District News: An E-Newsletter for Roseville Area Schools Staff and Families

News for November 17, 2021
In today's edition of District News:
From the Superintendent
November 17, 2021
Dear Roseville Area Schools Parents, Staff and Community Members,
This week Minnesota Department of Health officials reported that Minnesota's rate of new COVID-19 cases over the past seven days was the worst in the nation, and the situation has brought hospitals across the state closer to capacity. According to local news reports this week, more than 95% of available inpatient hospital beds were filled with COVID and non-COVID patients, resulting in backups in emergency departments across Minnesota. Tragically, unvaccinated people make up the majority of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Minnesota – even though they make up the minority of the state’s population. This comes just as many of us are making plans for seeing friends, family members and other loved ones over the coming holiday season. 
No doubt, the pandemic is ongoing and the Delta variant has resulted in continued high levels of transmission. I want to emphasize the importance of keeping your student home when they have COVID-19 symptoms to minimize potential spread. Health officials recommend staying home and getting tested if you have even one of the many symptoms that are potentially COVID. We have an easy-to-use Daily Screening Tool available in multiple languages to help families determine when to stay home and get tested. 
All children ages 5 and up are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Find a child or teen vaccine here. The best way to keep students healthy and safe is to get them vaccinated. It will help keep them in school, sports and other activities. Students who are fully vaccinated do not have to stay home if they are exposed to someone who has COVID-19.
When vaccines became available for adults, we saw a dramatic drop in the number of cases among our staff. You can find data on the number of cases in our schools on our COVID-19 Dashboard. The approval of vaccines for children ages 5 and up presents a bright glimmer of hope that we are headed in the right direction and will soon see rates drop. If you have questions about vaccines and your student, please contact your pediatrician to discuss the benefits to our broader community.
Sincerely,
Jenny Loeck, Ed.D.
Superintendent
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COVID-19 Updates
COVID-19 Cases on the Rise in Minnesota
Minnesota has high community transmission of COVID-19 right now. Community transmission means we have transmission in schools. When we identify positive cases, we conduct contact tracing to quarantine those at risk. Wearing masks and creating distance when possible are other important strategies. Here are some other important mitigation strategies that we ask of families, students and staff.
  1. Stay home when you have symptoms! The Daily Screening Tool continues to be one of the most important strategies. You cannot assume that a stuffy nose is just allergies, or that a headache and exhaustion are nothing to be worried about. Assume it is COVID-19, then prove it is not through a COVID-19 test.
  2. Test! Test! Test! During times of high transmission, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recommends getting tested even if you have only one of the many symptoms associated with COVID-19.
    • Symptoms of COVID-19 include new and worsening cough, fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher (38 degrees Celsius or higher), difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, muscle pain, excessive fatigue, new or severe headache, new onset of congestion or runny nose.
    • Even if you have only one of these symptoms, we recommend you stay home and take a COVID-19 test.
    • Families can access a free BinaxNOW COVID-19 test kit from their school health office to use at home when students have symptoms.
    • Frequent COVID-19 screening helps to find anyone who may have “asymptomatic COVID,” meaning they test positive but do not show any symptoms. Consider testing once a week instead of just testing when you get an exposure or close contact letter.
    • Free testing options include:
  3. Get vaccinated against COVID-19. All students ages 5 and above are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. The state has launched a new webpage (mn.gov/vaxforkids) to help parents and guardians find 5-11-year-old children a vaccine and answer questions they may have about the vaccine.
    1. Visit mn.gov/vaxforkids to find clinic locations near you.
    2. Check with their pediatrician, family medicine clinic or pharmacy about appointments
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COVID-19 Home Test Kits for Students are Available for to Take Home
BinaxNOW Test Kits
BinaxNOW Covid-19 test kits are now available in the health office for symptomatic students. BinaxNOW is a kit that can be used to test for COVID-19 when someone has common symptoms such as cough, fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, excessive fatigue, new or severe headache, or congestion/runny nose. It is not recommended for asymptomatic students. If your student stayed home sick and has symptoms, you may contact the health office at 651-604-1474. You can then pick up a test kit at school or we can send it home with a sibling. These tests will be administered to students at home by parents. Tests cannot be performed at school or by school staff.
Referrals to Total Compliance Solutions
Alternatively, beginning this week, students or staff may be referred to a local vendor, Total Compliance Solutions, for a rapid-PCR COVID-19 test. Contact your school's health office for additional information. 
After Testing
Please call the health office to report the test results. Typically, students are welcome to return to school the day after their negative test if they are feeling better.
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News Around the District
Leaders in Training are National Winners in AdVenture Capital Innovation Program
Roseville Area Schools students who are part of our Leaders in Training (LIT) program are national winners with their idea entitled, YOUFIT 2.0. Their innovative idea helps empower students to deal with mental health issues within a small group format, and implements meditation and physical fitness within its initiative. 
Read the full story!
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Attend our upcoming virtual Kindergarten Information Night for students who will enter kindergarten in fall 2022!
School Nutrition Information
Applications for Educational Benefits
Has your family completed this year’s application? Families must fill it out each school year to receive benefits and for the schools and district to receive crucial revenue to support student learning. This is the last call to complete before year-end to ensure Roseville Area Schools receives the needed compensatory revenue.
Complete yours today!
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For more information about Roseville Area Schools visit isd623.org or email communications@isd623.org.
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1251 County Road B2 W
Roseville, MN | 55113 United States
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