SPECIAL ISSUE OF E-NEWS
FLU SEASON UPDATE

October 27, 2009


Dear Parents,

As we noted in the very first E-News in September, we continue to monitor the H1N1 situation closely. Just this past week, some area schools have closed for a few days; others have curtailed before and after-school activities.

Despite all the media coverage on H1N1, the Connecticut Department of Public Health has confirmed that, while the spread seems to have increased, the severity of H1N1 continues to fall below the guidelines for "increased severity." We understand that in this environment families may feel anxious, but both the Department of Public Health and our consulting pediatrician, Dr. Dick Whelan, say the risk has not changed.

We also want to stress that physicans are treating patients with H1N1 or seasonal flu in the same way. We continue to reinforce hygiene at school and want to reiterate the importance of keeping your children home if they are sick. Both students and staff will be sent home if they have a fever or exhibit other flu-like symptoms such as sore throat, cough, vomiting and body aches. Currently, several students are at home with some flu-like symptoms, and one of these cases in the Lower School is most likely H1N1.

Consistent with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations, our school policy is that children with flu-like symptoms stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever (without use of fever-reducing medicines), whether or not they are taking antiviral drugs. To be cautious, we now encourage parents to extend the home-stay to 48 hours post fever. As always, teachers will work with children who miss school to keep them current with their schoolwork.

When students do return to school, they should check in with the school nurse, Maryanne Peterson, before going to their classrooms.

We have no plans to close the school at this time and would only do so at the recommendation of the Connecticut Department of Public Health with input from Dr. Whelan. We will consider the number and severity of cases in making our decision. If such a situation arises, we will use E-News to alert you.

We are in frequent contact with Dr. Whelan, and we will continue to keep you updated on any changes here at school. Note that we have information as well as several useful links on the Parents page of our Web site.

I know that some parents have questions about the flu vaccine and its availability. As always, I recommend that you consult your family doctor for advice regarding your own child.

Best regards,


Carol Maoz