“All About Me” & “Families”

Dear Parents,

Our January & February curriculum was “All About Me” & “Families” which saw many important and essential concepts being conveyed to our children, such as dental hygiene, personal health & grooming, family tree, home safety etc. We hope you can continue to reinforce these values and practices at home to inculcate lifelong habits and beliefs. February has been an eventful month for the school in terms of children’s health. On 7th Feb, we had our first case of Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease (HFMD) after about 3 years. Hygiene practices were immediately stepped up to prevent outspread of the disease. Another case of HFMD was reported on 23rd Feb – 16 days after the first case, hence is most probably an isolated case. On 17th Feb. a case of chicken pox was reported. We were notified of a second case as I write this address on 27th Feb, 2009. The school is now on high alert and we look forward to normalisation. We know that the school’s health procedures has caused some inconveniences to parents but we trust you understand that all these are done to protect your children and to prevent the outspread of diseases. The Ministry of Health will order closure of centres if there is a need to interrupt the transmission of diseases. We definitely do not want to get to that stage because all parents will then have to make alternative childcare arrangements. Hence, please bear with us and immediately collect your child from the centre when we notify you of observations of unusual symptoms and behaviour such as fever, red spots on face, body and limbs, sore throat, vomiting etc. Ms. Maria will update you in her column in this bulletin on the steps that the school has taken to remain vigilant and what you can do at home to assist. Let’s work hand-in-hand to ride this wave of uncertainty.

As much as our teachers are passionate about what they do, they are also stressed as pre-school teachers, parents and spouse. In order to help them in stress management and to encourage a healthy lifestyle including regular exercising, the school invited a Pilates Instructress to conduct a session before commencement of our February staff meeting. The initiative was well-received by all teachers as it is relaxing and easy on the body. We will be making the 45mins Pilates workout a regular feature before every staff meeting. The school is committed to providing our teachers a favourable working environment and conducive atmosphere, so as to deliver quality education to our school’s children. Happy teachers result in happy children!

Yours sincerely,
Yeo Hwee Fung
Director

Principal‛s Message
Maria Seow

Many common childhood illnesses are infectious. Children in schools spend a large part of their day in close contact with each other, making them vulnerable to infectious diseases. Outbreaks of these diseases, which can spread rapidly, pose medical and other health problems. Following are some of the procedures that the school practices in the prevention and control of infectious diseases. These are also in line with the Ministries of Health’s guidelines and recommendations.

• daily cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting of the school’s premises, facilities,
  amenities, furniture, educational materials and toys;
• maintaining good ventilation within the school premises;
• monthly cleaning of all air-conditioners;
  
• frequent washing and sanitizing of children’s hands which are monitored by teachers;
  
• daily physical health check of all children upon arrival which includes temperature taking;
  
• daily physical health checks and temperature takings three times within the course of a day.

During our routine physical health checks and temperature taking sessions, teachers will look for unusual symptoms like fever, ulcers in the mouth, appearance of spots (rashes), blisters on the hands, feet or private areas.

• If these symptoms are spotted upon arrival, parents will be informed and the child will not be allowed to enter the school to prevent other children from being infected. Hence, we urge parents to accompany your child personally to the school’s front porch (not leave them at the gate) where they will be checked and leave only when the check is completed.
  
• If these symptoms are found during the course of a daily routine check, teachers will inform me and the parents immediately. The child will also be taken out of the classroom and isolated. During such cases, we plead with parents to collect your child as soon as you have been informed, visit the doctor, get medication and go home for a good rest. Do not wait until after lunch or nap and please do not let them take the school bus home.

Please note that it is a MCYS’s and MOH’s requirement that the centre’s personnel be informed when a child is certified by a medical practitioner to have contracted an infectious or contagious disease. Please do not send him/her and siblings to school until the infected child is certified well and fit by a doctor to return to school.

When the school suspects or receives news that a child is down with an infectious or contagious disease the following steps are taken to prevent the spread of the disease:

• Immediate cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting of all furniture, educational materials and toys, including general areas and surfaces e.g. door knobs;
  
• Discontinue mix-group activities.
  
• Inform the school’s community i.e. other parents

May we suggest that parents separate the sick child and his siblings as much as possible when they are at home i.e. sleep in separate bedrooms, eat at different areas and play with different toys. These toys should be washed and sanitized often. Ideally, if parent are able, make arrangement to have siblings in different households e.g. one at grandparent’s home, for a short time to reduce the risk of infection.

Parents can also encourage a healthier lifestyle within the family such as exercising regularly, having a balanced diet, encouraging early nights etc. to enhance children’s immunity system thereby reducing the risk of infection.

We hope you agree with the steps we are taking to ensure that all the children under our care remain healthy and safe. Any other suggestions and recommendations will be greatly appreciated.