Dear Gorman Crossing Families and Friends,
Cold and flu season is upon us and as you may well be aware, a stomach flu has been making its way throughout the school. We are working with the Office of Health Services tracking levels of illness in our classrooms and are making every effort to keep your children healthy.
We have had an increase in the number of students absent or going home sick from the health room with stomach virus symptoms. These symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach discomfort, fatigue, and mainly without a fever. This stomach virus seems to be lasting around 24-48 hours.
There are some things you can do to promote wellness in your homes this season:
1. Teach your children cough etiquette. Cover coughs with your hand, or better yet, cough into a tissue then immediately discard it. If you don’t have a tissue, cough into a shoulder or elbow (areas that are rarely touched by fingers).
2. Teach children to avoid rubbing their noses and eyes with fingers and to avoid putting fingers into their mouths.
3. Encourage your children to wash their hands frequently. Studies have shown this is the best way to prevent the spread of colds and flu. Wash hands before and after meals, after using the toilet or tissues, after interacting with pets and whenever hands are visibly dirty.
4. If your child has a fever, allow your child to rest at home. Children should not be sent back to school too soon. Children should remain home until they have been fever free for twenty-four hours.
5. If your child is vomiting, do not send your child back to school too soon. Children should remain at home for twenty-four hours after the vomiting has stopped.
At Gorman Crossing, we are taking extra steps to make sure all desks and tables are being cleaned carefully. In addition, we are encouraging the students to wash their hands frequently.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Tiffany Hevner, Cluster Nurse, tiffany_hevner@hcpss.org
We appreciate your help keeping our community healthy!

Sincerely,
Deborah M. Holmes, Principal
deborah_holmes@hcpss.org