Supporting the Community and Each Other!

These are extraordinarily challenging times. We are all carefully monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and wondering how it will impact our lives. Social distancing and extra attention to hygiene are vital. But so is social support and extra attention to ourselves and our loved ones. It is easy to let panic and anxiety overwhelm us; however, we must stay focused on those parts of our lives over which we have control: among them are staying healthy; supporting the health of our community and our loved ones; and staying informed.
 
Keeping our community safe is everyone’s responsibility. Please review and adhere to the following action items:

• Carefully read all announcements from the school regarding COVID-19. You may wish to refer to our COVID-19 Information webpage for announcements and resources.  There are links to several articles about how to talk about COVID-19 with your children.
• Exercise social distancing measures. You do not have to hide from people; in fact, doing so is shown to negatively affect emotional health. Social interactions are still possible, albeit perhaps a bit farther away than usual. The World Health Organization recommends that you avoid physical contact and try to keep a minimum of 1 meter between you and others, particularly if they are coughing and sneezing. Let’s look for new ways to interact that help us to stay healthy, both mentally and emotionally.
• If you have traveled within or been exposed to someone who has traveled within a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Warning Level 3 country (currently China, Iran, South Korea, Malaysia, and most of Europe) or are showing symptoms of COVID-19, the CDC recommends that you fully self-quarantine for 14 days. Here is information on COVID-19 symptoms.
• Please reinforce our message to your children about the importance of handwashing, hygiene, and minimizing unnecessary physical contact between people.
• Please refrain from using social media to send information that could increase people’s anxiety unless you are 100% certain that the information is accurate. As we saw recently with the gassing incidents, panic and hysteria will exacerbate any situation and can create genuine threats to safety and security. Also, please do not forward social media messages related to treatments or cures that have not been vetted by qualified medical authorities. We all have a responsibility to put a stop to fake news. In fact, now might be a great time to consider seriously reducing your social media consumption and turning to respected news outlets for your information.
• Finally, make sure that you and your families are getting outside and exercising. Both activities are well-known to promote health and reduce stress. You have to be healthy to help those around you to stay healthy!