Dear Peregrine Community,
We are writing to share with you our continued efforts to plan for the possible spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in our community and steps our school and you can continue to take to prevent the spread of illness across our campuses.
Public health officials at the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) received confirmation on March 6, 2020, that a Yolo County resident has tested positive for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). This is the first case in Yolo County.
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We are continuing to monitor reports from the Yolo County Health Department, and we are in contact with DJUSD and other independent schools to discuss how best to prepare for the possibility of a school closure. We continue to evaluate spring break travel, upcoming school trips, and other non-typical school activities in the context of the COVID-19. See below for information about Spring Break.
School efforts to protect and prepare the community:
Continuing frequent disinfection of commonly used surfaces such as faucets, restroom stall borders, toilets, toilet handles, changing tables, door handles, toys, and gates. Working with students to develop non-contact greetings in the elementary school, working on plans for remote learning in case there is a school closure.
What Peregrine families can do to protect the school community:
Please keep your child at home if they are sick, even if they just have a cold. It is important to help keep staff and students at school as healthy as possible. Reduced staffing due to illness puts a strain on school resources.
If your child has been at home sick with a fever, do not bring your child back to school until they have been without a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
Make sure your contact information is up-to-date, and that we have at least one emergency contact on file beside each parent. Please review and update your contact information online through the Family Access Module. Follow the step-by-step guide here.
If you are called to pick up your sick child from school please pick them up, or arrange for them to get picked up, as soon as possible.
Make sure everyone in your family has had the flu vaccine. While it won't protect you against COVID-19, it will help protect you against the flu, which kills up to 61,000 Americans each year. By avoiding the flu and its symptoms, you help keep those around you healthy and reduce pressure on our healthcare system so it can focus on COVID-19.
Spring Break: March 23-27 is our Spring Break. The school will be closed. We hope that despite the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 outbreak, families will be able to relax and enjoy time together. For those families planning travel outside the United States, you should know that the situation in each country with respect to COVID-19 can change rapidly. Even if you are traveling to a country currently not on the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Level 1-3 Travel Notice list, that country’s status could change while you are there. We want you to be aware that circumstances may arise where we would require that your family self-quarantine upon your return.
Here is the link to the CDC Travel Advisory page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html
General public agency recommendations:
The US CDC (United States Centers for Disease Control) and the WHO (World Health Organization) continue to recommend that individuals and families follow everyday preventive measures to limit the spread of respiratory diseases such as COVID-19:
Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 60% to 95% alcohol.
Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.
Stay home when you are sick with respiratory disease symptoms. Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash can.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth: contaminated hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and make you sick.
Maintain a six (6) foot distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Healthy people do not need to use a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses like COVID-19.
RESOURCES:
Yolo County COVID-19 Information Sincerely, Peregrine School Directors