Plaza School - School Events & Reminders

7322 County Road 24, Orland, CA 95963 • Phone: (530) 865-1250 • Fax: (530) 865-1252


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School Events & Reminders

Status Report Concerning Health Issues


Status Report Concerning Health Issues	Top of Page

Flu and Other Ailments Impact Student Coursework

10-19-2009

Dear Parent or Guardian;

I hope this letter finds you and your family well. That may be a tall order indeed as this year a variety of ailments have descended on our school. Swine flu is of course the most well known this season as it continues to get all the press and create the most anxiety. However bronchitis, sinusitis and the ‘normal’ flu seem to be dominating our local scene and accounting for most of our absences.

Plaza has had no confirmed cases of swine flu, yet we have had a significant increase of absenteeism due to sickness. So far this year we have had over 214 days missed due to illness as compared to last year when there were only 198 days of absences through the end of October. At the current rate we will have 263 days of absence during the first trimester resulting in 65 more days of absences than last year during the same time period.

This puts an obvious and significant strain on you and your family. Managing a household during normal conditions is difficult enough, but during times of sickness it can become almost overwhelming. One aspect that always adds to the stress of being ill is making up missed work. One way you can help to alleviate this stress is to let us know as soon as possible when and for how long your student will be out. This will aid us in providing your child with the support necessary for them to make up missed work more quickly.

We have also noticed a marked increase in students leaving early or arriving late for doctor’s appointments. This also leads to missed assignments which increases the teacher’s as well as the student’s workload. Students who leave for a doctor’s appointment need to get their assignments from their teacher before leaving so they can keep up with their assignments and not fall behind. Of course we ask parents to make every attempt to schedule appointments after school hours whenever possible to help their child stay current with their studies.

We are determined to work closely with you and your child to minimize the impact of this flu season on their academic progress. Please let us know how we can be of assistance to ensure your child stays current with their work. As long as we continue to work together for this common goal I am confident Plaza Elementary will remain one of the best schools in the north state.

Sincerely,

Timothy E. Ryan
Superintendent
PlazaElementary School District