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Cold & Flu Season Reminders

Katie Botha • September 26, 2024

Reminders from our Student Wellness Team: Nurse Simpson & Nurse Jones

There are several viruses and other contagious illnesses traveling throughout our community and school right now. We are therefore asking students, staff, and parents to help minimize the spread of illness at school.

Here are some ways we can stop the spread:

Please keep your child at home if you think they have an illness that could spread to others.
Teach/remind your child to wash their hands frequently and to cover their nose or mouth with a tissue or elbow before a sneeze or cough.
Consider getting a Flu shot for you and your family members.
Consider getting a COVID vaccine or booster for you and your family members.

Reminders from pages 7 (Attendance) and p. 23 (Illness) of our Parent-Student Handbook:

Fever of 100.4 or greater: Students should stay home and may only return to school after being fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.
Colds, coughs, runny noses and sore throats: These are common and do not require students to stay home from school if symptoms are mild. If cold symptoms include fever or persistent cough that is disruptive to learning or focusing in class, they should stay home.
Vomiting and/or diarrhea: Keep your child home until they are eating and drinking without vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours. A doctors note stating when they can return to school can be obtained if you believe the symptoms are not due to a contagious illness.
FLU or COVID: Must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication AND feel well enough to participate and learn at school.

We understand that it can be a difficult decision to know when to send your child to school or keep them home. Every situation is individual and every child has different needs. Attendance is important, but it is essential that the students feel well enough to be able to learn and participate in school.

We will triage each clinic visit and help determine whether your student needs to go home or can stay at school. If you have specific questions about your child’s illness, we encourage you to call their healthcare provider for guidance.

As your school nurses, we do our best to keep everyone at school healthy as possible. Thank you for your assistance and cooperation!

Still have questions? Contact the Clinic via email or phone: 804.741.8790

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Election Day Resources & Reminders

By Katie Botha • October 31, 2024

Faithful Citizenship Resources In anticipation of Election Day on November 5, the Virginia Catholic Conference has prepared voter education resources to help Catholics confidently vote with an informed conscience. Those resources can be found on the Catholic Diocese of Richmond's website . School Day Reminders This year, Election Day is a regular school day with a regular bell schedule at Saint Mary's Catholic School. In prior years, it has coincided with Parent-Teacher Conferences resulting in a day-off for students; however, that is not the case this school year. Many of our students across all grade levels are aware of the importance of Election Day. We anticipate the days leading up to Election Day and those following it will provide topics of conversation that students may choose to engage in both inside and outside the classroom. If necessary, our teachers may offer age-appropriate explanations of the day's events and results. As family members, we encourage you to guide your children as they navigate their thoughts and feelings over the coming weeks and months.