Good afternoon, RJ Grey Families:
Apologies to you all for my message being delayed by a day. To begin, Shana Tova to all who celebrated the New Year yesterday with Rosh Hashanah. I hope you enjoyed the holiday with your families. I started my day yesterday in the dentist's chair, getting a temporary crown placed on a molar. This was a first for me. It was largely uneventful but has made me extra aware of my kids' teeth-brushing habits. They won't understand that I'm trying to help their 43-year-old selves by saving them some anguish, and cost!
On Wednesday and today, I had the chance to speak with all of our students in team assemblies about how we interrupt hate and bias statements when we hear or see them. I explained the important reasons for creating a community that intervenes on these topics. We practiced some ways to respond when faced with an issue. I was pleased with the overall serious attitude that our students brought to these assemblies. I reminded them that we are still trying to build a joyful, inclusive community of engaged learners, and creating a space where hate and bias reside undermines our attempt to build that community. For anyone interested, here are the slides that I used. The format for students was slightly different. We used a PearDeck presentation which allowed students to interact with the slides and provide some answers to the whole group. Overall, I am pleased that we established the expectations for this type of behavior and we'll continue to build on this work throughout the year.
Health and Wellness update from our Nursing Department:
Back to school brings new friends and new learning opportunities but it can also bring with it common childhood illnesses.
Across the district, we have been seeing an increase in the common cold and upper respiratory illnesses, both of which are spread by droplets (coughing, sneezing, transfer by hands). Students may come to school with minor symptoms as long as they are feeling well enough to engage in their learning. Students should wash their hands frequently, and cover their coughs/sneezes to prevent the spread of infection.
As a reminder, students must stay home when experiencing:
● A fever of 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit or more.
● Vomiting or diarrhea.
● Eye(s) that are red, itchy and/or are draining yellowish fluid.
● Cough that is frequent and disruptive to the child’s learning.
● A medical provider suspects a communicable illness (strep throat, conjunctivitis or pink eye, COVID-19, influenza or the flu, etc) and you are awaiting the test results.
● New /undiagnosed rashes.
Students may return to school when:
● Fever has been within normal limits for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications such as acetaminophen, or ibuprofen (Tylenol/Motrin/Advil for example).
● Vomiting and diarrhea have been resolved for 24 hours and the student feels better and has resumed a normal diet.
● Students prescribed antibiotics for a bacterial infection may return to school after taking their prescribed medication for at least 24 hours, have been fever-free for 24 hours, and feel well enough to be in school.
● Cough has improved and is tolerated by the student.
Please refer to the Massachusetts Guidance regarding respiratory illnesses which can be found here. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact the RJ Grey Health Office.
Please check out the important dates below. I hope you have a great weekend!
Jim