Nurse Kavanaugh

Dear Members’ of the GMCS family,
As your nurse, I am providing this reference page.  Stay strong, healthy, and proud.  I respect and care for you each.

What To Do When There's A Positive COVID Case 

Steps for Determining Close Contact and Quarantine in GMCS 

Pennsylvania Department Of Health - Public Health Recommendations - Test, Isolation, and Quarantine 
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GMCS families health expectations:
If your child is ill:

• Keep child home
• Inform school for each absence by  8:45 [phone or email]

Daily Monitor for Covid-19 Symptoms:

• Fever of 100.4 or higher [limit use of fever reducing medication]
• ​Chills, shivering, cold sweat
• Cough - dry
• ​Hard to Breath 
• Loss of smell and taste
• ​Usually a sudden realization, ‘Huh, I can’t taste food or smell my cooking’
• Additional symptoms
• ​Body aches, very tired
• Congestion, runny nose, sore throat
• ​Headache
• Nausea or vomiting

If any of these symptoms are present:

• Keep child home
• ​Inform school by 8:45 [phone or email]
• Contact School Nurse
• Call your doctor immediately for possible appointment or testing

GMCS Staff health expectations:
Safe-guard and monitor layered Covid-19 Mitigation Strategies:

• Social distancing students  three to six feet
• Promote indoor face masking 
• Daily hygiene, respiratory etiquette, and handwashing opportunities
• Utilize clear barriers on Grades 1-6 desks and cafeteria tables
• Learning group desks/tables will be separated to the maximum extent feasible
• Ventilation and air quality maximized by routine HVAC maintenance 
• Daily frequent cleaning of high use areas, after hours building cleaned and electrostatic disinfected
• School nurse will monitor
  •  Student absences
  • DOH and DOE Covid-19 updates and guidance

Covid-19 exposure steps for student or staff:

• Contact School Nurse regarding quarantine
  • Provide – how you learned of exposure, name of positive case, date you were last with them
• Excused Absence requires  3rd party confirmation of positive case:
  • Copy of notification letter [day-care, sport team, school, work]
  • Copy of individuals’ doctor note and test results showing their name, DOB, date and test type
• Contact Teacher for information regarding instruction

Covid-19 positive steps for student or staff:

• Contact School Nurse regarding  isolation
  • Provide – date the symptoms began, date Covid test was done,  date you were last at school
• Excused Absence requires:  
  • Copy of student or staff test results showing their name, date and test type 
• Contact Teacher for information regarding instruction

Notes regarding Covid-19

• When a family member is identified as a close contact [been exposed], they are to quarantine.  It is best if that person stays in a separate room and keeps away from everyone.  As much as possible, the family should wear masks and social distance, whenever you are together.  Other family members do not need to quarantine.  If the close contact becomes ill THEN the entire family will need to quarantine.
• Last year’s goal for mitigation efforts were to help stop the spread of Covid-19, to ‘flatten the curve’.  With the rise of the delta variant and public noncompliance; Coronavirus is widespread. 
• This year the goal is to promote and safe guard in-person learning.  Our 20-21 GMCS community solidarity by applying all mitigation strategies successfully limited quarantines and school closure.

Adrian Kavanaugh, MSN, RN, NCSN
School Health Services
Gettysburg Montessori Charter School
888 Coleman Rd Gettysburg,PA 17325
P: 717-334-1120 ext 125  F: 717-334-2634
E: akavanaugh@gettysburgmontessoricharter.org