Milford Central School
Reminders from Mrs. Wenck
Friday, October 22, 2021
Hello,
This has been an exciting week! Our athletic teams either have or are nearing the completion of their regular seasons and continuing onto sectionals. Be sure to check out the school website for game dates and times. Please take a few moments to read the following. There is important information about COVID, upcoming school events and funeral services for our student, Kota Flood. As stated in previous “Friday Reminders,” this has been a very difficult time for our students, staff, and entire community.
Truly, I wish to thank our staff for the care and concern they have provided to our students. I would like to thank the Board of Education for their support of our school and of the work of our Crisis Team. I would also like to thank our community for their continued support during this challenging time.
This coming Saturday, October 23, 2021, memorial services will be held at the BEHE Funeral home in Oxford, NY. Calling hours will be held from 10:00am – 12:00noon, (open casket), 1:00pm – 3:00pm (closed casket) with the funeral services to follow. Should your child wish to attend we are recommending that all parents/guardians make every effort to attend with them. While our students need this “closure” as part of the grieving process, it will be emotionally difficult. Your support at this time is so very important.
Thank you again for taking time out of your busy schedule to read this information. I hope you find it useful as we work together to provide the best possible education and educational programs for our students.
Important Information and Reminders
*1 COVID update: I have been asked to provide some guidance regarding students being either sent home or kept home for COVID like symptoms, quarantine requirements, rules for bus quarantine, additional information about CDC appropriate masks, vaccinations and so forth. Please note:
* COVID symptoms are very similar to those of the common cold and/or flu: runny nose, cough, fever, upset stomach
* Quarantine Requirements: The DOH sets the quarantine requirements. When a person in the school tests positive for COVID, the school is required to report that to the DOH. The school is also required to report any close contacts and must identify those individuals in close contact two full days before the person who tested positive became symptomatic. This can cause confusion when determining the length of time a person who is a close contact must be out. I could receive positive test results on a Thursday, but became symptomatic on the Saturday before; therefore, everyone in close contact with me on Thursday, a week earlier, have to quarantine for ten days. As a result, my ten days and your ten days can be different days. (Are you confused? Sometimes so are we!!)
* School Buses: The DOH has provided schools with diagrams to use for determining close contacts. Whether or not a person is quarantined depends on where they were seated in relation to the COVID positive person. The entire bus is not quarantined.
* Proper Masks: We are using the CDC guidance with regard to allowable masks. All masks must be constructed of at least two layers of material and must fit properly. If you hold your mask up to a light, you should not be able to see through the mask. Also, masks that have holes, vents, or are made of a mesh material are not allowable.
*2. A note from the Otsego County Department of Health: With the recent upsurge in cases, the state's contact tracing staff has been stretched to the limit. As a result, going forward, contact tracers will only attempt to reach school contacts a total of 6 times over the course of two days before closing out that record as unreachable. If that happens, those school contacts will NOT have any quarantine paperwork.
In an effort make contacting more efficient the DOH is asking people to please answer the phone when called. The call will come from a 518 area code and usually says NYS Contact Tracing. THERE IS NO NUMBER FOR PARENTS TO CALL BACK IF THEY MISS THE CALL. They MUST answer the call when it is made. Your help with this is greatly appreciated.
*3. Parent/Teacher Conferences for Grades 6-12:
A team of middle and high school teachers developed the following process to be used to setting up Parent/Teacher conferences. Please note:
- Guidance will send a letter to 6-12 parents inviting them to make appointments for conferences between 5-8:00 pm on Wednesday, 11/10, and 8-3:00 on Friday, 11/12.
- 9-12 conferences will be individual conferences
- 6-8 conferences will be team conferences (as has been past practice)
- Nicki Couse, the Guidance Secretary, will schedule all times and confirm phone numbers and emails. She will also confirm whether parents want to meet via Google meets or by phone.
- Lorre Gregory will share directions with teachers for opening Google meets from Google calendar.
- Teachers will schedule all Google meets.
- Teachers will place the phone calls for parents who wish to be called.
Please remember, teachers will need to end conferences in time to open the next Google meet or make the next phone call. If you end up needing additional time to speak with your child’s teacher, please schedule another meeting.
*4. Parent/Teacher conferences for Grades PreK – 5:
Teachers will be sending home information in each child’s backpack. Teachers will be setting up Zoom meetings for fall conferences. We are hoping that every parent is able to schedule a meeting.
*5. News from the School Based Health Center:
The SBHC has vaccine and can vaccinate students, age 12 and above. Students can be signed up to receive the vaccine on Tuesdays, from 8:00am – 4:00pm, and on Fridays, from 12:00noon to 4:00pm. Call 286-7909 to sign up for the vaccine and/or enroll your child.
No child will be able to sign up for the vaccine without written parental consent. Consent forms are available in the SBHC.