Get Ready for Westover!

Please refer to our 2026-27 Curriculum Guide to view a list of all offered courses for the upcoming academic year.

Students whose first language is not English may request to opt out of courses in Spanish, French, or Latin. Students may also be recommended for enrollment in our Language and Writing course. This companion course to English I was created specifically for new international ninth-grade students whose first language is not English, and is designed to support the student’s transition into our academic environment and school culture. Placement is determined using information provided during the admissions process and a writing assessment, completed upon arrival to campus.

Do I need to take a placement test for language courses?

Language placement tests for Spanish, French, and Latin are required for students who wish to enroll in a course beyond level one.

The Academic Team works with our Math and Science Department Heads to review the academic information for each incoming student and to determine the best course placement. Should the student show evidence of needing to be re-assigned, we will do so during the add-drop period at the start of the Fall semester.

New tenth, eleventh, and twelfth-grade students should review our 2026-27 Curriculum Guide prior to the virtual introductory meeting with a member of the Academic Team to identify courses of interest. Options for electives will be identified during this call.

 

New students will receive their academic schedules in person during Welcome Week programming. 

Your advisor will contact you prior to Welcome Week so you can be in touch before you arrive. Advisors are another great resource! They can answer questions and provide information about the Westover experience.

To share information related to a documented learning difference or to request related accommodations, please email mmongeau@westoverschool.org. Please feel free to discuss the need for accommodations with any member of the Academic Team during your introductory call as well.

New students will get access to their Westover email accounts during Welcome Week when they meet with our IT department. 

Yes! You’ll participate in our amazing Summer Reading Program! Westover students are asked to read two books over the summer: one book chosen from a provided list and one independent reading book of choice. Details will be shared during your virtual introductory meeting and will be posted on Westover’s website at the end of May. If you have any questions, please email the summer reading program coordinator and our Librarian, Nancy Florio, at nflorio@westoverschool.org.

New International students are expected to move onto campus on Monday, August 31st. More information about New International Student Orientation, including an RSVP form, will be shared in the coming weeks.

 

New domestic boarding students are expected to arrive on Wednesday, September 2nd. A formal program for New Students and Families will follow. More information about move-in and Welcome Week student and family programming will be shared in the coming weeks.

New Day Student registration will be on Wednesday, September 2nd, in the afternoon. A formal program for all New Students and Families will follow. More information about registration and Welcome Week student and family programming will be shared in the coming weeks.  

You will learn about your roommate pairing in mid-August. We have had great success over the past few years in creating good partnerships that help students succeed at Westover School and expand their horizons. Be sure to complete the 2026-2027 Housing Questionnaire (under Checklist on your HUB account) as soon as possible.

As new boarding families, we know you have lots of questions about what you need to bring and what not to bring with you to campus. To get started, check out our helpful packing list. 

At Westover, we are a community built on trust, mutual respect, and shared responsibility. While dorm room doors do not lock to foster openness and ease of connection, each room is equipped with a closet that locks for safekeeping of personal items. We encourage students to bring only what they truly need and value, and to use their locking closet to secure any important belongings. As with any shared living environment, being mindful of your possessions and respectful of others helps uphold the sense of trust that defines life at Westover.

Westover offers Westover-coordinated transportation from local airports, train, and bus stations for school arrivals and major school breaks. If you need transportation for your arrival in August, please indicate your request along with your student’s flight or travel details on the arrival form under Checklist on your account. We will be in touch with you to provide both shared and private transfer information after your form submission. 

Please direct any questions about transportation to Transportation Coordinator Elissa Evanauskas at eevanauskas@westoverschool.org.

During registration, a local bank representative will be on-site. You will have the option to meet with the rep if you wish to set up a bank account. You will need to bring the filled-out bank forms, signed by a guardian, with you to campus when you arrive. Forms will be available on the HUB. We will also offer a shopping trip into town to purchase items needed for school and dorm rooms. When you arrive in Middlebury, we provide transportation to our local Target. We will also offer opportunities for students to sign up for a Verizon cell phone plan. 

