Community & Residential Life

Student common areas

As a component of social distancing plans, use of dorm common rooms and Student Center Lounge will be modified. The student lounge will become another dining space to allow for the maximum social distancing during meals. Dorm common rooms will be de-densified and will become spaces for smaller groups of students to hang out rather than all-dorm events such as dorm meetings. We will work with student leaders to design the "student life" experience.

Weekends

Opportunities for girls to be together outside of the classroom are an essential part of the Madeira experience. Weekends will continue to be full of activities and opportunities for girls to relax and hang out. The Dean of Students Office and student leaders are hard at work planning amazing on-campus activities which utilize our beautiful campus. We’ll be offering everything from outdoor Friday night Bachelor watch parties and movie nights, to paddle boarding at Black Pond to Gnome hunts to outdoor laser tag! Dorm parents will also help to bring the outside world onto campus by doing “runs” like grocery pick-ups and Starbucks takeout for their dorms. Initially, off campus trips will be more limited. We will also share information with parents as to how they can sponsor dorm snacks and treats like a S’mores Night or Pond Picnic. We ask families to plan for their daughter to be on campus for the first few weekends of the school year, limiting leave requests to essential circumstances.

Moving About Campus

Wayfinding signage to support social distancing will be posted throughout campus. This will include reminders to stay six feet apart when possible, indicate one-way hallways and stairwells, new entry and exit patterns into/out of buildings, etc.

Community meetings

• Club meetings and other small-group social gatherings will be held virtually or in larger meeting spaces on campus (outdoors when at all possible) which allow for 6-foot physical distancing between participants.
• Community Meeting Time (CMT) will be held virtually; students will “attend” with their advisory.
• Class Meetings will either be held in the C/A where appropriate social distancing is possible or will be held virtually
• Girls will meet with their Advisory at the start of the school day four mornings a week, in person if they are on campus.

Visiting Campus

In keeping with our overarching goal to keep the community healthy, we are requesting that families limit visits to campus initially.

Meals & Dining

The dining hall tables have been completely re-configured to allow for social distancing during meals. Dining space has expanded into the Student Lounge. We will have 3 lunch periods per day. Dining hall staff will serve students to limit handling of common utensils.

Are Day students screened in the morning?

Yes. Day students will have health screenings in the morning and in the afternoon after C block.

Why are day students allowed to come and go each day?

Madeira is a day and boarding school. It is our desire to be in community with each other as much as possible. It’s clear that we cannot guarantee a 100% risk-free environment. We have established a layered approach for COVID-19 risk mitigation, which relies on cooperation from all members of our community, including both day AND boarding students, each day. Anyone experiencing symptoms of any contagious illness will not be allowed onto campus.

Is the school providing PPE for students?

We recognize that there are a range of options and that individuals may have preferences of certain types of masks or face coverings over others. As such, students are asked to provide their own cloth face coverings. We recommend each student have at least 5-7 to allow for laundering in between each use.

What about ventilation? Will there be outdoor classes? Tents?

Right now we are spaced such that we do not need to move any classes outdoors. We are ordering some outdoor tents for student spaces. We are filtering to MERV-13 filtration.

Are neck gaiters and bandanas acceptable face coverings?

Face coverings should be multi-layered cloth (three or more is best)

• Bandanas are no longer acceptable

Will there be outside renters in the campus spaces once the students return to campus?

No outside renters will be in indoor spaces once the girls return to campus.

Dorm Refrigerators

Students may now have dorm refrigerators in rooms instead of using the community refrigerators.

Microwaves and Coffee Makers

Students will disinfect community microwaves and coffee/tea makers before and after each use.

Room Dividers

• Double occupancy dorm rooms are being divided into two sections using a ceiling to floor drape/track system; drapes are clear, heavy-duty plastic for easy cleaning and disinfecting.
• When both occupants are in a dorm room, drape may serve the purpose of cloth face covering when in closed position, creating a space where roommates may remove their individual cloth face coverings. To start the school year, Dorm occupants must always wear face coverings when dorm room drape is in the open position or when a student is in dorm hallways/stairwells/restrooms.

Dorm Bathrooms

• Dorm residents will be assigned sink/shower/toilet stall in shared bathrooms; students will be instructed how to clean after each use with supplies provided by school.

Dorm Furniture

Dorm room furniture layout will be set by the school to maintain heads of beds a minimum of 6-feet apart. At least for Mod 1, furniture will remain in this configuration

Study Hall

To allow for social distancing and for students to remove their face coverings during study hall, students will be in their dorm rooms for study hall.

