We have successfully completed our third week of school. It’s hard to believe we are now in September and headed into a long holiday weekend! Some of our MSA families have travel plans and others will be sticking close to home. Regardless of where you’ll be, just remember that we’re all hoping to be back here on campus together on September 8… and beyond. So wherever you are, we ask that you take the appropriate precautions to keep your family members and our MSA community members safe upon our return.

Tuesday, September 1, SC DHEC announced that beginning today they will provide twice-weekly reports on the number of COVID-19 cases associated with staff and students at public and private schools in the state. The reporting will include cumulative and rolling 30-day counts of confirmed cases among students, teachers, and staff, and will be updated on DHEC’s COVID-19 webpage on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. (scdhec.gov/COVID19schools)

Key points about this new data that will be published include:

• The reporting does not mean that students, faculty, or staff contracted the virus at school.

• The reporting will include K5 through 12th-grade students in public and private schools.

• Only those individuals who physically attend school on a regular basis will be included in the counts.

• Sometimes a school may have self-announced cases before they are reflected in DHEC’s twice-weekly reporting.

I realize that it may not be realistic to think that we could avoid having any COVID-19 cases within our community, but that is our goal and our decisions and actions will be made with that goal in mind. We all want to remain healthy and on campus for our children to benefit from in-person learning and care. So enjoy this Labor Day weekend… and keep up the good health practices!

DHEC has asked us to share this additional information with you - FAQ for Parents.

Wishing you a happy Labor Day!

Dr. Dana Hill

Remember that you can always check the MSA website calendar for upcoming calendar events.

September 7 - Labor Day holiday, All Programs Closed

September 11 - Friday pizza lunches start (order through main office)

September 25 - Primary Planet Pajama Party

October 12-13 - Remote learning days, K5-High School

October 14-16 - Fall Break, Extended Care Only Infant/Toddler through Primary

Immunizations

All students must have a South Carolina DHEC immunization record on file in the MSA Health Office within 30 days of admission or the first day of school. If you are a transfer student from out of state or country, all immunization records must be transferred to a SC DHEC Form at your physician's office or at a South Carolina Health Department. If the student has received any additional immunizations in the last year, a new record must be submitted to MSA. All Medical and Religious exemption forms must be renewed annually, this may be completed at your local health department. Any student not in compliance with South Carolina's Immunization mandated guidelines must be excluded until a immunization record has been received. Please make every effort to meet this deadline so there is no interruption in your child's educational experience.

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.
• Maintain social distancing of at least 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. For more guidance see the CDC: When and How to Wash Your Hands. If you cannot wash your hands, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60-95% alcohol.
• 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.
• 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.

For additional updates and information, please refer to the links below:

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

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

With health and peace,

Susanna Merriman, RN