Hello again,
Gov. Jay Inslee announced an hour ago that all public and private schools will be closed through April 24th to slow the spread of COVID19. This extends our campus closure from two weeks to six weeks. This is such new territory for us all -- we will keep abreast of new recommendations, and share them with you along the way.
As a reminder, the CDC recommendations include social distancing for the healthy and self-isolating if you have any signs of illness to limit the spread of COVID19, as well as the flu.
Get outside
Social distancing doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck in your house. If you’re going stir crazy, get out in nature and enjoy some fresh air. It’s important for kids to get active outside time every day, and research shows daily time outdoors boosts adults’ health and wellbeing.
The current recommendation is to avoid large groups. That mostly means groups over 50 people but conservatively means anything more than 10 people. However, if you don’t fall into the high risk group, you can still certainly visit each other. How to do this well? Here’s a quick checklist:
- Think small—only a few friends at most. Or think of this as an opportunity for 1:1 hangouts.
- Avoid physical contact and maintain a distance of at least 3 feet apart from others.
- Practice excellent personal hygiene habits, including handwashing, coughing into tissue or elbow, avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- If you feel sick in any way—please stay home!
For those of you who are in need of childcare, it's possible that some of our staff may be available, so please let me know, and I can pass your name on.
All our teaching staff is meeting on Monday, and all families will be receiving "distance learning" instructions from their child's teacher. Please be watching for opportunities to give feedback in the near future.
I wish us all the best of health, and encouragement for the days ahead,
Kathy Fraser
