- Other resources
- Centers for disease control
- washington state dept. of health
- Tacoma-Pierce County health Dept.
- World health organization
- flu symptom checklist for families
- the CDC's vaccine information statement for the h1n1 inactivated vaccine - the "flu shot"
- The CDC's vaccine information statement for the H1N1 live, attenuated vaccine - the nasal spray
- swineflu.gov
Home » Enrolled Families » Swine Flu
CWA will hold its third H1N1 immunization clinic for students on Friday, December 18. School administrators will communicate directly with the parents of students signed up to participate in this clinic. The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department has clinics scheduled throughout the community for high risk children and adults. Click here to check the schedule for these clinics.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Dear Parents,
CWA’s first H1N1 immunization clinic will be held as scheduled on Thursday, October 29. The first shipments of H1N1 vaccine arrived in Pierce County last week. The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department has received less than 30% of the vaccine expected. We are very fortunate that Matrix Health Systems has received 300 doses of nasal spray vaccine for Charles Wright Academy. However, our total order was for 800 doses of nasal spray and 200 doses of injectable vaccine. This Thursday, Matrix Health Systems will administer the nasal spray to all CWA students who are medically eligible to receive this vaccine and whose parents have given written consent. We have a few seniors who are 18 years of age and those who have given written consent themselves will also be included in the clinic.
Please be assured that your child will not be given the nasal spray if you did not give your consent, if you gave consent only for the injection (shot) version, or if your child can only receive the injection for a medical reason. If you have questions about your child’s participation in the clinic, please call Laryssa in the Lower School at 620-8800 or Treasea in the Middle School at 620-8400 and direct Upper School questions to Sue at 620-8373.
A few parents have not yet responded. If you respond in writing before Thursday, we will make every effort to include your child in the clinic if that is your wish. However, priority will be given to the students whose parents have already responded. Unless additional vaccine arrives today or tomorrow, we will not be able to provide vaccine to the family members of students on Thursday and we will not be able to immunize students who need the vaccine injected as a shot.
Every child who is immunized will be sent home with a copy of the immunization consent form with the details about the vaccine they were given and the signature of the nurse administering the vaccine. On the back of that form you’ll find a receipt from CWA for $15. Many insurance companies will accept these receipts and reimburse your $15. The charge itself will appear on your next bill from CWA.
When the rest of the vaccine we have ordered arrives, we will proceed with additional clinics. We regret that we cannot immunize every interested and eligible member of the Charles Wright community immediately. We still plan to immunize all eligible students whose parents have provided consent and to also immunize other eligible family members who have submitted their consent forms. If you are able to immunize your children or other family members elsewhere, please let us know so we can take you off the list and make more vaccine available to others.
Thursday’s clinic will be held in the Lower School Commons. The schedule is:
8:30 7th & 8th graders
9:10 Beginning School through 2nd graders
10:10 6th graders
10:30 3rd through 5th graders
11:30 Upper Schoolers
Please remember that children nine years of age and younger will need a second dose of the vaccine administered 21-28 days after the first dose to be fully immunized. We will schedule this clinic at CWA and notify you of the date. Additional consent forms will not be required. Maxim Health Systems is confident that sufficient vaccine will be available on the appropriate date.
Thanks again for your continued patience and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Rob Camner
Update: Tuesday, October 13, 2009
CWA is mailing a packet of information to parents today about the upcoming H1N1 flu vaccine clinic on campus. The packet includes:
- A letter from Rob Camner to parents
- The CDC's Vaccine Information Sheet for the H1N1 nasal spray
- The CDC's Vaccine Information Sheet for the H1N1 flu shot
- CWA's 2009 H1N1 Vaccination Clinic Response Form
- Matrix Health System's H1N1 Immunization Consent Form
Update: Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Dear Parents,
It has been just over one month since my last update on the H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu. I want to thank you for working with your children and their teachers to promote good hygiene at home and on our campus and for keeping your children home when they are sick. These continue to be the very best things any of us can do to slow the spread of the virus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Washington is one of 27 states reporting widespread seasonal and H1N1 flu activity. Children continue to be among those most at risk of contracting the H1N1 virus and protecting them is a high priority for public health authorities. According to the CDC, hospitalization rates for laboratory-confirmed influenza cases are higher than expected for this time of year for both adults and children and are particularly high among children ages five to 17 and adults ages 18 to 49. As a result, we are taking the H1N1 virus very seriously at Charles Wright.
As I stated in my August 27 email update, public health authorities anticipate that the H1N1 vaccine will be available to children in mid-October. We are working closely with the Health Department and a commercial vaccinator to provide an H1N1 vaccination clinic at Charles Wright for our students. At this point, the best available information indicates that the very first doses of the vaccine will arrive in Pierce County this week and will be administered to health care providers.
