Westbrook Public Schools

September 14, 2010

 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The purpose of this letter is to update you on the influenza (flu) situation for this season and to share public health recommendations that have been made to address it.  

H1N1 shattered the conception that the flu is an illness affecting the elderly and those with other medical conditions. During last year as H1N1 struck our communities it was obvious that young healthy children could get sick. This is one of the reasons why the highly esteemed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices now recommends that all persons 6 months of age or older get vaccinated against influenza.  The vaccine this year will protect against the three strains that are expected to be most common, including H1N1.  Unlike last year, only one type of flu shot is needed although some children under the age of ten may need two shots for full protection. 

Unlike last year, the federal government will not be supplying the vaccine and there will be no mass immunization clinics run by the Connecticut River Area Health District. The health district’s role this year is to work with vaccine providers (doctors, VNAs and others) to ensure that there are sufficient opportunities for anyone who wants to be vaccinated to do so. Visit their web site at www.crahd.org for info on where you and your family can receive the shot.

Once again, our schools will be vigilant in requiring that only well children attend school. If your child has flu-like symptoms which include fever (over 100 degrees F.) with a cough, sore throat, runny nose or stuffy nose they need to be out of school.  Additional symptoms that may be experienced with seasonal flu, include muscle pain, fatigue, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.

If your child is ill, it is important that he or she remain home until they are better. This means fever free for 24 hours and no acute symptoms of illness such as vomiting, diarrhea and/or sore throat.  It is also important to teach your children how to reduce the risk of getting the flu and how to protect others from infection.  A one-page fact sheet, Preventing the Flu: Good Health Habits Can Help Stop Germs is attached for your information.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our children and our schools healthy.

Sincerely,

  

Superintendent of Schools

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preventing the Flu: Good Health Habits Can Help Stop Germs

 

Fact Sheet

  

1.    Avoid close contact.

                 Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

                 When you are sick, keep your distance from others to                                  

                 protect them from getting sick too.              

 

 2.    Stay home when you are sick.

                 Stay home from work, school, and errands when you

                 are sick.  Keep sick children home. You will help

                 prevent others from catching the illness.

 3.    Cover your mouth and nose.

                 Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when

                 coughing or sneezing. Throw the tissue in the trash 

                 after you use it. No tissue-cough into your sleeve.

4.    Wash your hands often.

                  Washing your hands and the hands of your children

                  often will help protect you from germs. This is the  

                  single most effective thing you can do to help stay 

                  well.

 5.    Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

                 Germs are often spread when a person touches

                 something that is contaminated with germs and 

                 then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

6.    Practice other good health habits

                 Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your

                 stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. 

 7.    Get vaccinated against the Flu

                 When you get vaccinated you have the best chance of  

                  not getting sick from the Flu and not spreading it to others

 

                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 19, 2009

 

Dear Parents or Guardians,

We are beginning to see the first cases of flu in our school district.  In response to the anticipated impact on both student and staff attendance, we are taking specific steps to not only reduce the spread of flu in the Westbrook Public Schools, but also to maintain a system whereby ill students may continue to obtain information about material being covered in their classes on days they are absent from school.

 

As reported previously, we continue to work closely with the State Board of Education, the Westbrook Health Department and the Connecticut River Area Health District to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning our schools. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available.  The Department of Public Health has initiated a swine flu hotline, should you have specific questions.  The number is 1-800-830-9426 and there is someone available from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

 

The following list again highlights important actions that you can take now to help keep you, your child, and family well during the flu season:

 

• Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.
• Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with a tissue, their elbow, arm or sleeve instead of their hand.
• Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea. Your health care provider will decide whether antiviral drugs are needed to treat your illness. Remember, most people with 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs and the same is true of seasonal flu.
• Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever without using fever-reducing medicine.  Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
• Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home.
• Make arrangements for other trusted family or friends to care for your child if they are sick and you can not be home with them. This plan should not involve exposure to other well children.

Below are a list of  websites where you may obtain the most current information about the flu:
http://www.chathamhealth.org/
http://www.crahd.org/
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/schools/toolkit/
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/schools/schoolguidance.htm

In the event your child is ill and must be absent from school, he/she may obtain class work by contacting the school or logging on to the teacher’s website.  Elementary teachers may use a combination of take-home packets and  information posted to their websites.  Some assignments are not easily transferred electronically or may not be developmentally appropriate in that format.  Students who are well enough are encouraged to complete the assignments in conjunction with textbooks, workbooks and other resources as prescribed by their teachers.  While this method clearly will not replace in-class instruction, it will allow students to remain current and up-to-date on course material if and when they are absent.

 

On those occasions when teachers are out ill, each school will continue to seek a substitute teacher who will implement “substitute plans” as prepared by the regular classroom teacher.  Given that we anticipate that the flu will most likely impact our pool of substitute teachers also, I have asked principals to design contingency plans to combine classes where appropriate and to develop plans to utilize all personnel in their respective schools to maintain a credible instructional program during periods of increased absence of teaching staff. 

 

Our goal is to keep schools functioning in a normal manner during this flu season and open to all students and staff.Our hope is that working together we can minimize the disruption caused during this flu season.  

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

Patricia Charles
Superintendent

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 9, 2009




Dear Parent/Guardian:


We hope your family is well and that the school year has had a positive beginning.

We are writing to inform you that we recently learned that the Connecticut River Health District is offering clinics to inoculate children ages 2 to 4, who have no underlying medical conditions, against the H1N1 virus. A limited number of nasal spray vaccines have been made available to our region for this specific group of young children

The first clinic to be offered is on October 15th, 3-7 pm at the Old Saybrook Middle School. In order to receive this vaccine through the clinic, your child must be signed up through their daycare or preschool program by Tuesday, October 13^th.  Please contact the school (860-399-7925) today or on Tuesday if you are interested in having your 2-4 year old child inoculated with the nasal spray at this clinic.

Additional clinics will be offered by the Connecticut River Area Health District, and we will keep you informed as that information becomes available.

For those children who have underlying medical conditions as described in the attached Frequently Asked Questions, we urge you to contact your pediatrician regarding the injectable vaccine. 

Thank you for your assistance in maintaining a healthy population of preschoolers!


Sincerely,


Kathleen C. Onofrio
Director of Special Services