Return to Eye Street Plan

On this page, you will find resources and detailed information about in-person instruction on Eye Street.

 

List of 10 items.

  • Friday, March 26th Update

    On Friday, March 26, Gonzaga sent an email to families about our updated in-person learning policies after Spring Break. The full text of that email can be found below:

    Dear Gonzaga Parents and Guardians,

    As promised in an email last week, we are excited to be able to share with you more information about our updated in-person policies after we return from Spring Break.

    Beginning on Monday, April 12, we will welcome two cohorts each day to Gonzaga's campus, rather than one. Gonzaga's website calendar, which can be seen by clicking here, has been updated to reflect which cohorts can be on campus each day for the remainder of the school year. We are thrilled to be able to see more of your sons more often!

    To accommodate more students on campus each day, we have made some slight adjustments to our bell schedule, which can be seen by clicking here. In addition, to the extent possible, we will be asking all students to eat lunch outside every day. Mr. Kilroy will communicate new lunch policies with the students directly via Canvas before we return to school. All of these changes, and the full text of this letter, have also been posted on our Return to Eye Street page, which can be accessed by clicking here.

    As we head into Spring Break next week, please be reminded that any student who travels to a high-risk state (as outlined by the District of Columbia here) over the break will be required to quarantine for 14 days before he can return to campus. Per D.C. Department of Health policy, he also has the option to quarantine for 5 days and then take a COVID test; if that test is negative, he may return to campus. Please feel free to contact Nurse Amy Harper in the Gonzaga Health Office at aharper@gonzaga.org if you have any questions. In addition, if your son has been fully vaccinated, we ask that you provide documentation to that effect to Nurse Harper for her records.

    Finally, one of the most discouraging scenarios we’ve faced this year is when students are required to quarantine due to close contact with another student while contagious. Quarantines keep students off-campus and away from in-person activities for two solid weeks, so we need to collectively do everything we can to avoid that outcome. For that reason among others, it remains vitally important that you continue to emphasize to your sons that the success of this plan hinges on our entire community remaining vigilant when it comes to masking, distancing, quarantining, and other measures. We are grateful for your continued partnership in ensuring the health and safety of the Gonzaga community.

    I wish you and your sons a restful and restorative break -- they have certainly earned it! We look forward to ending the year strong.

    Sincerely,

    Thomas K. Every II
    Headmaster  
  • Gonzaga Community Health Dashboard

    Every Friday on this page, we will post a link to the Gonzaga Community Weekly Health Dashboard, which provides a snapshot of known health data about the Gonzaga community during hybrid instruction. Click here to see the dashboard for the week of March 8.
  • April/May Calendar and Adjusted Daily Schedule

    Taking into consideration new CDC guidelines which allow for 3 feet distancing in classrooms, and given the size of our student body and the physical limitations of our campus, we have determined that on any given day, two-thirds of our students can be physically on campus -- meaning one-third of our students will be learning virtually from home. 

  • Community Covenant and Informed Consent Form

    Please be reminded of Gonzaga's Community Covenant and Informed Consent Form that all parents and students signed earlier this year. For students, this form is an affirmation of their willingness to adopt and abide by public health best practices both when on campus and at home. For parents and students alike, this is also an acknowledgement of the risks that remain inherent in coming to campus in the current climate. One key point that is addressed in the documents, but that is worth reiterating here, is the critical importance of communication with Gonzaga's Health Office, including the timely communication of symptoms of illness, potential or actual Covid exposure, and all travel outside of the DMV.
  • Health Screening Process

    Gonzaga's Health Screening for Students and Faculty is done via an app-based platform call Safety App by AUXS. This app enables parents to easily review a health questionnaire with their sons on any day their son is scheduled to be on campus prior to his departure from home. The app significantly speeds up the campus entry process for students who are well enough to be on campus, and also helps the school with tracking health concerns among faculty and students. This form should be used on any day your son will be on campus, or when you have information regarding your son's health that should be shared with the school.
     
    If you have not yet set up AUXS for your family and your son is returning to campus in the near future, please email info@gonzaga.org to have instructions sent to you. 
  • On-Campus Student Check-In Process

    All students scheduled to be on campus will enter through the west Eye Street gate, closest to the circle behind the Walmart.  This campus map illustrates the check in process outlined below.
    • Drivers: Students who drive or bike to school, and have the correct color hang-tag for any given day (see "Parking" section) will be allowed to enter the garage. They should park in any of the marked student parking spots, which will be in the rows on the right side when entering the garage. Student parking spots are not individually assigned. Before exiting their cars, students should put on their mask, and exit the garage via the stairs at the southwest corner of the garage (closest to the old "tennis court" lot).  Students will then line up along the Alumni Pavilion overlooking the west end zone -- observing the marked social distance -- and will be checked in by school staff when they get to the area by the field access elevator on Eye Street.
    • Drop-Offs: Students who are dropped off in the morning should exit their cars at the traffic circle outside of Forte Hall. Cars dropping off students should not turn onto Gonzaga's campus. Once dropped off, students will queue along the sidewalk in front of Forte and Kohlmann Halls -- observing the marked social distance -- to be checked in by school staff when they get to the main gate.    
    • Metro and Other Means: Students who use Metro, other forms of public transportation, or other means can only enter campus from in front of Forte Hall.

