The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us all many things. One particular lesson I have learned is the importance of rapid, accurate transparency. Therefore, I’m reaching out to let our community know that Mountain Vista K-8 School is choosing to temporarily close one of our kindergarten classrooms. The classroom will be closed because we currently have two positive cases of COVID-19 in that classroom cohort. By temporarily closing the classroom, we hope to slow and ultimately stop the spread of COVID-19 at our school. The classroom will be locked this afternoon (Monday, October 25) and will remain locked for 24 hours. The classroom will be deep cleaned on Wednesday, October 27. The students will be welcome back to campus and their classroom on Tuesday, November 2, provided they are healthy and symptom free. While the classroom is closed the students will complete paper and pencil assignments and family projects from home.
Together with our school principal, we spoke with the families of each child in this classroom cohort. We personally notified all possible close contacts. We are following guidelines and recommendations from the health department as well as our District’s Safe Return to In-Person Learning Plan which can be found on our website at www.osd2.org. We continue to be vigilant when it comes to cleaning, washing our hands, covering our coughs and sneezes, and staying home when we do not feel well. We encourage families to speak with their children about how we can keep ourselves safe and healthy. For many families, this includes wearing a face mask or receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
This is a small community and just as germs, bacteria, and viruses travel fast, information (both false and accurate) can often travel even faster. It is my hope that by sharing this information with you today, we can help prevent unnecessary concern, panic, or misinformation. We are in the midst of difficult times. This is officially the third consecutive school year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The last “normal school year” our fourth graders experienced was kindergarten. Our students in kindergarten through third grade have only known school to include unannounced transitions to distance learning, face masks, temperature checks, and the frequent use of hand sanitizer.
I always welcome and encourage an open dialogue between our community and the Oracle Elementary School District. I welcome your questions, comments, and ideas. You may contact my office directly at 520-896-3074 or at cnehrmeyer@mvs.osd.org. I thank you for reading this letter and I wish you a safe, healthy, and encouraging day.
/s/ Crystle Nehrmeyer
Superintendent
Oracle Elementary School District