The Miamisburg District November Student of the Month is Lucie Hissein. She was nominated by Mound Elementary School third grade teacher Kim Bargdill. She said "Lucie is a student who takes all of our Mound Gopher expectations to heart and exemplifies them daily. She is "Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn" each and every school day. Lucie knows how to laugh and have fun while at Mound, but she also knows when it is time to be serious. She is respectful to her classmates as well as the adults in our building. Lucie can always be found helping to clean our classroom at the end of the day before dismissal. She is not asked to do this; she just takes on that responsibility in order to have pride in her surroundings.
Most of all, Lucie is a wonderful example of our PBIS expectation "Ready to Learn." Daily, Lucie sets challenging goals for herself for Xtra Math, a fact fluency activity. When she meets those goals she sets her sights even higher. Not everything comes easily for Lucie, but she keeps a positive attitude and possesses a strong desire to succeed. She works hard and perseveres. She faces challenges head on and does what she needs to do to overcome the obstacles. She often prefers to work independently rather than with a partner so she can figure things out on her own and not have a classmate just give her the answer. She will ask for help when she is truly stuck on something. She will put in extra time to ensure she understands. She will do whatever it takes to meet her goals. I am proud of Lucie and everything she has accomplished so far this year. I know she will continue to reach for the stars!"
Other building Student of the Month representatives can be viewed at right. Congratulations to all of our Student of the Month students!
Important COVID Update: New ODH Quarantine Guidelines & Mask Protocols
Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,
After careful consideration, the following changes to our COVID protocols will go into effect on Friday, November 19:
As we have done since the start of the pandemic, in addition to reviewing the guidance from ODH, we consulted with local medical experts before making this decision. Dayton & Montgomery County Public Health Department endorse these new protocols.
Consistent with the Warren County pilot, Miamisburg has also seen a very low rate of quarantined close contacts actually contracting COVID (just 2.7%). Please understand that we will continue to watch our positive numbers closely. If we see a spike in positive cases, we may choose to reinstate the mask requirement at any time.
Per the Ohio Department of Health, those identified as a close contact in a K-12 school setting may now stay in school by following these “Mask to Stay” protocols, regardless of vaccination status:
- Wear a mask consistently and properly for 14 days after the last date of exposure;
- Self-monitor or parent-monitor, for symptoms of COVID-19; and
- Isolate and get tested if they start to experience symptoms associated with COVID-19 (regardless of the level of severity).
If a close contact submits a negative COVID test result from day 5-7 after exposure to the school, the “Mask to Stay” protocols may end on day eight (8).
If a close contact refuses to wear a mask, they must stay home for 10 days from the last date of contact. They may return to school on day eight (8) if they submit a negative COVID test result from day 5-7. Mask waivers do not apply under these circumstances.
Quarantine rules for Preschool are determined by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). According to those rules, preschool students who are exposed to a positive case will be required to quarantine outside of school regardless of mask status.
In order to continue participating in extracurricular activities, close contacts in a school setting must follow these “Test to Play” protocols, regardless of vaccination status:
- Remain asymptomatic;
- Wear a mask as much as possible;
- Test negative for COVID within 24 hours of being identified as a close contact and submit the results to school;
- Test again between days 5-7. If negative, they may choose to stop wearing a mask on day 8.
In order to qualify, negative test results must be a PCR or antigen test that was observed by a medical professional.
School Quarantine Guidance for Vaccinated Individuals
Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County recommends that K-12 schools’ quarantine procedures allow that those students, faculty and staff that may have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 in a classroom setting or on school provided buses, do not need to self-quarantine, provided that all parties were properly wearing face masks and social distancing was maintained as appropriate, which includes at least 3’ to 6’ of distance in the classroom. With 6’ being preferred.
The above exception does not apply to sports or extracurricular activities.
All other exposure should follow the standard quarantine procedures. Those exposed, but not quarantined, should continue to monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days and initiate a self-isolation if any symptoms develop. If unable to complete a 14-day quarantine. Quarantine may also be 10 days without testing or after7 days and a negative test result after day 5 or later.
Vaccinated persons with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they meet all of the following criteria:
• Are fully vaccinated (i.e., ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine)
• Have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure
Persons who do not meet all 2 of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
After quarantine you should watch for symptoms for 14 days after exposure, immediately isolate if you develop symptoms, and continue to wear a mask, stay 6’ from others, avoid crowds and wash your hands.
While we understand that parents have very strong feelings on both sides of the mask issue, it has always been our priority to keep kids in school. As such, under the previous quarantine requirements, Miaimisburg’s mask requirement has kept numerous students out of quarantine since the start of the mask requirement. These new quarantine guidelines from the State give us an option to not only keep healthy close contacts learning in the classroom with the added precaution of a mask for the safety of others, but also give families the option to choose whether their child will wear a mask.
Please understand that, although we will not require masks in school buildings or at school sponsored events beginning tomorrow, we still require masks on school transportation since this is a federal mandate.
Please review this Quarantine Flowchart for more specific details.
Sincerely,
Dr. Laura Blessing
