Important Information From the Health Office

October 2021

Dear Bates Families,

We want to thank you for helping to make the beginning of this school year a success. Staff and students have been resilient in their daily efforts working together to keep everyone healthy and learning. There are continuous changing factors that impact us on a daily basis and as a district we look at these routinely to make the best decisions for our students, their families, and our staff. On that note, here are some reminders and updates we would like to share with you:

Face Masks:
All students are required to wear masks for the entirety of the school day per SPS policies. Please remember to send a mask with your child every day.
Although the majority of our students are doing a fantastic job wearing masks, recently we are seeing more and more students taking their masks either off or down off their nose both in class and in the hallways.

• Please talk with your children about how to wear masks properly (covering both the nose and mouth) while in class, in the hallways, standing in the lunch line, and on the bus. Students get mask breaks by going outside between classes and while eating at lunch. Many teachers give a mask break by taking the class outside when the weather permits. If a student is having a hard time, they can ask the teacher for a break outside their classroom to remove their mask. Students must wear masks properly while in the building at all times. 
• We are also getting a large number of students who are not bringing their own mask to school and are coming to the office daily (sometimes multiple times per day) to get a mask. We are running low on supplies. Please ensure that your student comes to school with a mask. I understand that a student will forget to bring a mask occasionally, and we will help in that situation, but it is not the responsibility of the school to provide a new mask on a daily basis. 

Sick Day Protocols:  
If your child develops COVID-19-like symptoms, please keep them home from school and notify the school nurse. They may return to school with:

1. A negative test result for COVID-19, have improvement in symptoms, and have been without fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications
2. A medical note from a healthcare provider
3. Without a test, they may return to school 10 days from start of symptoms, symptom improvement and they have been fever free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication

Covid Testing Consent link: https://www.parentsquare.com/feeds/8230444
 
Celebrations:  
The Salem Public School District developed a Wellness Policy that states that all schools will meet the nutritional guidelines of the USDA during school hours. At Bates we are asking that you assist us in presenting good nutrition to the students and be mindful of various student allergies. We request that you DO NOT SEND in high calorie sweet treats to the classrooms, such as cakes, cookies, candy, pizza or cupcakes for birthday celebrations or classroom holiday parties.    

Thank you for taking the time to read over these health measures!