Winter Health and SafetyHistorically, the weeks between Thanksgiving and after Winter Break brings a marked increase in upper respiratory illnesses including colds, flu, RSV, COVID-19 and Strep. Here’s some helpful hints to reduce illness during this joyful time of gathering and celebrations from the American Red Cross: Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones During The Holidays. To help minimize illness spreading, our classrooms have HEPA air purifiers running in every classroom, have tissues and masks available, encourage “catching coughs & sneezes in our elbow” and assist in washing hands before and after eating, after using restroom, wiping or blowing noses or when sneezing/coughing/wipes are on hands. Teachers also monitor children’s health upon arrival and through their day with us. Just a reminder, children with fever, new rash, red eyes with or without discharge/watering, persistent cough/runny nose/sneezing, sore throat, lethargy, diarrhea/vomiting or stomach pains should be kept home and possibly seen by a health care professional. If your child is feeling unwell to please keep them home, message through brightwheel and fill out the illness reporting form: Illness Reporting Form This process helps us monitor illnesses and enable us to provide accurate back to school guidance, complete additional deep cleaning and notify families of a highly contagious disease if applicable. If a child becomes unwell at school, we will message families through brightwheel using “alert” which also sends a text message. Per DCFS, children sent home from school with any of the above symptoms are to be excluded from school for a minimum of 24 hours or one full school day afterwards. See handy return to school guidance below. We appreciate your partnership in keeping Pilgrim as healthy and safe.
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