    NOTE that all other entrances will be closed in the morning.  Students may not enter via the Ruesch Cantwell stairs at North Capitol and K Streets or via either of the two entrances on either side of St. Aloysius Church. Having all students enter via the west Eye Street gate will allow for each student to be checked in daily and for in-person health screenings as necessary. Those health screenings will take place in the Sheehy Theater lobby.  
  • Student Cohort Assignments

    For the remainder of the academic year, cohort assignments will remain the same:

    • The Aloysius Cohort: Abrials-Giarraputo
    • The Ignatius Cohort: Giebel-Norton
    • The Xavier Cohort: Noyes-Zucconi

    However, we will bring two cohorts to campus each day in the following 3-day rotation:

    • Day 1: Aloysius and Xavier
    • Day 2: Ignatius and Aloysius
    • Day 3: Xavier and Ignatius
    This information has also been posted on Gonzaga's website calendar, here
  • Guiding Approach to Faculty and Student Health / Enhanced Health Measures

    Gonzaga places the health and wellness of its student body and faculty at the forefront of our decision-making as we continue to more broadly open Eye Street. Gonzaga continually and carefully monitors updates and information from the CDC and DC Department of Health. We are committed to following public health guidance as it relates to bringing students back on campus and resuming on-campus activities responsibly in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Gonzaga has adopted many new core health practices and recommendations designed to reduce the potential risk of spread of the virus during traditional on-campus learning. These recommendations will mitigate but not eliminate the risk of spread of the COVID-19 virus within the Gonzaga community. In addition to the health screening process, classroom configuration, hallway movement patterns, use of outdoor spaces, and other measures described elsewhere on this page, four health areas of emphasis will define how we operate. 
    1. Masks: Students and faculty are 100% required to wear masks at all times on campus. Masks are essential for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and are a sign of respect for the Gonzaga community.  Masks may be removed only briefly while actively eating and drinking. Masks must be properly fitted and properly worn -- bandanas, gaiters, makeshift face coverings, or masks that do not fully cover the mouth and nose will not be permitted.

    2. Social Distancing: Community members will keep a physical distance of at least six feet whenever possible. Classrooms have been rearranged to optimize space and learning, while also ensuring social distancing is maintained at the CDC’s recommended classroom distance of at least 3 feet. Stickers have been placed throughout campus that will assist with identifying proper distancing (for example on the bleachers, in the line areas prior to check-in, etc.). Signage in bathrooms will remind the boys to not use adjacent sinks and urinals.

    3. Hygiene: Hand washing and sanitizing have been increased throughout the school day and prioritized between classes and before and after lunch. Hand sanitizer stations have been installed throughout campus; classrooms will each have disinfecting kits in the classroom and wipes at each doorway; desks and shared spaces will be sanitized between uses. Bathrooms will be cleaned multiple times each day, and each evening, campus will undergo a deep cleaning protocol that includes the use of aerosol disinfectant of classrooms.

    4. Daily Health Screenings: Before arriving on campus each morning, faculty, students, and families must fill out a daily health screening vai the AUXS app (see above) to confirm that they are free of symptoms of COVID-19. This practice will encourage symptom monitoring and result in community members staying home and isolated when ill. 
    Gonzaga will effectively communicate, promote and stress these "big four" health requirements and fully expects all community members to comply. Adherence to these is required in order to join us on Eye Street. Students who do not abide by the health recommendations will be asked to attend class digitally and, therefore, forfeit their privilege to attend class in-person. As a matter of health and safety, Gonzaga also asks families to adhere to the "big four" health recommendations of the school while interacting in their local communities - acknowledging, in doing so, that this best preserves Gonzaga's ability to remain open during the length of the pandemic.
  • Visitor Campus Access

    With Gonzaga students as our top priority, Gonzaga's campus -- including the parking garage -- will be closed to everyone except faculty, staff, students, the Jesuit Community and essential outside personnel (contractors, cleaning crews, food service, etc).
     
    This includes no campus access for Gonzaga parents and guardians and siblings who are not students until further notice. 
     
    All access to campus will be via the western Eye Street gate (by the circle behind the Walmart). A gatehouse and tent have been installed by this gate and will be staffed by Gonzaga Security. This location will be used to receive packages and deliveries, check-in essential contractors (and enforce our health protocols for those entering campus), limit access to the garage to students and faculty, etc.  If parents need to pick up their son at a time other than after school, they should park on or near the circle behind Walmart, check in at this gatehouse and then return to their vehicle. Student Services will contact the student and have him meet his parent at the car.
     
    The McKenna Center will be operating programming outside (weather permitting) on the east end of Eye Street (by North Capitol Street). Separation fencing and signage has been installed on Eye Street and in the bleachers to allow the McKenna Center staff to serve the men of the Center in this area. Please respect the Father McKenna Center's operations and do not attempt to enter Gonzaga's campus via the east end of Eye Street. Similarly, all volunteers for the McKenna Center must park off-campus and enter the McKenna center via the North Capitol Street gate.
  • Parking

    All juniors and seniors who wish to drive while the hybrid-learning model is in place may do so and park in Gonzaga's parking garage on a first come, first served basis. Each student will be issued a color-coded permit that hangs from their rear view mirror, with a color that corresponds to their assigned cohort. That hang-tag must be visible for a student to access the parking garage on a day they are scheduled to be on campus.  
     
    Parking spots will not be individually assigned, but students will park in clearly marked student-only spaces in the rows to the right as you enter the garage, and will enter campus through the door closest to the old "tennis court" lot.  See check in protocols for more information about student check-in upon arrival.
     
    There will be no cost for parking while we are in the hybrid learning model. If a student would like to be able to park on campus and does not have a hang tag, he should contact Mr. Jim Kilroy, Dean of Students, at jkilory@gonzaga.org.
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