Dear Saklan Community,
As the weather gets colder, we have seen an uptick in runny noses and coughs on campus. While some of this may result from colder weather and a morning sniffle, some of it may be something more. Last year, due to COVID Protocols, the world saw a negligible amount of influenza infections. While that was great news last year, what it means for the year is we are expecting more cases as our internal defenses against the flu have weakened.
To keep everyone as healthy as possible, we ask that you do the following:
- If your child has flu-like symptoms* (cough, runny nose, sore throat), keep them home until their conditions have improved.
- Students must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
- If your child is home due to these or other COVID-19 symptoms, test them to eliminate that possibility. If you need a rapid test, the school can supply you with one.
- Get your child a flu vaccine as soon as possible. The CDC recommends that everyone six months and older get the flu vaccine this year to help prevent a twindemic (flu and COVID).
- We also strongly encourage families to get their children a COVID-19 vaccine once they become available.
* You and your physician know your child best. With the cold weather, sometimes a runny nose or cough is due to a change in temperature, allergies, etc, and nothing more. If we have a concern, we will call to consult with you, but may ask you to pick your child up. When in doubt, keep them out.
At school, we will continue to mask, ventilate and wash hands frequently to keep the spread of flu or COVID-19 as low as possible.
Lastly, with the hope of more wet days in our future, I want to remind you to send your student to school dressed for the weather. On rainy days, students who are dressed for rain (with raincoats, rain boots, hoods, umbrellas, etc.) will get to spend more time outside playing. It is also helpful if you label these wet weather accessories with your child’s name.
Thank you for your help in keeping our community healthy, safe, and ready for the changing weather.
Appreciatively,
David
