Tuesday, November 22, 2022
Dear Watertown Public Schools Faculty, Families and Staff,
As you may have heard in the media, there has been an early spike of respiratory viruses circulating nationwide and we are now experiencing these cases here in the Watertown community. These viruses may include RSV, flu, COVID-19, and other viral illnesses. Click here to read more about the flu.
At this time, we have an increased number of students in our nurses office and a higher than usual number of students have been sent home who are showing symptoms or feeling ill.
In addition, we are noticing that students are returning to school too soon after being ill who have not fully recovered.
We would like to remind parents that if students cannot make it through the day, we will send them home so they have adequate time to recover and return when they feel strong enough to make it through the school day.
To help minimize these illnesses/viruses in our school, please see below:
● Consult with your health care providers regarding influenza (flu) and COVID-19 vaccinations. It is strongly recommended that anyone 6 months of age or older should get the flu vaccine every season with rare exceptions. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/vaccinations.htm
● Keep your children home if they become ill and keep them home until they are well and have had no fever for 24 hours without fever reducing medications.
● Go and get a PCR, Antigen or test for Flu. These are the most accurate.
● Have family members who are in close proximity utilize prevention strategies such as covering their mouth and nose with a tissue, sneezing into their sleeve and utilizing frequent hand washing.
● Report all illnesses to your school's nurse office so we can identify any patterns or clusters of illness.
We thank you for your continued support as we work through the cold and flu season safely.
Sincerely,
Dr. V