I hope that everyone either got some relaxation time or had some fun last week during the snow days. We are now nearly halfway through the third quarter of school. I led the semester with optimism and I am still manifesting this as we do see the light at the end of the tunnel!

COVID update from Dr. Frugo:
Thank you so much for partnering with us during the last month as we moved through the covid surge. As the cases continued to increase throughout January we were definitely moving through staffing issues while doing everything we could to keep our students and staff safe and keep our doors open! We know many of you had to deal with longer than you wanted quarantine time and can empathize with the hardship that brings about, we know that wasn't easy. We have been keeping track of the data and are pleased to see a steady pattern of decreasing positive case numbers in our school (as well as in the community). Now that we are turning the page on the surge we are ready to move to shortened quarantine times. Effective today we will be moving to the 5 day quarantine time for positive cases. See updated info below:

Updated guidance for standard quarantine

Based on updated guidance from the CDC and St. Louis City Department of Health, a standard quarantine ends after 5 days of isolation provided the following conditions are met:

24 hours fever-free without medication and a negative antigen test
72 hours fever-free without medication if an antigen test is unavailable
After day 5 if symptoms have resolved if antigen test taken on day 5 is positive

We are super thankful for our nurses and our administrators. They have been working around the clock managing all things COVID related and will continue to communicate with you and work with you if you have questions on your individual case/situation. Please remember nothing has changed with our mitigation practices. You can review those along with other items in the safe return to school plan linked HERE.

We are hopeful that between the shortened standard quarantine time for positive cases and the continued use of modified quarantine for close contacts we should see a sharp decline in time our kids are spending at home rather than in school learning and having fun! Thank you for your continued support.

Black History Month

We continue to celebrate Black History Month. This month, I will continue to share articles that I personally have found helpful in my journey to be a more inclusive educator. There are many ways to learn more. Linked are a series of articles on how to get Black History right.
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/how-to-get-black-history-right-a-series

Kids Heart Challenge:

Heart Month is here! And, we are so excited to celebrate our partnership with the American Heart Association and to help those with special hearts, like Finn. We kicked off our Kids Heart Challenge program last week with a focus on MOVING MORE, BEING KIND, DRINKING WATER, and HELPING OTHERS. This event will continue through the rest of the month. Don’t wait to get a jump start! Join our online team today!

Join Our Team at heart.org/KHC or download the FREE Kids Heart Challenge App for Apple or Android
Take the Challenge to Be Active or Be Kind and earn the FREE Road Warrior Wristband!
Complete FINN’S MISSION in your headquarters to learn Hands Only CPR, how to spot a stroke F.A.S.T., and how to help spread awareness.