News & Events >> Health Update - 09/04/2009
Health Update - 09/04/2009
Date: 09/20/2009
Health Memo
From Linda Valletta, School Nurse
Pat Werner, Head of School
Guidelines for Preventing The Spread of Illness
Staying home stops the spread of the flu and other illnesses.
Please check your child every morning before sending him or her to school:
| IF YOUR CHILD HAS: | THEN YOU MUST: |
| Fever* (100º F or 37. 7ºC) AND sore throat or cough. These are indicators your child may have the flu. | Keep your child home from school until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100F, 37.8 C), or show no signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications. |
• Fever* alone, OR • vomiting or diarrhea, OR • sore throat or new cough with no fever | Keep your child home from school until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100F, 37.8 C), or show no signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications. |
*If you don’t have a thermometer, feel your child’s forehead with your hand. If it is much warmer than usual, your child probably has a fever.
If you child comes to school with symptoms of flu, or if your child develops these symptoms when they get to school, your child will be sent home until signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications are gone for 24 hours.
Now would be the time to consider what arrangements need to be in place to be prepared in case your child needs to be at home when he/she is sick.
Dear Parents,
We are working closely with our local and state health departments to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning our school. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available to us.
As you may know, flu can be spread easily from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to prevent the spread of flu at Washington Montessori School for as long as possible, however, we need your assistance in taking responsibility to accomplish this.
For now, we are doing everything we can to keep our institution operating as usual. We are cleaning surfaces that have frequent hand contact during the day, such as tables, doorknobs, keyboards and pencils. Here are a few things you can do to help:
- Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners also are effective.
- Practice respiratory etiquette by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth; germs are spread this way.
- Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. A fever is a temperature taken with a thermometer that is equal to or greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius. Look for possible signs of fever: if the person feels very warm, has a flushed appearance, or is sweating or shivering. Other signs of the flu can include headache, chills, muscle aches and pains, sore throat and cough.
- Stay home if you have flu or flu-like illness for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) or signs of a fever. This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). Please refer to our website for instructions on staying home when sick. (www.washingtonmontessori.org). The school will send children home if they have symptoms of the flu.
· Talk with your health care providers about whether you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu. Also, if you are at higher risk for flu complications from 2009 H1N1 flu, you should consider getting the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available.
For the most up-to-date information on flu, visit www.flu.gov, or call 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636).
We will notify you by e-mail or on the WMS Web site of any additional changes to our institution’s strategy to prevent the spread of flu on our campus.
Sincerely,
Pat Werner, Head of School & Linda Valletta, School Nurse
