Important COVID-19 Notification
Sunday, September 20 , 2020
Dear Apple Valley High School Families:
Our commitment is to keep you informed of all positive, lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases at Apple Valley High School. This morning, we were notified of a lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 in a member of the school community with an exposure date of Thursday, September 10.
We have identified and informed all close contacts in our school community at this time.
Close contacts are any persons who spent at least 15 minutes within 6 feet of the COVID-19 case. All close contacts were contacted individually, provided information about COVID-19 testing, and will self-quarantine for 14 days.
The risk of exposure for other individuals in the building is no greater than the risk of getting the virus in the general community. Individuals who did not have close contact with the positive case should do the same things they always do, monitor for symptoms of illness, but do not need to stay home unless symptoms develop. If symptoms develop, stay home, and consult with your physician to determine if medical evaluation is needed.
The less common symptoms are: sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, and excessive fatigue. The more common symptoms are: Fever greater than or equal to 100.4, new or worsening cough, difficulty breathing, or new loss of taste or smell.
We understand that this may create unease in our community. We are asking all members of our community to minimize the spread of illness by taking the following actions:
Wear a face covering when outside your home.
Maintain at least 6 ft of distance from persons not in your household, when possible.
Protect yourself and others by washing your hands often with soap and water; cover your cough; avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
If you are sick, stay home.
Frequently clean all commonly touched work surfaces, work areas, and equipment (e.g., telephones, doorknobs, lunch areas, countertops, copiers, etc.).
If symptoms develop, stay at home, and contact your physician. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19:
Isolate at home for at least 10 days, with 24 hours fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement of other symptoms.
Refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website on how to Care for yourself at Home with COVID-19.
If your household contacts were exposed to you while you had symptoms, they should quarantine at home for 14 days.
They should closely monitor their health, and if symptoms occur, they must isolate themselves and may want to contact a health care provider. More guidance on this can be found here: MDH COVID-19 Basics. Also, see the CDC website for How to Minimize Spread.
The success of our flexible learning plan rests on transparent communication and the choices of each staff member, student, and family here at AVHS. The length of time that we are able to provide hybrid classes and co-curricular opportunities is dependent upon the level of care and community support - both at school and at home. Thank you for your commitment to take care of yourselves and to protect each member of our school community by strictly adhering to masking and social-distancing requirements that are designed to keep us safe and limit the spread of the virus.
Here are some additional resources:
Minnesota Department of Health, Health questions: 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903
CDC Coronavirus: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
MDH Coronavirus: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html
Sincerely,
The Apple Valley COVID-19 Safety Team
Drew Mons, Principal
Lori Henke, School Nurse
Pete Buesgens, Assistant Principal
Jennie Moren, Assistant Administrator
Virgil Jones, Assistant Principal/Athletic Director
William Blatzheim, Arts & Activities Director
Lisa Schmidt, Counselor
Susi Yermishkin, Principal's Secretary
Evan Thompson, Psychologist
Deb Mehr, Health Services Coordinator
Mary Thompson, Student Safety and Climate Coordinator
Emily Buss, District 196 Communications
Text Message Updates
Texts are delivered via SchoolMessenger, the mass notification service the district uses for phone calls and email messages. Parents must opt-in to receive text messages. Standard message and data rates may apply.
GETTING STARTED
- Text Y to 67587, you will receive a confirmation message stating you are registered to receive SchoolMessenger notifications via text.
For help information, text HELP to 67587.
To opt-out at any time, text STOP to 67587.
*Only SMS numbers listed as Guardians in the Infinite Campus student information system can receive texts.
**If you do not receive a confirmation message of what appears to be an error message, it most likely means that short code texting is not enabled on your wireless plan.