Weekends

Opportunities for girls to be together outside of the classroom are an essential part of the Madeira experience. Weekends will continue to be full of activities and opportunities for girls to relax and hang out. The Dean of Students Office and student leaders are hard at work planning amazing on campus activities which utilize our beautiful campus. We’ll be offering everything from outdoor Friday night Bachelor watch parties and move nights, to paddle boarding at Black Pond to Gnome hunts to outdoor laser tag! Dorm parents will also help to bring the outside world onto campus by doing “runs” like grocery pick-ups and Starbucks takeout for their dorms. Initially, off campus trips will be more limited, We will also share information with parents as to how they can sponsor dorm snacks and treats like a S’mores Night or Pond Picnic. We ask families to plan for their daughter to be on campus for the first few weekends of the school year, limiting leave requests to essential circumstances.

Personal items

Students will be encouraged/instructed to keep personal items (cell phones, devices) and personal work and living spaces clean. Students should bring cleaning supplies for their individual dorm rooms.

Is there anything special that boarding students should bring this year?

es, we have added a few new items and suggestions to our What to Bring list. Be sure to remember at least 5-7 washable, reusable, cloth face coverings (ie. masks, gaiters, etc). We will be spending a lot of time outdoors when the weather is nice so you may want to bring a collapsible outdoor camp chair and/or an outdoor blanket. Keep in mind that we’ll be doing distance learning from Thanksgiving to Winter break so you should bring fewer belongings than usual (you shouldn’t need that winter coat yet!)

Can I ship items to Madeira before I arrive?

Families are welcome to ship belongings to campus from home or to have items you have purchased delivered to Madeira. These items will be waiting in the Student Center when you arrive, and you may pick them up during your unloading timeslot on the day you move in. Students will also be able to collect additional packages that may be shipped after they arrive to campus.

Please address packages to:
[Your daughter’s name]
The Madeira School
8328 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22102

I left belongings in my room when I left campus last spring, where will they be?
If you were unable to return to campus last spring to collect your belongings, a Dorm Parent packed your room for you and we have stored your belongings for the summer. If you are returning to Madeira for MOD 1, we will deliver your belongings to your new dorm room before you arrive to campus. If you are not going to be on campus for MOD 1, we will keep your belongings in storage and work with you to collect your belongings when you return to campus.

Can I open a bank account for my daughter when she arrives at Madeira for move-in?

n the past we have been able to host bank representatives on campus as families arrive, unfortunately that is not possible this year. Students who have a Social Security number or a Tax ID number may set up a bank account online. Students who do not have a Social Security number or a Tax ID number should make an appointment to go in person to a local bank to set up an account (we recommend calling ahead to schedule the appointment and for it to take place prior to arriving to campus for move-in). There are many local banks that are close to Madeira with branches in both McLean and Tysons including Wells Fargo, Bank of America, PNC Bank, M&T Bank, BB&T Bank, Capital One, and United Bank.

What is being done to make bus transportation safe?

All Madeira vehicles have been marked with blue painters’ tape, so there is a visible reminder where to sit/not sit for social distancing purposes (a minimum of 3 feet apart, all wearing face coverings) per VDH guidelines. Windows will be open to increase air circulation when weather allows. Madeira vehicles will be cleaned and disinfected before, between and after each use. Drivers will complete a daily health screening prior to driving and will be wearing both a face covering and a face shield while operating a Madeira vehicle.

Hand sanitizer

We are adding more than 40 hand sanitizer stations to campus. Hand sanitizer stations will be added to the foyers of all campus buildings and we will also continue to have sanitizer stations throughout the campus where they have been previously.

Air quality management

​All air handling systems have been inspected and the School has consulted with its engineering advisors to determine optimal settings for outside-air, filtration, and number of exchanges per hour. Windows will be allowed to be opened to promote more outside air circulation. Students may provide their own HEPA/UV air filtration device for their dorm room if needed. We are also in the process of upgrading all of the filters in the HVAC systems to the highest MERV rating for optimal function and purification.

Enhanced Cleaning & Disinfecting Protocols

Madeira partners with Palm Facility Services for our janitorial needs. We are currently developing a robust cleaning plan with them for the start of school and throughout the year. This will include:

• All restrooms on campus, including in the dormitories, will be closed, cleaned, and disinfected at least two times a day, seven days a week.
  
• High touch points in the restrooms, campus buildings, and dormitories will be continually wiped down throughout the day and in the evening hours. On a weekly basis, Dorm Parents ensure that students are spraying and wiping down surfaces in their dorm room including their desk top and drawers, chair, dresser top and drawers, bed frame, windowsills, closet door handles, room door handle, and thermostat).
• Lunch tables and chairs will be disinfected before and after each lunch period.
  
• All classroom spaces and large gathering spaces, to include, the Library, Dining Hall, Auditorium and Gymnasium, will be completely disinfected on a rolling weekly basis using the Electro-Hygiene System. We have purchased three HX Pro Electro-Hygiene Systems - backpack foggers - which can disinfect 20,000 sf/hr. These will be used both for routine weekly rotating disinfection of campus buildings and to disinfect spaces on campus should we have a community member test positive for COVID-19.