NG In-Person Learning Update
HEALTH & SAFETY
Good evening!
Yesterday you received communication from KSD regarding healthy and safety including our decision making tree for addressing symptoms, our district COVID dashboard and an FAQ page.
I know that these that health and safety topics are on everyone's minds so I hope to lay out some information here that will answer some questions and bring some clarity. It could very well also RAISE more questions so please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself, Ms. Spencer or Nurse Pam Duesenberg.
Stay well, Jennifer
Absences
Please call all your absences into our clinic at 314-213-6100 ext. 3030 or the main office at ext. 3020.
Please leave us as detailed a message as possible including:
- student name
- teacher name
- reason for absence
Nurse Pam!
Our fabulous school nurse, Pam Duesenberg, is our go to person for health issues at NG. That being said, her focus is really going to shift this year to monitoring for
symptoms, checking in with families and taking the lead on any contact tracing we
might need to do. Nurse Pam can be reached at extension 3030 and via email at
WHAT DO WE NEED FROM FAMILIES?
What do we need from families?
First and foremost ~ please err on the side of caution and if your NG kiddo shows ANY
symptoms that you cannot attribute to something like allergies, please please please
keep them home. See this fabulous graphic for symptoms to watch out for.
Every morning, you will receive a communication from KSD asking you to screen your
kids before sending them. We are not collecting your screening info; just asking you to
remember to check for things like runny noses, sore throats, headaches, nausea, loss
of taste or smell.
Administering student meds is a big part of Nurse Pam’s day. If at all possible please
administer kids meds to them BEFORE coming to school. If your kiddo needs his/her
dose during the day, OF COURSE we will accommodate, but if it possible to give at
home that would be helpful.
If your student has an underlying medical condition that could cause a symptom it
would be helpful for us to know that. If your student is under doctors care for allergies
for instance and he/she has a runny nose, we could make a reasonable presumption
that allergies are the cause for the runny nose. However, we need a doctor's note to
confirm this.
Please understand we may call you to come pick up your student if he/she is showing
even a low risk symptom.
WHAT WILL FEEL DIFFERENT?
Runny noses, tummy aches, headaches….these all happen as part of the elementary school day. And typically, we take a “wait and see” approach, maybe offer a quick snack for a tummy ache, a little lie-down for a headache.
You can probably guess that we are going to be erring on the side of caution when deciding to call families to come and pick up a student who is showing us a symptom. We will keep a student isolated from others who may be in the nurse's office until someone can come and pick up. Kids must be symptom free for 24 hours without meds before returning to school. We will need you to pick up as soon as possible after we call as we have limited isolation space.
Masks
You have been hearing a lot about masks, I’m sure.
All kids and staff are required to wear masks all day, covering both the mouth and the nose. Mask breaks will be provided during the day but they will be quick. Lunch will be in classrooms with kids seated at their table/desk spots, behind their safety barriers.
Masks will be worn all day including at recess.
Is this the right way to wear a mask?
The right way to wear a mask!
Or, is this the right way to wear a mask?
MASK ADVICE
If your student is not yet wearing a mask for long stretches of time, please start now! If your student cannot tolerate a mask, try a different kind ~ a different fabric, different ear hooks, different thickness…can make a real difference.
We will teach into wearing masks, and of course, give reminders. We will let you know if your student is struggling with the mask and work together to find a solution. Wearing a mask all day is a non-negotiable in our classrooms.
Hand Sanitizing!
We will be teaching the kids that anytime they enter or exit a room, they are going to scrub up! We will also be hand sanitizing throughout the day as well. We have a lot of hand sanitizer for the time being but if you have some at home you would like to send in, we won’t say no! :)
Meet the KSD Superheroes!
Meet the KSD Superheroes!
Meet the KSD Superheroes!
Classroom Cohorts
Outdoors
The best airflow is of course, outdoors. We will get the kids outside as much as possible even when the weather starts to turn just a bit. Please send in appropriate clothing and consider layers so your kids can work comfortably outside. We will also do all we can to keep classroom windows open.
Be Smart, Stand Apart!
Recess
Kids will remain in their cohorts for recess and rotate to different areas of our outdoors, daily. (Playground on Monday, blacktop on Tuesday for example). Masks will be worn at recess.