Lessons for a lifetime of healthy living.
Health and Safety
Health Services
The caring staff of the Health Center are committed to the health needs of the Oldfields community. The Health Center is open for students from 7:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. on weekdays and can be reached by calling 443-662-1029. A nurse is on-call anytime the Health Center is closed and can be reached through the Administrator on Duty line, 443-662-1111.
Students who request to see a physician for illness or injury will initially be seen and assessed by the Health Center staff. If the Health Center staff feels further evaluation is needed, arrangements will be made for the student to be seen by a health care provider.
Counseling Services
The school counselor plays an integral role in supporting students’ academic, social, and emotional growth at Oldfields, especially with today's ever changing world. Adolescence is a time where students face both personal and developmental challenges that have an impact on their academic growth, and the school counselor works with students to help develop a plan to navigate life’s daily challenges.
The mission of the school counselor is to implement a comprehensive, developmental school counseling program aligned with the school’s mission to ensure each girls’ success through courage, humility, and largeness of heart.
Oldfields continues to provide professional development to our faculty and staff as well as innovative programming to our students that supports mental health. Some programs have included:
- Johns Hopkins Adolescent Depression and Awareness Program
- One Trusted Adult; Boundary Training by Brooklyn Raney
- One Love Foundation: Identifying Healthy vs. Abusive Relationships
Seminar Program
Our Seminar Series involves monthly programming by grade level is designed to develop important skills such as effective study habits, competency in essential technology applications, financial literacy, wise decision- making, female reproductive health, mental illness, healthy relationships the college application process, and leadership development. Students meet in groups for an hour twice a month. Inquisitive questioning, frank discussion, and bringing in outside speakers from local experts such as Johns Hopkins University and the One Love Foundation, strengthen the seminar experience.
Campus Safety
At Oldfields, there is nothing more important than the safety of our students. Our Director of Campus Safety Kris Williams (former Maryland state trooper) lives on campus and oversees our safety program, which includes management of a team of off-duty local law enforcement officers that help ensure the physical safety of our students and employees.
With the current complex environment in which we live, Oldfields prepares our community for a variety of emergency scenarios. The School has a number of Initiatives to ensure the safety of our community:
- Coronavirus Task Force - This team meets on a regular basis to identify and mediate potential threats and is in regular consultation with local public health officials and fellow independent schools. In addition, the task force follows updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the US Department of State, the Maryland State Health Department, and the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center in order to make the most informed decisions possible for the health and safety of the Oldfields community. More detailed information can be found on our COVID-19 Update page.
- CrisisGo – The faculty and staff utilize the CrisisGo app, an easy-to-use tool empowering employees to take an active role in keeping themselves and others safe during a variety of emergency situations. This tool shortens the time between seeing something and doing something—because speed is important to safety, prevention, and response.
- ALICE Training – In conjunction with Baltimore County Police Department and the ALICE Training Institute, faculty, staff, and students are trained annually in this approach to violent intruders used by over 4,200 school districts. ALICE stands for Alert, Lock down, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. It is designed to empower individuals to make decisions in the moment that will increase the likelihood of survival.
- Safe2SpeakUp – The students have the Safe2Speakup app. This app is the student version of CrisisGo app described above. It is a simple way to alert the entire community in the event that they see something or someone suspicious or threatening.
- Students: To learn more about emergency procedures and get the Safe2SpeakUp app configure on your device, please visit Emergency Procedures in the Student Portal
- Parents: To learn more about how you as a parent can help, please visit the Emergency Procedures in the Parent Portal
While we do not want to unduly alarm our students or families, at Oldfields we understand that educating and preparing everyone for emergencies is a necessary step in assuring their safety.
