Travel Edition

8/26/2021

Friday, August 27, 2021

Quote of the Week: " “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Jane Goodall, primatologist

Dear Ocean Shore Families,

Several families have contacted me about travel protocols for their unvaccinated children, and I understand that there is some frustration about the lack of strict guidelines. I've spent hours looking at county, state and federal websites. Believe me when I say that I understand your frustration! Domestic travel is undefined; the CDC chart is titled "Recommendations and Requirements", but doesn't say what is recommended and what is required. The bottom line is that all of us, especially unvaccinated children, should limit travel. If you travel with your unvaccinated children, it is strongly recommended that you have them tested 1-3 days before travel, get tested 3-5 days after you return home AND quarantine for 7 days. If you don't test after travel, the recommended quarantine period is 10 days. Travel isn't defined either. The San Mateo County Department of Health used to define travel as going 120 miles from home. Currently, there is no mileage specified. To me, the 120 mile guideline makes sense, but it doesn't account for trips to places like Great America, Six Flags, or Oracle Park which are risky for unvaccinated individuals. Disneyland might be the "happiest place on earth" in a normal year, but now it is one of the least safe places for kids under twelve. My job is to keep as many children in school and healthy as I possibly can. I know we all have different levels of risk tolerance and make different choices for our families. Right now, more than ever, our decisions have an impact on the entire community.

Take care,

Jeanne

School Business:
Back to School Night: Back to school night is on Thursday, September 2, 2021 @ 6:00 pm. The meeting will be virtual. I will do a quick welcome for all parents on Google Meet, and then at 6:20, parents will go to their child's homeroom teacher's session. They will share links with you beforehand and we will also put links in the chat during my welcome presentation. I will keep my Google Meet session open until 7:15 for parents that have additional questions. I know that many of you have more than one child, and that you can't be in two places at once. Teachers will be providing slide shows with the information they share and possibly taping their presentations for parents that can't attend in person. Google Meet joining info: Video call link: https://meet.google.com/bqu-gpge-ceo Or dial: ‪(US) +1 413-459-4133‬ PIN: ‪192 588 070‬#

Morning drop off: We will be locking the Edgemar and Nelson gates at 8:30 am. If you or your child arrives after that time, you should go to the office to get a tardy pass and then your child should enter their classroom through the hallway door. School starts at 8:22 am.

Covid cases: Parents have contacted the district office and myself about the communication regarding the active COVID-19 cases last week. Please know that as a school district we take parent feedback seriously, and will continue to work on improving communication. I'm happy to report, as of this moment, we've had no additional cases in the classrooms that were affected. Thank you to all the parents that scrambled to have their children tested. I appreciate your care and cooperation, and I empathize with the additional stress and inconvenience involved!

Testing: Consent forms for COVID-19 testing will be sent home soon. This service is opt-in which means we cannot test your child unless we have a consent form on file. We will have rapid response and PCR testing set up by mid-September. In the meantime, here is the link to testing sites and testing information in San Mateo county: https://www.smcgov.org/testing.

Additional Fliers attached: OSS PTO Golden ticket fundraising raffle, Cub Scouts, After School Sports at Ortega, and the SMC COVID-19 Quarantine Guidelines (English and Spanish)