For questions about Residential or Community Life, please contact Chelsea Brown at cbrown@westoverschool.org.

When you log onto The Hub, you will see a yellow banner showing your checklist steps and forms to be completed. Please note: some forms require the signatures of all parents/guardians, and some require signatures from your primary care provider. These health forms and questionnaires are necessary information that parents/guardians must complete and submit prior to bringing their students to campus to begin the school year. They can be found on the Onboarding Checklist on the HUB.  

Westover is utilizing a new electronic health record system called August Schools to keep all student medical information in a secure online Student Medical Record. August Schools is translatable to dozens of languages, making it more accessible to our international families.

Parents/guardians are required to review and complete all Westover health forms provided on our new electronic health record database, August Schools, annually. Please set aside 20-30 minutes to complete the forms. Access to August Schools can be found through the HUB checklist and Resource Board.

Please refer to these resource articles in the August Schools portal (linked on your Hub resource board) for additional guidance on accessing the database and submitting requirements. If these resources cannot answer your questions, please reach out to Westover’s Health Center team at healthcenter@westoverschool.org.

Each student must have a physical performed on or after May 1, 2026 (which will be valid for the 2026-27 school year) and a completed up-to-date immunization record, both of which are to be signed and dated by the student’s primary care provider or Health Department official. If you haven’t already made this appointment, please do so to meet our August 1st deadline for health form submission. 

All students are required to have health insurance through a U.S.-based carrier and show the School proof thereof. Westover does not provide, manage, or bill for health insurance coverage for our students. Domestic students who live outside of Connecticut are encouraged to review their insurance coverage policies for care received outside of their home state and encouraged to purchase supplemental health insurance coverage as needed. 

International students are required to either show proof of U.S.-based health insurance coverage or must purchase the ISM Diamond Plan through UnitedHealthcare Global for the full school year (through June 1, 2027).

Please note: The international insurance policy cannot be purchased before June 1, 2026.  Please click this link to enroll, or the link to enroll in international insurance can also be found in August Schools. Documentation of active insurance coverage is a mandatory requirement of international students prior to arrival on campus. It is the responsibility of each family to either show proof of U.S.-based health insurance coverage to the School or purchase the ISM Diamond Plan prior to arrival on campus. 

All medications must be sent to the Health Complex Pharmacy in Watertown, CT,  a local pharmacy that collaborates directly with the Westover Health Center team. Students and families are not permitted to deliver the medications to campus personally.

For more information or to coordinate prescription fulfillment and pharmacy pick-up, please contact healthcenter@westoverschool.org.

A list of the vaccines required for enrollment in Connecticut high schools can be found in the August Schools Electronic Health Record System or by clicking this link.

If your child is an international student and some of the required US vaccines are not available in your home country (Meningococcus, Tdap, Varicella, etc.), please plan to arrive with your student in the United States to get the required vaccines before they start school. If your student will be arriving alone, please arrange to have your student's local guardian support them with getting the required vaccines for school entry prior to their arrival at Westover. The 2-shot COVID vaccination primary series, or 1 dose of the bivalent COVID vaccine, is highly recommended for boarding and day students. The influenza vaccine is highly recommended annually after August 1st.

Vaccine Exemptions: Vaccine exemptions for religious reasons will be granted as defined by Connecticut State statute. Students must have a religious exemption on file with Westover's Health Center or their current school in Connecticut as of April 28, 2021, to be eligible for this exemption. As per the Connecticut State Statute, Westover cannot honor exemptions from states other than Connecticut. We recognize that some students may have vaccine exemptions for medical reasons. Westover will follow the Connecticut State statute for these exemptions. Students must provide the Health Center with a State of Connecticut Vaccination Form and an affiliated physician's letter to be considered for an exemption. 

All students entering Westover must have their primary care provider complete the State of Connecticut TB Risk Assessment Tool in the August Schools health database (accessible via the August Schools HUB Checklist). Only students deemed high risk should undergo TB testing.