Health and Well-being

The number of Visitation students falling ill these days is growing. And we realize that this situation places stress on students and families alike. I would like to offer some reassurance as well as ask for your help.

Our faculty is committed to the holistic health of each one of our students, and they each stand ready to support students who need to be home recovering from whatever illness befalls them. In addition to the general empathy that our faculty and staff demonstrate in trying times, they also, very practically, have at the ready both class assignments and other instructional hints. Please check individual teacher webpages or email the teachers to ask for assignments or assistance. However, most importantly, our Visitation team wishes to mitigate the angst that our typically very conscientious students experience when they are away from school. We are proponents of rest and recovery before assignments are tackled. Recovering from some of these illnesses requires a great deal of rest. We want this rest to occur and will assist students upon their return to school regarding catching up on essential educational pieces. Please be reassured in this regard.

As for the help that we need, we now must require that students (K-12) are fever and symptom-free for a full 48 hours before returning to school. In order not to infect others or prompt a relapse with the student in question, we must abide by this directive, as encouraged by the Board of Health. Given that many of our students are suffering recurring illness in very short order, we feel that this 48 hour period at home after the fever and symptoms abate is essential. As previously communicated to the parents of the youngest among us, the Child Care and Montessori students must stay home for a minimum of seven days from the onset of symptoms, as per the Board of Health. We realize the various strains that this can place on households, but we must maintain our position on this in order to promote the health and well-being of the whole school. Of particular note at Visitation are the two groups who are especially vulnerable – the wee ones in our Child Care and Montessori programs, and the elderly Sisters in the Monastery.

We wish all of our students smooth sailing through the month of October. But this will only occur if we all do our part. Please remember that we stand ready as a professional team to support our families during these times so beset by illness.