The Bee's Knees
November 2020
Message from Mr. G
It seems the topic of every newsletter this year is COVID-19. I would love to draft a message without one mention of it, but this month there have been too many COVID related developments that you need to know about to not discuss them here. Literally, as I began typing this message Governor Parson and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced a change in guidance for determining close contacts and assessing exposures in school settings. Here is the press release from his office. We had no indication this change was coming. WSD administrators are reviewing the new guidance and confirming the change in practice with the St. Charles County Department of Public Health. The WSD will continue to contact trace and document positive cases in schools. Any close contacts who were unmasked will be sent home, but we are holding on sending masked students home as close contacts until we receive confirmation from local health officials. Students and staff on quarantine should remain on quarantine until they receive further direction from the District or the St. Charles County Department of Public Health.
Earlier this week, our Board of Education determined that our middle schools and high schools will go to Level 3 (fully virtual instruction) beginning this Monday, November 16. In addition to the level of community transmission another principal reason for the move to Level 3 was the strain all schools are under due to the number of staff out due to testing positive for COIVD-19 or being in direct contact with a known positive individual. The plan is to then deploy the support staff from each of the secondary schools to BEC and the elementary schools to keep staffing levels at an adequate level, knowing that secondary students are better able to learn remotely than our younger students. Without this help BEC and the elementary schools would have been hard pressed to keep the doors open because we are all shorthanded.
To date WSD has utilized the guidelines created by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS) and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to determine which students and staff have been isolated and quarantined. Here is a link to Missouri School Reopening and Operating Guidance document. There is a link to this document at the end of Governor Parson’s press release. Page 15 in this document has an illustration of the revised guidance for isolation and quarantine.
The absence of national standards has created a lack of continuity between the various Federal and State agencies responsible for public health, which in turn creates a high degree of uncertainty and confusion for schools and the general public. Please know, the safety our students and staff is always our primary concern. As soon as more information is available I will share it with you.
Important Dates
Staff Spotlight
Hi! My name is Erin Austin. I grew up in O’Fallon and currently live in Troy with my boyfriend of 16 years and my 2 fat cats, Iggy and Marvin. I have been working as an Occupational Therapy assistant for 13 years now, and all of them have been with Wentzville school district. I love working with the students and helping them develop their fine motor skills and build confidence. Barfield is my extended family and l enjoy coming to work every day.
In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my niece and nephew; Truly and Sawyer. When I am not spoiling them with candy and goodies, I love to read and listen to true crime podcasts, fishing and shopping online. My boyfriend and I are always taking day trips to explore new places. My Favorite foods are sushi and pasta. Another passion of mine is makeup, more sparkles the better ☺
Halloween Parades
Message From The Nurses
- Get your flu vaccine. The flu vaccine is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your family from the flu. Remember, it can take up to 2 weeks for the flu vaccine to take effect.
- Wash your hands! Don't touch yours eye, nose, or mouth without washing your hands first.
- Eat healthy meals and get plenty of sleep. These healthy habits will keep your immune system in fighting shape!
- Avoid close contact with people that are sick. Clean and disinfect surfaces that people often come into contact with.
- Stay home if you're sick! If you have flu-like symptoms, stay home until you are fever free for 24 hours.
Covid-19
As a reminder, please remember to keep your child home if anyone in the house is being tested for COVID 19. We are available for any questions at anytime so please feel free to reach out to us at anytime!
-Nurse Amber amberwhyte@wsdr4.org & Nurse Crissi carissarunner@wsdr4.org