetings from Bethel and from everyone here at Gould. We hope that you are enjoying the beginning of summer. Before you know it will be time to head to school. We cannot wait to welcome our new students and families, and to reconnect with returning friends. This new year brings with it the promise of a return to some normalcy, but we recognize and acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic will remain a threat to health and wellbeing in Maine and around the world for some time.
The team at Gould is working hard to prepare for your arrival, making improvements to our programs and campus. As you ready yourselves to arrive later this summer, we anticipate many questions will arise. This letter is intended to answer some of your more pressing questions, and also to give you a good idea of what and when you can expect to hear from us.
Here is a brief schedule of information you will be receiving from Gould in the coming weeks:
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July 1: Receive Invitation and Set-up Instructions for New and Improved My Gould Community Portal
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July 2: Receive Registration Packet (includes important forms and details on signing up for sports & co-curriculars)
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July 3 - 5: Transcript Requests, Course Selection & College Planning: New students will receive an invitation from the registrar to register for courses. College Counselors will attend meetings with all new eleventh grade, twelfth grade, and PG students.
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Mid-July: Experiential Learning Update: New student orientation trip reminders and information about Four Point for 2021-2022
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Mid-August: Outreach from your advisor
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Late August: Information about your dorm assignment
The remainder of this email covers initial information surrounding our anticipated COVID-19 protocols for the coming school year, including: vaccination requirements; masking protocols; and specific campus arrival dates.
When you arrive on campus in August, the vast majority of our students will be fully vaccinated. Because state and federal guidelines change rapidly, and because we know that some students will not be able to receive an approved vaccine before they arrive, we are not able to project what our early masking protocol will be at this time. We anticipate that masks will not be required in outdoor settings, but that some masking may be necessary indoors until all eligible students are fully vaccinated.
Gould students who are fully vaccinated will be able to return to campus with minimal restrictions. They will still need to monitor themselves for symptoms and report to the Health Center if they develop any COVID-like symptoms, but we do not expect that fully vaccinated students will have any restrictions related to athletics, co-curricular activities, or academic travel. Off-campus weekend visits will be permitted without the need for testing or quarantine.
We hope that this information is helpful and starts to answer the myriad questions that you may have as you prepare for the 2021-2022 school year at Gould. We look forward to updating you in a few weeks with more information. Please don’t hesitate to contact Lindsay Legare in the Head of School’s Office with requests for further information. But for now, go enjoy summer: relax, restore, stay active, and be creative!
Most Sincerely,
