Illness and Covid Information

Sick child?

Keep your child home from school, even for mild symptoms. 

Give 2 at-home antigen (rapid) tests spaced 24 hours apart.

Your child can return with 2 negative tests AND when symptoms are improved. 

Thank you for helping to prevent the spread of illness (even non-covid illnesses!)

Test Positive for Covid? 

Stay home and isolate for a minimum of 5 days

Your child can return after 5 days if: 

• They have two negative antigen tests performed at least 24 hours apart beginning no earlier than day 4
• They never had symptoms or their symptoms have improved and they feel better
• AND they have had no fever for at least 24 hours without the use of medicine that reduces fevers
• AND they wear a mask around others through day 10.

Visit the Vermont Department of Health for more information

Is it just allergies?

 Allergy season has arrived. Covid-19 and allergies share some symptoms, but not others. Use this chart to compare the common symptoms of Covid-19 and allergies. Please reach out to your child’s pediatrician if they are experiencing allergy symptoms. If they take daily allergy medication or maintenance inhalers, this might be a good time to start taking those. If it’s unclear if your child is having allergies or covid symptoms, they should stay home until you can communicate with their pediatrician. They will provide guidance on whether covid testing is needed, and when it’s ok for your child to return to school. 

 

As this pandemic drags on, it’s easy to get discouraged and sad that we can’t hang out with our friends and family. We know that the next couple of months of winter will be challenging. We appreciate all of the sacrifices that our community has made to keep our students healthy and to keep our schools open. 

Things we still need to avoid:

Indoor gatherings

Sleepovers

Sharing meals with others (even outdoors)

Things we can safely do with others:

Safe Outdoor Activities (Stay 6 feet apart and wear masks!)

Sledding      

Snowshoeing

Snowman building competitions

Walks on the Bike Path (try it at night with a headlamp!)

Please continue to keep students home when they are sick. This includes even minor colds or ‘the sniffles’. Any symptom, even a runny nose or headache, means you should keep your child home from school and contact me or your primary care provider for guidance on when they can return to school. Thank you for your help with this! 

February 14-20 is Random Acts of Kindness week! Being kind and helping others is a great way to help kids boost their mood, self-esteem, and resilience. Simple acts of kindness can go a long way to brighten someone’s day. 

 

If your family gathers for a multi-household event, please keep your student home to quarantine for 14 days (or 7 days followed by a negative covid test). This will help prevent illness at school and will allow us to continue to keep school open! 

Holiday Gatherings and Travel

Vermont is seeing a significant surge of new COVID-19 cases across the state. Starting November 14, 2020, Governor Scott’s Executive Order prohibits gatherings with people from other households. This includes both inside and outside gatherings, and in public and private spaces. Additionally, the Health Department strongly advises against non-essential travel, even within Vermont. Any non-essential travel to and from Vermont requires quarantine.

These new guidelines are hard for many families as the holidays are usually a time to gather and spend time with friends and family. If you decide to travel for the holiday, you will need to keep your child home from school and quarantine for 2 weeks after you return (or 1 week followed by a negative PCR test). 

Please be considerate of the teachers, staff, and other families who are choosing to not travel so that we can safely return to school. Many teachers and staff are making sacrifices this holiday season so that we can continue educating your children. We also need our families to comply with the guidelines so that we can continue to keep school open. 

For more information on hosting out-of-state visitors, travel & quarantine, and for testing information, visit the Vermont Department of Health website. 

How Contact Tracing Slows the Spread of Covid-19

 

Time for Flu Shots!

 This is an especially important year to get your flu shot! Flu season runs from October to May, so it's best to get your flu shot by Halloween. The flu vaccine is available throughout flu season. Call your child's pediatrician today to schedule an appointment!

Covid-19 Information for Families

 New Information from the Vermont Department of Health regarding illness and when it's ok to send your child back to school. The link is here. 

When to do if your child is sent home sick?

 

Travel Guidelines

 The Vermont Cross State Travel map is now being updated on Tuesdays to help travelers better plan for weekend travel. If your family travels by car to a county on the map that is yellow or red, you are required to quarantine for 14 days upon returning to Vermont. Students are not allowed to attend school during this quarantine period.  Any travel outside of this map or by airplane also requires a 14 day quarantine. Visit the Vermont Department of Health website for information about travel. 

