The Buzz in My Brain
My husband's heart stopped this week. He did not have a blood pressure or a pulse. He was too unstable to be transported to a preferred hospital. They needed to use an AED on him. They put a camera into his heart. I keep saying that to try to anesthetize myself to what has happened. He is on the road to recovery. We are calibrating to a new normal of cardiac care. I am trying not to be too much of a nag and keep my anxiety as tempered as possible. Everything that happened was a result of preparing for something that should have been routine. No one could have anticipated what happened. We have lived what feels like a lifetime in one week.
I have kept the leadership team apprised of what has been happening. The reason I am sharing, probably oversharing, with all of you is because someone thanked me for modelling putting family first and trying to do self-care. It has not been easy being away from work. I think in many ways this is the first time that I have had a total team that I trusted. This is what allowed me to focus on what I need to focus on. Thank you all for being my team. I want each of you to always be sure to put your family first. Your loved ones are food for your soul so that you can do this critically important, incredibly difficult work.
Thank you for all of your kind words and support this week. I can not express how much they have meant. Thank you to all of you that have absorbed part of what I do each day. I can't wait to get back into the fray with you.
I will be out one more day, Monday, because I am having some diagnostic procedures done. I will be under anesthesia so I may be unreachable for a bit. Hopefully these will be truly routine procedures. :)
On Tuesday I will be back and I can't wait!
I have kept the leadership team apprised of what has been happening. The reason I am sharing, probably oversharing, with all of you is because someone thanked me for modelling putting family first and trying to do self-care. It has not been easy being away from work. I think in many ways this is the first time that I have had a total team that I trusted. This is what allowed me to focus on what I need to focus on. Thank you all for being my team. I want each of you to always be sure to put your family first. Your loved ones are food for your soul so that you can do this critically important, incredibly difficult work.
Thank you for all of your kind words and support this week. I can not express how much they have meant. Thank you to all of you that have absorbed part of what I do each day. I can't wait to get back into the fray with you.
I will be out one more day, Monday, because I am having some diagnostic procedures done. I will be under anesthesia so I may be unreachable for a bit. Hopefully these will be truly routine procedures. :)
On Tuesday I will be back and I can't wait!
COVID-19
I am copying Sam's email about the COVID-19 virus. The virus has become a media sensation in this 24 hour news cycle. It is important to remember that we are a low-risk community and to keep things in perspective. We work with little ones and we know about hand washing and coughing into our chicken wings. (Thanks Ana).
I know that there are many questions and concerns related to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and I wanted to communicate clearly our school's prevention efforts. Although we remain a low risk community, we are collaborating with BPS and Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) to have a clear response plan in place in the event of a suspected exposure or confirmed case.
At this point, the best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus that causes it. Stopping transmission of the virus through everyday practices is the best way to keep people healthy. It is still influenza season and our prevention efforts are similar to what we have in place to combat seasonal flu.
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Hand Hygiene: Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds OR using alcohol-based hand rubs and gels. Minimize/avoid handshaking as a greeting (maybe substitute with a wave or rub elbows - everyone is aware of these recommendations so it shouldn't seem odd to do this and we can have a sense of humor about it)
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Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
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Avoiding close contact with people who are sick. (Yes, our children may present to school with the symptoms of the common cold but this is distinctly different from flu-like symptoms that will present with associated symptoms such as fever, body aches, tiredness and headaches).
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Staying home when you are sick. Staff should model this behavior for our families. If you are sick, please stay home. As per our infection control guidelines, all children with fevers over 100.4 will be asked to stay home or will be dismissed home. As per CDC and BPHC guidelines, we will consider in school quarantine ONLY if a child presents with fever and respiratory symptoms AND has recently traveled to a level 3 country.
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Covering your cough or sneeze and instructing our children to cough into their elbow. If students cough into their hand, please ask them to wash/sanitize hands.
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Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces. We are collaborating with Bill and custodial staff to ensure high touch surfaces such as doorknobs and hand-rails are cleaned more frequently and with appropriate disinfectant. Please let Bill know right away if a soap dispenser needs to be refilled.
Remember, our children and families are watching our practices and taking our cues. Panic and fear is detected quickly by children. Please see attached Talking Points for children.
This is a rapidly evolving situation and BPS will provide centralized communication as recommendations change. Please let us know if you have any questions.
At this point, the best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus that causes it. Stopping transmission of the virus through everyday practices is the best way to keep people healthy. It is still influenza season and our prevention efforts are similar to what we have in place to combat seasonal flu.
- Hand Hygiene: Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds OR using alcohol-based hand rubs and gels. Minimize/avoid handshaking as a greeting (maybe substitute with a wave or rub elbows - everyone is aware of these recommendations so it shouldn't seem odd to do this and we can have a sense of humor about it)
- Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoiding close contact with people who are sick. (Yes, our children may present to school with the symptoms of the common cold but this is distinctly different from flu-like symptoms that will present with associated symptoms such as fever, body aches, tiredness and headaches).
- Staying home when you are sick. Staff should model this behavior for our families. If you are sick, please stay home. As per our infection control guidelines, all children with fevers over 100.4 will be asked to stay home or will be dismissed home. As per CDC and BPHC guidelines, we will consider in school quarantine ONLY if a child presents with fever and respiratory symptoms AND has recently traveled to a level 3 country.
- Covering your cough or sneeze and instructing our children to cough into their elbow. If students cough into their hand, please ask them to wash/sanitize hands.
- Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces. We are collaborating with Bill and custodial staff to ensure high touch surfaces such as doorknobs and hand-rails are cleaned more frequently and with appropriate disinfectant. Please let Bill know right away if a soap dispenser needs to be refilled.
Remember, our children and families are watching our practices and taking our cues. Panic and fear is detected quickly by children. Please see attached Talking Points for children.
This is a rapidly evolving situation and BPS will provide centralized communication as recommendations change. Please let us know if you have any questions.
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