Watch SOMSD Health Message Video:  Seasonal Flu & COVID 19 –  bit.ly/3E5uUho

Dear South Orange & Maplewood School Community,

Spanish Translation: bit.ly/3yyhf1k |  Haitian Creole Translation:  bit.ly/3maH1nv

As COVID-19 is still circulating across the country, we’d like to take this opportunity to first thank you for your partnership in ensuring that we follow COVID mitigation strategies to help keep our students and staff safe. Please watch the accompanying, SOMSD Health Message video for all information shared below.

We are now entering into a season where there will be more indoor gatherings, in addition, it is also flu season. On behalf of the District and all school nurses we want to share and remind families of some key points about illness in general.

1. Schedule Your Child’s Flu Shot. If you have not yet done so, please remember to schedule your child’s flu shot. The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a flu vaccine every season with rare exceptions.  In addition, the NJ Department of Health mandates that preschool students up to age 5 receive a flu vaccine by December 23 for the 2021 influenza season.  For our preschool parents/guardians please remember to send proof of flu vaccine to your school nurse in order to avoid exclusion from school in the new year.

2. Please Be Diligent, Monitor Symptoms and Keep Your Child Home if they are Sick. The seasonal flu and COVID-19 can exhibit some of the same symptoms and–it may be difficult to tell the difference between them, or the common cold, or seasonal allergies.

• In order to continue to keep our school communities safe, it is important that if your child does not feel well to keep them home, monitor their symptoms, and get them laboratory tested if the symptoms are COVID-compatible.
• Please keep your children home if they have any of the following COVID-compatible or Flu-Like symptoms:
  >  Fever (100૦ F or greater)
  >  Chills
  >  New onset of Cough
  >  Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  >  Fatigue
  >  Muscle or body aches
  >  Headache
  >  New loss of taste or smell
  >  Sore throat
  >  Congestion or runny nose
  >  Nausea or vomiting
  >  Diarrhea
• If your child comes to school and exhibits COVID-compatible or flu-like symptoms in school, the school nurse will call you and you must pick up your child immediately. This is to minimize the potential of additional spread of any illnesses to both our student body and our school staff.

3.  Other Reasons to Keep Your Child Home.

• If your child is experiencing COVID-like symptoms, they need a LABORATORY Rapid or PCR test (home-based tests are not acceptable). PLEASE keep your child home until their negative laboratory test result is received and their symptoms have improved.
• After COVID-19 vaccination or booster, children may experience some side effects such as fever, chills, headache, fatigue. These are normal signs that the body is building protection. If your child does not feel well, please keep them home.

Finally, if your child has been vaccinated, please visit the District website and fill out the Student COVID-19 Vaccination Status Form [https://bit.ly/SOMSDSVS]to upload your child’s vaccination card. This will help us identify fully vaccinated students who may NOT have to quarantine after travel or being identified as close contacts (if they are without symptoms).

Thank you for your attention and cooperation to this matter. An additional COVID communication update and protocol reminder will be sent to the SOMSD community before the holiday break.

South Orange & Maplewood School District
SOMSD School Nurses

Dear SOMSD Families,

With the return of in-person instruction scheduled to begin on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, the district wants to remind you that if your student(s) is eligible for transportation to their school you must submit a Transportation Request Form to the Transportation Department by Tuesday, January 12, 2021.

If the Transportation Request Form is not submitted to the Transportation Department by January 12, 2021, the district cannot guarantee transportation will be available for your student on Tuesday, January 19th.

Please submit the completed application via the options listed below:

1. Email:  Fill out and sign the transportation request form and scan or take a photo on your phone and email to:  Tammy Talmadge, ttalmadg@nullsomsd.k12.nj.us
2. Fax:  Fill out and sign the transportation request form and fax to SOMSD business office:  973-378-9310
3. Mail:  South Orange & Maplewood School District | 25 W. Parker Avenue, Maplewood, NJ 07040

If you do not receive a 2020-2021 bus pass by Tuesday, January 19, 2021, do not place your student on the bus your child would be assigned to. The bus drivers are instructed to verify that students have bus passes for the current school year. Until you receive a 2020-2021 bus pass you will have to transport your student to school.n

If you need a copy of the 2020-2021 Transportation Request Form please click the link here to access the form:  http://bit.ly/3s5bSDd

Thank you for your cooperation.