By mid-October there will likely be enough vaccine available to hold an H1N1 flu clinic at CWA for students. The vaccination we receive will likely be a FluMist nasal spray rather than a vaccine administered with a needle. Children younger than 10 years of age will likely need to receive the nasal spray twice, 21 days apart, while those 10 years of age and older will likely only need to get it once. We currently anticipate that the cost for each dose will be $15, which will be charged to student accounts for those families who wish to have their children vaccinated. We will provide more detailed information at least seven to ten days before the clinic takes place. If your child has a chronic health condition, please consult with your primary care provider to determine if they recommend your child get the FluMist nasal spray.
Some of our teachers and staff may meet the definition of high risk and qualify to receive the vaccination as well and they will also be strongly encouraged to get vaccinated at our clinic. We do not anticipate that public health authorities will immediately have enough vaccine to provide it to all our teachers and staff. Although vaccination is not required, we strongly recommend that all students be vaccinated, both for the sake of their own health as well as the health of others. We will track carefully who gets the vaccination and we will be more aggressive about sending sick students, faculty, and staff home if they are not vaccinated. Please keep in mind that we will not be offering a seasonal flu clinic for students on our campus and you should consult your primary care provider for advice about giving your children the seasonal flu vaccine.
Practicing good hygiene and staying home when we are sick continues to be the very best way we can protect each other and slow the spread of this virus. I urge you to continue talking to your children about the importance of both of these recommendations.
Thank you for your continued attention to this matter. Please remember to keep your email address updated with the school as this is the quickest way for us to communicate with you.
Sincerely,
Rob Camner
Update: Thursday, August 27, 2009
Dear Parents,
As we prepare for the 2009-2010 school year, administrators at Charles Wright are paying close attention to the new advice we are receiving from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Tacoma Pierce County Health Department on preparing for and responding to the H1N1 influenza, better known as the swine flu. Our highest priority is the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff, and their families. We also understand the strain that keeping sick children home places on students and their parents.
Our goal is to keep everyone in our community as healthy as possible and keep the school operating smoothly. Those most at risk of contracting the H1N1 virus appear to be children under 18 years of age, although most people without chronic health problems have mild to moderate symptoms that are consistent with the symptoms of the normal seasonal flu. Local health authorities anticipate that many more people in the South Sound will get the H1N1 virus this fall and winter than typically come down with the seasonal flu and except for those who are severely ill, the public health authorities are asking that folks exercise “self care” rather than burdening the health care system with those who are not in real need of medical assistance.
Based on the recommendations of the CDC and Health Department, CWA asks that parents, students, faculty and staff help us to fight the spread of the H1N1 virus by taking the following steps:
Practice good hygiene and teach your children to do so as well. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not into your hands.
Stay home if you are sick. Students and staff with flu-like illness should stay home until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever over 100 degrees or signs of a fever without the use of a fever-reducing medicine. We will be looking for sick children at school and they will be sent home. Please review the flu symptom checklist.
We understand the pressures that older students in particular feel to come to school even when they are sick, and we understand the challenges working parents face when children too young to stay home alone become ill. For the sake of all of us at Charles Wright as well as the community at large, it is important that we all work together to mitigate the impact of the virus.
Get your child vaccinated for the H1N1 influenza when the vaccine becomes available. We anticipate that the vaccine will be available by mid-October, initially to pregnant women, caregivers of babies under six months, health care and emergency services workers, children six months to 24 years of age and adults (24 to 64 years old) with chronic conditions. We are working closely with the Health Department and a commercial vaccinator to provide an H1N1 vaccination clinic at Charles Wright for our students. Some of our teachers and staff may meet the definition of high risk and qualify to receive the vaccination as well and they will also be strongly encouraged to get vaccinated at our clinic. We will track carefully who gets the vaccination and we will be more aggressive about sending students, faculty and staff home if they are not vaccinated. In the unlikely event that there is an extreme vaccination shortage, children between ages five and eighteen with chronic conditions will be among those receiving priority.
As we did last spring, CWA will provide hand sanitizer in classrooms and will make sure that our custodial staff uses cleaning agents with appropriate and safe ingredients on surfaces that are touched by human hands.
If flu conditions are determined to be more severe than public health officials currently anticipate, the advice we receive may change. The next steps would be for sick students and staff to stay home for seven days or until 24 hours after the symptoms have gone away, whichever is longer, and for family members to stay home for five days if someone in their home becomes sick. The Health Department is NOT advising families to take these steps right now, but we want you to be aware that they are a possibility down the road.
We will continue to update parents throughout the school year on this webpage and using blast emails. However, delivery of emails can be delayed several hours due to circumstances beyond our control and this webpage is the most reliable place for you to find up-to-date information.
Thank you for your continued attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Rob Camner
Update: Monday, May 11, 2009
Dear Parents,
The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department informed us this morning that it is no longer necessary to keep all students and staff who exhibit flu symptoms home from school for seven full days. A person may now return to CWA 24 hours after they have fully recovered. The checklist for symptoms remains the same. Click here to review the checklist.
Thank you for your continued patience in this matter.
