Welcome To St. Stephen's Armenian Elementary School

ST. STEPHEN'S ARMENIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION BEGINS ON JANUARY 22, 2024

ORIENTATION/OPEN HOUSE IS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2024 FROM 9:00AM-10:00AM

Accredited by the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE)
Preschool licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC)
Experienced and Massachusetts Certified Faculty
Low Student/Teacher Ratios
Extended-day Program

TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT PLEASE CALL THE PRESCHOOL OFFICE AT 617.923.0501 OR EMAIL MORCHANIAN@SSAES.ORG

 

 

 

Welcome To St. Stephen's Armenian Elementary School.

Announcement: Manoug and Me Program Starting March 4, 2024

Manoug & Me Program for children 18 months to 2.9 years old

Updated September 20, 2022

The Center for Disease Control (CDC), Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Early & Secondary Education (DESE) continue to share recommended COVID-19 protocols; we will frequently review and adjust accordingly..

Both the preschool and the elementary school will be following the same protocol, as advised by the following link through our Massachusetts DPH.

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-isolation-and-exposure-guidance-for-children-and-staff-in-child-care-k-12-out-of-school-time-ost-and-recreational-campprogram-settings

As of August 15, 2022 Massachusetts DPH is not recommending universal mask requirements (see below**), surveillance testing of asymptomatic individuals, contact tracing, or test-to-stay testing in schools. Quarantine is no longer required after exposure (see below for details).

• All individuals are encouraged to stay up-to-date with vaccination as vaccines remain the best way to help protect yourself and others.

Masks: While masks are not required or recommended (**except in certain settings such as day 6-10 of COVID-19 illness when returning from isolation, or during the 10 days post-exposure), any individual who wishes to continue to mask, including those who face higher risk from COVID-19, should be supported in that choice. For those who need or choose to mask, masking is never required in these settings while the individual is eating, drinking, sleeping or outside.

Testing: in lieu of surveillance testing and test-to-stay, efforts should focus on testing symptomatic individuals. Caregivers should be monitoring their children, and staff will monitor themselves and the students for any symptoms.

If a student develops symptoms and is sent home, or if a student develops symptoms at home, they are expected to test for COVID-19 and let administration know the results. For the preschool please notify the lead teacher and Digin Maral. For the elementary school please notify the teacher and Arlet. Please see Protocol C below for details.

COVID-19 symptoms list:

  • Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills
  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Muscle aches or body aches
  • Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
  • Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms
  • Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
  • Headache when in combination with other symptoms
  • Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
  • Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms.

Definitions:

Counting days: Day ZERO is the last day of exposure when there is a close contact. Day ZERO is the first day of symptoms or of a positive test (whichever is earlier) when there is a positive COVID19 infection.

Isolation: what you are asked to do if you have COVID19 - remain at home and keep distant from members of the family who are not infected.

Quarantine: when you have been in close contact with someone with COVID19 - remain at home in order to monitor for the development of symptoms and help reduce the potential for spread. This is no longer required by the CDC/DPH.

Asymptomatic: without any symptoms. Fever free for more than 24 hours at a minimum (without need for fever reducing medications) as well as no cough, sore throat, congestion, sneezing, fatigue, headache, body aches etc. In other words, complete resolution of symptoms and feeling back to normal.

Close contacts:

Close contacts are defined as individuals who have been within 6 feet of a COVID-19 positive individual while indoors, for a total of 15 minutes during a 24-hour period. Please note that the at-risk exposure time begins 48 hours prior to symptom onset (or time of positive test if asymptomatic) and continues until the time the COVID-19 positive individual is isolated.

• Close contacts who have had COVID-19 within the past 90 days are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols. An individual who has been previously diagnosed with COVID-19 and then becomes a close contact of someone with COVID-19 is exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols if:

o The exposure occurred within 90 days of the onset of their own illness AND
o The exposed individual is recovered and remains without COVID-19 symptoms.

 

Cases will be handled as follows:

Protocol A: For individuals who test positive for COVID-19

  • Duration: Self-isolation for COVID-19 positive cases is a minimum of 5 days after symptom onset or after positive PCR/NAAT or antigen test, if asymptomatic.

  • Return to school: After 5 days* and once they have:
    • Been without fever for 24 hours (and without taking fever-reducing medications); and
    • Significant improvement of symptoms; and
    • Following the 5-day isolation period, individuals must wear a tight-fitting mask for 5 additional days when around others (days 6-10) unless they test negative on day 5 or later.
    • If the child is unable to mask they may return day 5 or later only with a negative test

Protocol B: Protocol for asymptomatic close contacts

Quarantine is no longer required nor recommended for children or staff regardless of vaccination status or where the exposure occurred. All exposed individuals may continue to attend programming as long as they remain asymptomatic. Those who can mask should do so until Day 10, and it is recommended that they test on Day 6 of exposure. If symptoms develop, follow the guidance for symptomatic individuals, below.

Protocol C: Protocol for symptomatic individuals

Protocol C-1 and C-2 apply to vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals who experience the COVID- 19 symptoms listed above.

Protocol C-1 (Recommended): Return to school post-symptoms with test

  • Duration: Dependent on symptom resolution
  • Return to School: Individuals may return to school after they:

o Have received a negative molecular (PCR/NAAT) or antigen (Rapid at home tests) test result for COVID-19.For symptomatic individuals, DPH recommends a second test within 48 hours if the initial test is negative.
o Have improvement in symptoms
o Have been without fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
o Best practice would also include wearing a mask, if possible, until symptoms are fully resolved.

*Siblings of symptomatic students may continue to attend school as long as they remain symptom free

 

Protocol C-2: Alternative protocol for symptomatic individuals who are not close contacts and choose not to receive a COVID test to return to school

  • Duration: Isolation is at least 5 days from symptom onset
  • Return to School: After 5 days, returning on day 6, assuming they:

o Have significant improvement of symptoms
o Have been without fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
o Following the 5-day isolation period, individuals must wear a tight-fitting mask for 5 additional days when around others.

 

617-926-6979
school@ssaes.org
47 Nichols Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472

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