SEPTEMBER 11, 2009Please take a few minutes to read the preschool's policy regarding the H1N1 virus (swine flu). It is also very important that you review and follow the health guidelines in your Parent Handbook. Please call or email the office if you have any questions. Thanks!
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Use the links
below or call 1-800-CDC-INFO to learn more about the the H1N1 virus (swine flu) and what
steps you can take to minimize your child's risk.
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IMPORTANT SURVEY:
TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW
Our all-school newsletters will include a parent education column. Please take a minute to let us know what topics you would like us to address by taking the survey below. Thanks!
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PARENT COFFEES
Please stop by Kaelan's Community Room after dropping off your child for refreshments & conversation. Administrative staff and Board members will be there to greet you and answer your questions.
COFFEE SCHEDULE:
Monday, September 14:
4 and 5 Day AM Classes
Tuesday, September 15:
4 Day PM Classes
Wednesday, September 16:
3 Day AM & PM Classes
Thursday, September 24:
2 AM Young 3 & 2 PM Multiage Classes
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1418 Lake Street
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 492-1213
cherrysch@aol.com
www.cherrypreschool.org
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H1N1 VIRUS (swine flu)
Cherry's Policy & How You Can Help
Dear Cherry Families,
It is important that as the H1N1 virus spreads, you know the symptoms of the disease so you can recognize it in yourself and your children at an early stage.
Anyone with a temperature of 100° or above and any of the following symptoms may have swine flu. The main symptoms are:
- Sudden fever (100° or above)
- Sudden cough.
Other symptoms may include:
Headache, tiredness, chills, aching muscles, limb or joint pain, diarrhea or stomach upset, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, or loss of appetite.
For most people, H1N1 is a mild illness. However, some people are more at risk of serious illness if they catch it, and will need to start taking antiviral medication as soon as it is confirmed that they have it. We have children and parents in these high-risk groups, which include:
- Young children under five, especially babies
- Pregnant women
- People who have had drug treatment for asthma within the past three years
- People with diabetes
- People with chronic (long-term): lung disease, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, or neurological disease
- People with immuno-suppression (whether caused by disease or treatment)
As you may know, flu can be easily spread from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of H1N1 at Cherry Preschool. We want to keep the school open and functioning in a normal manner during this flu season, but we need your help to do this.
We are working closely with the Evanston Health Department to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take and will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available.
For now we are doing everything we can to keep our school functioning as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help:
- Teach your children to wash their hands well with soap and water. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.
- Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues or to use their elbow, arm, or sleeve instead of their hand when a tissue is unavailable.
- Do not send your children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home, so be sure to have your cell phone on and with you while your child is at school. Also, be sure all of your emergency numbers are working. Teachers will be screening children for fever and flu symptoms as they arrive at school, and you or whomever brings your child may be asked to take the child home. Please be understanding if this happens - it is in everyone's best interest that we err on the side of caution.
- Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not have signs of fever, without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
If the flu becomes more severe, we may have to take additional steps to prevent its spread such as closing a classroom if there are several cases (or even closing school). If this happens, you will be notified by one of your child's teachers as well as by email and on the website.
For the sake of the most vulnerable among us - the pregnant mothers, babies, children with chronic illnesses, and children and staff members with asthma and other conditions - please follow all health guidelines in your Parent Handbook. Also, please report any cases of flu to the office immediately, by phone or email. We will notify you of any additional changes to our preschool's strategy to prevent the spread of flu. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
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