Japhet School

At the Forefront of Thought: 11/13/20

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, certainly giving thanks is at the forefront of thought. Although these past months have been challenging for all of us,  we have grown in our commitment to continuing our on-campus learning experience – faculty and staff, parents, students, and the Board of Trustees continue to be committed to remaining on-campus and uniting together to do our very best to sustain our on-campus learning plan. The strength of our partnership plays a major role in determining our ability to remain on-campus.  I’m writing to you today for your continued support and your help is greatly needed. 

In the summer months, great effort was placed in formulating and implementing the comprehensive On-Campus Learning: Health and Safety Protocol Plan. The health and safety of our entire Japhet Community remains a top priority. The expression of good health has been and continues to be the standard for attendance in school. The plan has proven to be effective due to the adherence of the guidelines by parents, students and faculty and staff. I have witnessed renewed respect and appreciation for being in school, and I applaud the efforts of the entire Japhet staff for putting their hearts into their work.

With the Thanksgiving and Holiday Breaks fast approaching, there is the expectancy that families will continue to follow and adhere to mandated social distancing and mask requirements. This is not a time to relax our standards or be complacent in our adherence to established health policies.  We are all making sacrifices and these sacrifices will help us to maintain our on-campus learning experience. It must be emphasized to be prudent in your travel, only traveling if necessary. If you are traveling out of state, please contact me prior to your travel. A negative COVID test may be required for a student to return to on-campus learning. 

We acknowledged that the plan would be updated as health and safety conditions changed. Unfortunately at this time, there is reason to strengthen our resolve and guidelines due to the number of COVID-19 cases being reported in our surrounding area. The Oakland County Health Division (OCHD) has made some recent revisions to their COVID-19 guidelines for schools. We’re asking each family to review these changes carefully. 

Change #1: In the past, any student experiencing any COVID-19 symptom was sent home and encouraged to seek a medical evaluation. OCHD has now adopted the one “high risk” symptom or two “low risk” symptoms rule.

High risk symptoms are:  new cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell.

Low risk symptoms are:  fever (over 100.4 F)*, chills, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, fatigue, diarrhea (2x in 24 hours)*, nausea, vomiting*, congestion or runny nose.

If a student is experiencing one “high risk” or two “low risk” symptoms a SARS-COV2 PCR test is strongly recommended. A negative test will be required to return to school. If you choose not to have your student tested, he/she will be excluded from school until 10 days have passed since symptom onset AND at least 24 hours fever free without the use of fever reducing medication AND symptoms have improved. 

*Note that a student experiencing only (1) fever, vomiting, or diarrhea will still be excluded from school until free of symptoms for 72 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medication. 

Change # 2:  If someone in the household is experiencing symptoms or waiting for test results, now all household contacts are excluded from work/school if a family member is experiencing symptoms and while results are pending. This includes parents and siblings. If a student is experiencing symptoms, siblings should not attend school until a negative PCR test is received. 

Please review the document What We Expect from Japhet School Parents included in the On-campus Learning Plan: Health and Safety Protocols, which you signed before school began.  As a community, we must remain vigilant and strong in our adherence to the policies proven to help us continue to provide on-campus learning for our students. 

Thank you for the trust you place in Japhet School’s faculty and staff. Whether on-campus or through distance learning, our faculty and staff is daily fulfilling our mission to nurture and prepare each child for life by integrating character education with a strong academic program. Thank you for being a member of the team that’s going the distance to stay on-campus.

“Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.”  ~ Native American saying

With sincere gratitude,
Kerri