• This week marks two years since SC Governor McMaster closed school campuses due to COVID-19. It has felt like a roller coaster ride at times with all of the policy changes, COVID surges, etc. With the recent loosening of the guidelines and transition to an endemic approach, we are finally feeling like life is a little more normal. These past two years have tested us all, but our partnership throughout the pandemic has been strong and we thank you! #MSAtogether

• Friday, March 11, is an early dismissal day for students due to afternoon professional development for faculty and staff. ALL PROGRAMS WILL BE CLOSED after dismissal. We thank you for understanding how important these professional development days are for our faculty and staff! Our efforts to learn and improve benefit the whole MSA community.

• SPRING BREAK is here - March 14-18! Holiday Extended Care will be available for Infant/Toddler and Primary. All other programs will be closed. Please contact Ms. Melissa at mhightower@msasc.org if you have questions regarding Spring Break care.

• Parent-Teacher conferences will be held the week after Spring Break (March 21-March 25). Take advantage of this opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher. This is especially important for parents of students rising to another level next year. So don’t forget to schedule your conference if you haven’t already done so!

• Monday, March 21, is a student holiday for I/T-UE only to allow for conferences. Extended Care will be available on this day for those programs. Please contact Ms. Melissa at mhightower@msasc.org if you have any questions regarding extended care on this day.

Happy Spring Break!

Dr. Dana Hill

March 1-31 - National Nutrition Month

March 11 - Early dismissal for professional development -- no extended care available, see times below

March 13 - Spring Forward -- move your clocks forward one hour for Daylight Savings Time

March 14-18 - Spring Break

March 21 - Student holiday for infant-upper elementary, extended care only available infant-elementary

March 21-25 - Spring Conferences

Friday, March 11 Dismissal

Montessori School of Anderson will be closing early on Friday, March 11 for professional development. Dismissal times for the levels will be:

• Infant/Toddler, Primary and Lower Elementary - 11:00
• Upper Elementary, Middle School, and High School - 11:30

In light of the recent tragic events happening in the Ukraine, I know school nurses, teachers and parents want to do something, anything to help children process these events. In that spirit, I want to share a resource with you that might help as you talk to children about the images that they may be hearing or seeing regarding the War in the Ukraine.

The Center for Parenting Education has some excellent information about When Disaster Strikes: Talking to Children about Traumatic Events. http://centerforparentingeducation.org/library-of-articles/healthy-communication/when-disaster-strikes-talking-to-children-about-traumatic-events/

MSA Covid Testing Program

The MSA Covid Testing program will continue until the end of the 2021-2022 academic year. Since transmission rates in Anderson County are greatly reduced, I will return to offering Covid testing twice a week and testing will be available every Monday and Friday from 7:30-10:30am (unless otherwise announced). Covid testing will resume following Spring Break, and the first date that testing will be offered is Friday, March 25.

Free Covid Home Kits

As of March 7, all U.S. households are now eligible to order four additional home Covid-19 test kits from the federal government. All Covid test kits are free and the process to order is simple and only requires your name, address and email address. To place your order, go to www.covidtests.gov

March is Poison Control Awareness Month

Each year, more than 2 million poisonings are reported to the nation’s poison control centers, which can be reached through the toll-free Poison Help line, 1-800-222-1222. As part of National Poison Prevention Week, March 20-26, a national event designated by Congress, I wanted to remind our MSA community of the dangers of poisons and how to prevent unintentional poisonings among people of all ages.

National Poison Prevention Week was established by the U.S. Congress in 1961 to focus national attention on the dangers of poisonings and how to prevent them. To learn more about ways to keep people of all ages safe and help prevent poisonings, visit the Poison Help website at www.PoisonHelp.hrsa.gov (or to view materials in Spanish, presiona aquí).

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, 93 percent of poisonings happen at home, and 45 percent of poisonings involve children under the age of 6. The majority of fatal poisonings occur among adults, especially older adults.

For additional information or in case of a poison emergency, contact your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. https://www.poison.org or www.PoisonHelp.HRSA.gov

Time Change/Safety Reminder

Daylight Savings begins Sunday, March 13, 2022 at 2 am. Be sure to spring forward 1 hour. Additionally, this is also a good time to test your smoke alarms and change replaceable batteries, if needed.

Wishing you a safe and healthy Spring Break,

Susanna Merriman, RN