Dear Parents,

As you may know, flu can be easily spread from person to person.  Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of flu at Bishop Guilfoyle.   We want to keep the school open to students and functioning in a normal manner during this flu season, and we need your help to do so.

We are and will continue to work closely with our school nurse, Mrs. Moore and the Salem County Department of Health to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take with regard to our school.  You will be updated with pertinent information as it becomes available.

If the flu outbreak becomes severe, we may take additional steps to prevent the spread such as:

    - conducting active fever and flu symptom screening of students and staff as they arrive at school

    - making changes to increase the space between people such as moving desks further apart and

       postponing class trips, and

    - dismissing students from school for at least 7 days if they become sick.

We are doing everything we can to keep our school functioning as usual during the upcoming flu season.  Here are a few things you can do to help.

·         Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and warm water or an alcohol-based hand rub. 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.  Children should cover their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.

·         Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit, 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.  Have a working thermometer in your home to check for and monitor fever. 

·         Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever without the use fever-reducing drugs.  Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may become infected.

·         Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any child who is determined to be sick while at school will be removed from the classroom and sent home.

For more information, see the attached flyer, visit www.flu.gov, or call 1-800-CDC-INFO for the most current information about the flu.

We will notify you of any additional changes to our school’s strategy to prevent the spread of flu.

Kathryn Chesnut                                                Cynthia L. Moore, RN

Principal                                                             School Nurse