Dear ISF Community,
This letter is to inform you of the current precautions ISF is taking in regards to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) to ensure our community is safe, healthy and informed. The ISF nurses and leadership team will continue to stay well-versed with all federal, WHO, CDC, state and local health authorities as well as consulate experts to monitor this situation and provide appropriate guidance to students, staff, parents and visitors. The school is currently taking extra hygiene precautions by investing in additional anti-bacterial stations throughout the school, educating the students and staff on the importance of frequent handwashing and extra cleaning services to reduce the potential spread of germs. We also need your help as the ISF community will play an important role when it comes to taking the highest safety precautions. First, we need to know of any ISF families who have returned to or are arriving from China, or other heavily affected Coronavirus areas. This can be reported to the school nurse at, nurse@isf-sabis.net.
The nurse will then instruct those families with next steps which will follow the suggestions from the CDC and WHO; Staff, students, visitors and families arriving from China on or after January 15, 2020, should not return to campus until 14 days after their arrival in Germany. We ask that you contact the nurse at nurse@isf-sabis.net who will discuss symptom recognition and how to arrange to be seen should symptoms arise. The nurse will also arrange for a follow-up appointment at the end of the 14-day period. You will be given clearance to return to school at the end of the 14-day period and clearance from nurse.
Second, we want to hear your concerns and questions to provide support and answers to the best of our abilities. You can send your concerns to isf@sabis.net. You can also refer to the following resources for further information; Link - Letter from the Ministry of education to all schools from Feb 11th Constantly updated information is available from the Health Office, City of Frankfurt:
https://frankfurt.de/aktuelle-meldung/Gesundheitsamt/Informationen-des-Gesundheitsamtes-zumneuen-Coronavirus/About
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
What is novel coronavirus? 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) identified as the cause of an
outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China (source: CDC). Read more about 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
How is it transmitted?
Most often, spread from person-to-person happens among close contacts (about 6 feet). Person-to person spread is thought to occur mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread (source: CDC). Read more about how COVID-19 spreads.
What are the symptoms?
Commonly reported symptoms of COVID-19 infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and pneumonia. While the exact incubation period for this coronavirus has not yet been determined, it is believed that most infected people will develop symptoms two to 14 days after they were exposed (source: Maryland Department of Health).
What measures can you take to minimize risk of exposure?
There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19 infection. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides recommendations to reduce exposure to and transmission of a range of illnesses. Read WHO advice for the public.Don't forget to protect yourself from another common virus, the flu (influenza). Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every season with rare exceptions. Vaccination is particularly important for people who are at high risk of serious complications from influenza. See People at High Risk of Developing Flu-Related Complications for a full list of age and health factors that confer increased risk.
To be clear, the influenza virus is a different virus from COVID-19, and getting your flu shot will not protect you from COVID-19. But both viruses are spread in the same fashion and we do have a vaccine to help prevent the spread of the flu. At this time in Germany, your risk of getting the flu is much greater than your risk of contracting COVID-19. Third, remember that we are an international community and that we have staff and students from around the world present at our school.
Please avoid making any preconceived notions about individuals or families who are from an infected area or who you believe may have come into contact with someone who is carrying the virus. We value our international, diverse community which proudly educates students from more than 50 nations. The ISF leadership team and nurses will continue to monitor the situation and should the Coronavirus threat escalate we will take all necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of the ISF community. Only in extreme cases, following local authority mandates, will the school shutdown. If a school shutdown is mandated, you will receive notification via SDP and email. To be sure that all parents receive prompt and accurate information, make sure that the school has all your updated contact details. Any updates can be sent to isf@sabis.net.
Thank you.
Corina Rader, School Director
Parent Network News
Fasching 2020
Children at ISF eagerly await the annual Fasching celebrations as it is an opportunity for them to dress up in their favorite costumes and come to school as princesses, policemen, ninjas etc. This year the Party for KG/PS & Grades 1- 4 was celebrated on last Friday, February 21st.
At the KG/PS party, the children hugely enjoyed watching the Puppet Show and delighted in the mini games that were organized. Grades1-4 children relished all the fun games, the Spin-a-prize, Walnut Walk, Catch the Ducklings, Hit the Clown, Tossing Rings and Musical Chairs. A highlight for the Grade 1- 4 party was the Photo Booth where students enjoyed getting pictures taken with their friends We thank everyone for helping the PN make this event a memorable one for our young students. We would like to thank the KG and Primary school Coordinators and Teachers, the Hausmeisters, the PE Department along with parents support with donations, volunteering for game stations, face painting and balloon creations. It would not have been possible without all of your help. We are always looking for new ideas for social activities for our students across all grades. If you have any suggestions you think our students would enjoy, please let us know via email to parentnetwork@isfsabis.net
Message from the School Nurses
Dear Community,
This is an update on the outbreak of the virus Covid-19 that originated in Wuhan, China. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) is closely monitoring the outbreak of this novel virus which has resulted in hundreds of confirmed cases in several countries worldwide as in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.
As a precautionary measure the school community is requested to:
- Inform the school health center if you travel to and from any of the above countries. Make sure you are
healthy and have no signs and symptoms of running a cold before returning to school.
- If you are running a cold after travelling, do not to return to school until you have the clearance letter
from a medical professional or an infectious disease specialist.
The symptoms may include:
· Runny nose
· headache
· cough
· sore throat
· fever
· general feeling of being unwell
· Pneumonia, bronchitis
People with a cardiopulmonary disease, low immune system, infants and elderly person may be more susceptible.
Human coronaviruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others through:
· the air by coughing and sneezing
· close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
· touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands
· rarely, faecal contamination
How to protect yourself:
There are currently no vaccines available to protect you against human coronavirus infection. You may be able to reduce your risk of infection by doing the following
· wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
· avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
· avoid close contact with people who are sick
If you have traveled or intend to travel to South East Asia and experiencing above mentioned symptoms, you should consult your healthcare provider and inform him/her about any recent travel.
Thank you for your cooperation and stay safe!
Liliana Feiler and Andrea Krebber
School Nurses
News from SLO®
March 6th - Deadline to apply for Sabis Stars, Contact SLO for application or more information
Senior Committee Milk Shake Sale on Friday 28
Messy Art Night Grades 3-4 4:30-5:30 on Friday 28
SLO Activities
SLO is accepting new Activity Proposals for Term 3. We encourage students, staff, parents, and other ISF community members to bring their passion and expertise to our student body by offering an SLO Activity during the school day. Proposal forms can be found in the SLO Office.
Deadline for submission: March 6th
The new SLO Activities list will be published the week of March 9th.
For questions or more information, please contact activities@isf-sabis.net
News from Sportverein
ISF Sportverein organized the 20th annual ski trip in Bad Hofgastein, Austria. All families enjoyed a week of excellent snow and good weather.
The students were pushed hard by their instructors and made a lot of progress throughout the week. Parents enjoyed the lovely ski area and several spa offers.
The trip was a great success and enjoyed by all.
We are looking forward to the next year's trip.
Have a nice week-end!
Your ISF team
