Dear Lower and Key Lower School Parents,
In the time since I last wrote on this topic, we have continued to monitor reports of the spread of the new coronavirus and are working hard to make decisions that are in the best interest of our school community. We understand that our youngest students may be unaware of what is in the news or have questions and fears surrounding the virus and what it might mean to them.
At this point, I want to remind everyone that in this season of colds, flu, congestion, allergies, and winter viruses, we should take care to remain calm and be respectful of one another. It's a time when certain symptoms can generate concerns and rumors among school friends and families.
There are no reported cases of coronavirus in our school population at this time. When and if we are informed of suspected cases, we will immediately and confidentially refer the family to the Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services. If any cases are confirmed within our school community, we will inform you as soon as we have the information.
We know you join us in a desire to reassure our young children who may be anxious or simply curious about the coronavirus. We respect and are aware that our students have varying degrees of knowledge around this topic. Our teachers in the lower grades are not directly teaching students about the coronavirus in a scientific way. They are, however, equipped to work with your children to provide the support and tools they need, to answer their questions as simply and clearly as possible, and help them maintain healthy practices such as hand-washing. Our goal in every situation is to do our best to create an atmosphere of calm.
Barb King recently shared with us links to articles and videos (below) that address ways adults can effectively communicate with young children about coronavirus. We hope you find some of these helpful.
We will continue to provide you with updates via email and post communications and resources on this CDS web page. As always, please be in touch with Claudia, Diane, or me should you have concerns or questions.
Sincerely,
Peggy