Sincerely,
Rob Camner
Update posted May 5, 2009, 4:30pm
Dear Parents,
Today we have just one piece of new information regarding the swine flu. The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department has provided the following clarification:
If you keep your child home from school because they show one or more flu symptoms, as described on the checklist we shared yesterday, and if you consult your primary care provider regarding the child’s condition and are assured that they are healthy enough to return to school, you may bring your child to CWA within seven days with a note from the primary care provider.
This and other updates will be posted to our swine flu webpage. (www.charleswright.org/Spotlight/SwineFlu)
Sincerely,
Rob Camner
Update posted Monday, May 4, at 5:00pm
Dear Parents,
As I indicated in my email last Friday, the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department continues to update its advice to schools as new information about the swine flu becomes available. On Friday evening we learned that the three ill Lakes students have the flu, but do not have the swine flu, and we updated that information on this website.
Here is the most up-to-date information as of Monday, May 4, at 5:00pm:
There is one known case of Swine Flu in Pierce County and no schools are closed at this time.
The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department is no longer recommending the closure of schools due to single cases of swine flu. As is the practice with the seasonal flu, schools may be closed if larger numbers of students or faculty become ill and school functioning becomes disrupted. Click here to open the Department’s two page memo on the subject.
The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department is asking all parents to assess their children’s health each morning before school using a checklist to identify symptoms of the flu. Faculty and staff will also use the checklist to determine if they themselves are ill. All sick students and faculty should stay out of school for at least seven days even if their symptoms resolve sooner. If a child or adult is ill with symptoms other than those on the checklist, they should stay home at least one day to observe how the illness develops and until completely well for 24 hours. Siblings and parents of sick children do not need to stay home unless they are symptomatic. Click here for the checklist.
Staff at Charles Wright, following the Health Department’s recommendation, will use the same checklist to identify sick children who should be sent home from school.
As always, the health and safety of our students, employees and their families remains a top priority for Charles Wright Academy. We will continue to post the most up-to-date information on this webpage.
Sincerely,
Rob Camner
Update posted Friday, May 1, 2009, 9:25pm:
Public health authorities have tested samples from the three students from Lakes High School mentioned in the letter below. The Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department has concluded that these students do have a flu virus but it is not the swine flu. Lakes High School will reopen on Monday. There are no known cases of swine flu in Pierce County at this time. The rest of the information in the letter below is up to date.
Update posted Friday, May 1, 2009, 12:00pm:
Dear friends,
This is an anxious time for many families in our community and around the world. Several suspected cases of swine flu have been identified in Pierce County. Although none of these cases are within the Charles Wright community, school administrators are working closely with public health authorities to step-up prevention efforts, develop a school response plan should someone within our community become sick, and provide you and your family with important information as it becomes available. We will continue to send emails to you and update this webpage.
The most important thing you can do to protect your family and others at Charles Wright is to report immediately to the school if your health care provider suspects that anyone in your family may have the swine flu by emailing senior administrators at flu at charleswright.org.
Please keep your child home from school if he or she develops any of the following symptoms: fever (temperature 100 degrees or higher), vomiting or diarrhea, blistery rash, heavy nasal congestion or frequent cough, or if your child has been diagnosed with a contagious disease. The symptoms of swine flu include: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches, chills and fatigue.
Our faculty and coaches understand that addressing this issue will require some students to stay home who may otherwise have come to school with a cold or other mild illness. They are prepared to work with students and their families to accommodate this situation. We will also be as flexible as possible in working with families that choose to keep their children home as a preventative measure. If your child is out of school, please communicate with your child’s teachers and coaches directly about assignments, practices, etc.
If a case of swine flu is identified within the Charles Wright community, school administrators will make decisions in concert with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. The department’s current recommendation is to close schools for seven days if a suspected case is identified. The department has cautioned us that this advice is subject to change. If the school closes, we will communicate that to parents by email and will post a notice on our website. If Charles Wright is closed for more than five school days, it is likely that days will be added at the end of the school year. Alternative test dates will be available should Upper School AP test dates be disrupted.
On campus, we are taking the following steps for the safety of our students and employees:
- Administrators are in direct communication, often through conference calls with other schools, with Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. We are receiving briefings daily, if not more often, and we continue to update our plans based on the advice and recommendations we are receiving from local officials as well the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Washington State Department of Health.
- We are emphasizing the importance of hand-washing, coughing into your sleeve and using hand sanitizer with all students and employees. We are distributing hand sanitizer to every classroom.
- As a precautionary measure, our maintenance staff is paying extra attention to disinfecting the places in our buildings that people touch most often like doorknobs and keyboards. Our bus drivers are giving the seats an extra wipe down as well.
- Sick children and adults, particularly those who are coughing or who have a fever, will be isolated in the school’s sick rooms and sent home immediately. If they are coughing, they will be asked to wear a mask while they wait for their parents. In the Upper School, those who are ill will wait in the conference room, rather than the main lobby, so they have less contact with other people.
- We are tracking absenteeism among students and staff and will report these figures to county authorities if they rise about 10 percent.
Sincerely,
Rob Camner
