September 18 - Campus Workday

September 20 - Montessori Monday - wear Montessori-themed attire

September 21 - International Day of Peace (White Out, see below)

September 24 - Primary Planet PJ Party

October 1 - Pink Out!

October 4-8 - Fall portraits

October 13-15 - Fall Break - extended care available for IT-PR

October 22 - Do a Kind Deed Day

October 25-29 - Spirit Week - details to come

Campus Workday

Join us for a campus workday tomorrow, September 18, from 8:00-12:00. We will use this time to beautify our campus and spruce up a bit. Hope to see you there!

International Day of Peace White Out

We encourage everyone to celebrate peace with us by wearing white on Tuesday, September 21 for the International Day of Peace.

I hope that you've had a safe and healthy week. The children are continuing to do a wonderful job complying with the wearing of masks (although MSA policy for now remains, masking strongly recommended), socially distancing (when possible), handwashing and practicing hand and respiratory hygiene. As we move into our sixth academic week, I wanted to share information on a few topics that will help MSA maintain a safer and healthier community.

Wishing you continued good health.

Blessings,

Susanna Merriman, RN

***Flu vaccine

Flu season is right around the corner. In order to prevent the spread of flu within our MSA community, we ask that you speak to your healthcare provider and discuss if you or your child are candidates for the flu vaccine. Amid Covid, many healthcare providers are offering drive thru flu clinics. Contact your provider for more information.

Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC recommend the flu vaccine. I am sharing the links below regarding the 2020-21 Flu vaccine, Flu and Coronavirus.it may answer many questions. You should get a flu vaccine before the flu begins spreading in your community. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies that protect against flu to develop in the body, so make plans to get vaccinated early in fall, before flu season begins. CDC recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. Getting vaccinated later, however, can still be beneficial and vaccination should continue to be offered throughout flu season, even into January or later.

For additional updates and information on Influenza and Covid-19, please refer to the links below:

Influenza: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm

Coronavirus: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/flu-vaccine-good.html#.W6wffM_ictU.email

***Strategies to stay healthy during cold and flu season:

The best way to combat the flu or Covid-19 this season is through preventive measures.

Getting flu vaccine is your best defense, but you may also use the following tips to fight the flu this year:

Healthy Hygiene Habits:

• Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Wear a mask when in public and unable to socially distance.
• MSA strongly recommends masking while indoors in the classroom.
• Maintain a social distance of at least 3-6 ft away from others.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Cover coughs and sneezes. Use a tissue to cover coughs and sneezes, then dispose of the tissue. When a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your elbow.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces or objects. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill.
• Wash hands for 20 seconds. Washing hands often under clean, running water can help prevent the spread of germs.
• Ventilation and proper air flow is encouraged while indoors.
• Follow Montessori's School of Anderson's Illness Policy as stated in the handbook: MSA Students are prohibited from attending classes while ill. If your child is absent, please notify the front office. MSA is proactive in monitoring all illnesses and makes every effort to prevent illnesses from spreading. When you have verification that your child has a communicable disease, please notify the office immediately. It is preferable to bring your child late or keep him/her out for another day in order to fully recuperate rather than risk exposing the student body to a potentially communicable illness. All students must be fever, vomiting and diarrhea free for 24 hours without the aid of medications before returning to school. If your child has missed school due to illness, he/she may not participate in any other school related activity on that day or evening.

• COVID Change: Any student (or faculty/staff) who is diagnosed as COVID-19

  positive will be reported to SC DHEC and MSA will follow their guidelines for when the student may return to school and whether others must be isolated/quarantined.

• Seasonal influenza vaccine will be available later this month; contact your physician for more information.
• All cases of influenza need to be reported to MSA.
• All cases of Covid-19 should be reported to MSA immediately.
• Please notify the office if you or your family members are traveling outside of the country at any time during the school year.
• Return to School following illness, Covid-19 exposures, quarantine or isolation must be cleared by Dr. Dana Hill at administrator@msasc.org or Nurse Merriman at schoolnurse@msasc.org
• In most cases, during Covid-19, improvement of symptoms and a medical clearance or a negative Covid-19 PCR test will be required for the return to school.

***Reminder of the MSA Infectious Disease Policy

• Children are expected to be in good health when in school. All students must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school (without taking fever-reducing medication). Absences, excused or unexcused, will be recorded for all students. Any student experiencing a fever greater than 100.4°F, vomiting, experiencing diarrhea, or simply feeling too poorly to focus or concentrate on classwork will be removed from the classroom. His/her parents will be called to pick them up. The child should be isolated until the parent arrives. No student will be allowed to leave campus without the direct consent of the parent/guardian.

  
  

  COVID Change: Any student (or faculty/staff) who is diagnosed as COVID-19 positive will be reported to SC DHEC and MSA will follow their guidelines for when the student may return to school and whether others must be isolated/quarantined.

MSA Covid Testing Update:

MSA Covid Testing has been well received and Covid-19 Saliva PCR testing continues for all MSA Employees and Upper El, Middle School and High School Students each Monday and Friday mornings.

With healthy regards,

Susanna Merriman, RN

Dr. Montessori believed that "there must be provision for the child to have contact with nature; to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony, and the beauty in nature." The outdoor classroom is not considered a second classroom but an extension of the prepared environment. Primary has made creating an enriching outdoor environment to extend the students' learning beyond the physical classroom a priority this year. Donations have been made to this space by Wanda Morton with Modern Woodmen. The Primary classrooms have received 3 outdoor tables, a sand table, and a water table through her donation. The Fossum family has also donated money to be used in the purchase of additional materials. Also, our high school students are working on creating an easel out of PVC pipe for use in the outdoor classroom. In addition, monies from a previous Spring Benefit "Fund-in-Need" designated for outdoor enhancements and shade, will be used toward providing an awning or shed-style cover for this outdoor classroom. We are very grateful to all of our donors for their generosity! Donations for this project are still being accepted. This will be an ongoing, year-long project that the students and teachers are most excited about! Get a peak of this beautiful space in the pictures below.

Students in Mrs. Patch's Lower Elementary Horticulture class spent this week's class weeding and seeding the bed with fall veggies.

Be sure to wear white for our International Day of Peace White Out this coming Tuesday, September 21 and don't forget to stop by and check out the banner of pennant flags that will be placed at the Peace Plaza by the flag pole. Here is a sneak peak of some of the High School students working on their designs!

The High School students and faculty participated in Secret Friend week this week in which they secretly gifted small goodies and notes of encouragement to a randomly selected secret friend throughout the week, culminating in the reveal party on Friday. Participants opened their final gift and attempted to guess who their secret friend was throughout the week. See below and click this link to view more photos from the exciting reveal!

The yearbook staff has been hard at work developing this year's yearbook theme and creating advertisements like the one below and in the previous issues of Montessori Matters. Be sure to purchase your yearbook now for the lowest price of the year! Remember that the yearbook covers all levels, from infants to graduates!