Here is a link to the Cross State Travel map 

Welcome Back Ospreys!

 I'm so excited to have students back in the building! I know many kids (and parents) have lots of questions about what this school year is going to look like. The CSD nurses have been busy working with building leaders, teachers, and staff to help create plans for our students to return safely. This video created by two of our district nurses will answer many questions you may have.

I am available for any questions or concerns regarding your child. The best way to reach me is by email at Josie.Lang@colchestersd.org. 

Covid-19 Q&A

Do you have questions about kids and Covid-19? The University of Vermont Children's Hospital hosted a Facebook Live event on May 8 to answer many of these questions. The interview is available here on the UVMMC website. These local pediatric experts answered questions about testing, visiting grandparents, masks, and scheduling routine pediatrician appointments for kids. A lot of helpful information for parents!

           
Clockwise, from bottom left: Ben Lee, MD, Keith Robinson, MD and Lewis First, MD

New Guidelines for Visiting Family/Friends

Staying home is still the best way to lower our risk of COVID-19, but many of us are eager to take small steps to safely see our friends or family again. This new information from the Vermont Department of Health will help give you guidance on how to safely allow some socialization, while still preventing new cases and serious illness from quickly increasing.

• Continue to practice health and safety precautions: maintain 6 feet, wear a face mask, wash your hands, and stay home if you’re sick.

• Keep your social circle small: pick just one other trusted household of family or friends that are also practicing safety precautions. Limit groups to 10 or fewer people.

• Choose Safe Activities: gather outdoors if possible, avoid activities that involve sharing food or touched objects, avoid traveling to other locations.

• Protect those at Higher Risk: people over 65 or those at higher risk should continue to stay home, and socialize by video or phone.

Medications at MBS

I will be arranging a plan in the future for families to pickup any medications that are still at MBS such as Epi-Pens, inhalers, or other medications. If you need any of these medications sooner, just send me and email and I would be happy to arrange something with you!

Schedule Pediatrician Appointments Now!

Now is the time to call your child’s pediatrician’s office to schedule annual physicals! Most offices in our area have had to limit well-child checks during the Covid-19 pandemic, and are expecting a busy summer catching up with these appointments.

Yearly well-child visits are important to receive necessary school vaccinations, sports physicals (especially if your child is going to middle school next year!), and medication renewals.

If you are looking for a new pediatrician, I can help connect you with one!

Nurse Blurb 4/12 Family Newsletter

Hi MBS families and students! I miss seeing everyone at school and hope you’re adjusting well to online learning and also finding time to get outside and play. Here is a picture of me and my son, Ben, on a hike near our home. We’ve found getting outside is good for both our physical and mental well-being during this stressful time.

 

Here are some tips for outdoor recreation:

• Only recreate outside if you are not sick

• Keep your distance (at least 6 feet) from people who aren’t in your own family.

• Avoid areas that might attract more people to avoid distancing issues, such as playgrounds and busy bike paths.

• Bring a cloth face mask to wear if you encounter other people. Click here for more information about cloth masks.

• Recreate safely to avoid the need for medical care to prevent use of our already strained medical system.

• Stay local. Try and recreate within 10 miles of your house.

• Stay safe. Avoid areas that are often touched such as playgrounds. Be sure to wash hands or use hand sanitizer when you get home.

And remember that ticks are very active in the spring! After recreating outside, check yourself and your kids for ticks and consider repellent in high risk areas. Visit the Vermont Dept of Health for more info about ticks and tickborne illness.

Mental Health Support

This is a very stressful time for kids and adults which can lead to anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns. If you, or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please reach out to First Call at (802) 488-7777.

"First Call for Chittenden County serves clients and the community regardless of age or diagnosis.

Our trained, professional staff are available 24/7/365, regardless of the type of service. When you call First Call, you can expect phone support, crisis intervention and assessment, referrals to appropriate services, and connection to follow-up care. We will collaborate with emergency responders during a crisis as needed.

Please remember that during a medical emergency call 911 immediately."