Update from Head of School - September 30, 2021

Dear Villa community,

It was a pleasure to see so many of you at The Mother Cabrini Italian Dinner, Unplug and Play! It seems only fitting that an evening of celebrating each other and Mother Cabrini’s legacy centered on adapting traditions while continuing to build community and create lifelong relationships. Our mission to educate strong minds and compassionate hearts for infinite possibilities was at the heart of our shared joy, connection, and service on Friday night. Thank you for joining us!

I want to share with you that Villa is investigating the possibility of participating in the Learn to Return program offered through the State of Washington. This program provides schools with several different structures and systems for implementing diagnostic and/or routine COVID screening testing for students and staff in school buildings. Additionally, Learn to Return provides pop-up vaccination clinics at schools across the state.

COVID-19 Testing Exploratory Task Force

I have asked three Villa parents with expertise in COVID testing programs and medicine to serve as a select task force. Together, the task force and I will assess potential programs and pop-up vaccination clinics for their applicability, given the multiple levels of logistics and complexities of routinely testing students and staff.

I am grateful to Elise Simons, M.D., Libby Duryea, a pediatric registered nurse, and Marcelo Collantes, Vice Chair of the Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Department at the U.W. Medical School, for their willingness to share expert insights as we investigate these potential programs for Villa.

Please know that we haven’t made any decisions regarding routine COVID screening or hosting pop-up COVID vaccination clinics. I will communicate the next steps, if any, pending our task force’s investigation.

Important Details about COVID Exposure and Schools

• The nature of COVID this year is that all schools are likely to experience some virus transmission or exposure, which could result in small group or class level quarantines. The Department of Health (DOH) definition of close contacts in a K-12 school differs from that of close contacts in preschools.
  
  
  • Preschool Close Contact: Within 6-feet for 15-minute cumulative exposure over 24-hours of a positive case. Preschool close contacts occur when a student is within six feet for fifteen cumulative minutes over twenty-four hours of an individual who tests positive for COVID.
  • K-12 students who are three feet or more from a person who tests positive for COVID and who have been fully masked are NOT considered close contacts who tested positive for COVID.
    
    
• Vaccinated students do NOT need to quarantine or miss school if they are in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID.
  
  
  • Schools are required by DOH to collect student vaccination records. Please submit a copy of your child’s COVID vaccination card to villa-office@thevilla.org.
  • Vaccinated students who have not submitted proof of vaccination will be required to quarantine in the event of a COVID exposure.
    

• Families are required by the DOH to communicate any positive COVID tests to schools. At Villa, please immediately communicate positive COVID tests with:
  
  
  • Your child’s teacher.
    
  • Division director.
  • Ms. Padilla in the Main Office, villa-office@thevilla.org.

We are continuing to utilize multi-layered, strong COVID safety measures across campus and, as always, appreciate your partnership in this critical work.

Sincerely,

Julie Thenell Grasseschi, Interim Head of School