March 6, 2020

Today, I received communication that a parent in our community has tested positive for COVID-19. This parent, however, has not been on our campus for several weeks, and the child has been out of school since last Friday, Feb. 28th, 2020. At this point, no one else in their family is showing any symptoms of illness, and all are in self-quarantine for the recommended 14-day period. We have been tracking absence and illness (including specific symptoms) for the last week. We are not aware of any other students, staff, or community members who seem to be presenting COVID-19 specific symptoms.

MCH Will Close Its Campus from March 9th – 13th

We have been in direct contact with Public Health officials, who have given us full support to make this decision for our community. Out of an abundance of caution, we will be closing our campus all of next week, so that we can thoroughly clean and disinfect the entire campus.

Again, we want to be clear that this is not an extended closure, and please keep in mind that school was already going to be closed next Thursday and Friday. We will no longer be offering childcare for next Thursday and Friday. Elementary and Middle School Program Directors will be in touch with Upper School families early in the day tomorrow with at-home support suggestions and guidelines that will help sustain children's learning during our three days of closure next week. Early Childhood and Infant/Toddler Program Directors will also reach out to the families in the Lower School by Monday morning with a few suggested activities to engage children’s learning as well during the three day closure.

Staying Calm and Informed

Our community is strong because we support one another, especially in times of crisis. Our recommendations and policies for preventing the spread of this virus remain in effect. There is an additional link to that information at the end of this email.
We also ask out of utmost respect for this family’s privacy that you do not seek out information on their identity. We firmly believe that this update contains all the necessary information to help you understand our current situation.
Please continue practicing recommended hygiene per Public Health officials. In addition, please follow these steps, should anyone in your family begin showing symptoms of illness.

• Please email me and be specific in your email about the symptoms you are seeing as we are tracking these. We particularly want to know of any respiratory symptoms, especially if combined with fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
• If anyone in your family is showing signs of illness and has possibly been exposed to a patient with Coronavirus, per King County and the Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH):
• Contact your physician, the Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH) at 800-525-0127, and Public Health – Seattle and King County (PHSKC) at 206-477-3977
• Their call center is open daily from 8 AM to 7 PM PST.
• For general questions about COVID-19 or Washington State's response, please call the Washington State Novel Coronavirus Call Center at 800-525-0127.
  
  

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