Pentwater Public Schools
“Where everybody is somebody”
December 30, 2021
CDC SHORTENS ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE PERIODS
DHD#10 Adopting Changes Effective Immediately
Dear Falcon Families,
Earlier this week we received the following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), District Health Department #10 (DHD#10) is adopting the strategy released by the CDC on December 27 for quarantine and isolation effective immediately.
In the release, the CDC announced that, given what is currently known about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, they are shortening the recommended timeframe for isolation and quarantine from others for those who have COVID-19 and are asymptomatic as well as those who have been exposed to COVID-19.
Below is the breakdown of the new guidance:
If you test positive for COVID-19 (Isolate)
Everyone, regardless of vaccination status:
Stay home for 5 days
If no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you can leave your house
Continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days
If you have a fever, continue to stay home until your fever resolves.
If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19 (Quarantine)
If you have been boosted OR completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within 6 months OR completed the primary series of Johnson & Johnson vaccine within the last 2 months:
Wear a mask around others for 10 days
Test on day 5, if possible
Quarantine not required unless you develop symptoms, after which, get tested and stay home for 5 days
If you completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine over 6 months ago and are not boosted OR completed the primary series of Johnson & Johnson over 2 months ago and are not boosted OR have an incomplete vaccine series OR are unvaccinated:
Stay home (quarantine) for 5 days
After that continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days
Test on day 5 if possible
If you develop symptoms, get tested and stay home
For those wanting to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine, booster dose and/or flu shot, please visit www.dhd10.org/schedule or call 888-217-3904. If no appointments are available, consider going to a pharmacy or your primary health care provider.
DHD#10 is also hosting COVID-19 and Flu vaccine clinics at various locations throughout our jurisdiction. Find a clinic near you at www.dhd10.org/events or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DHD10/events.
For those needing a COVID-19 test, I wanted to remind you that Pentwater is participating in the Mi Backpack Home Test program and have test kits available for students/families upon request. Also DHD#10 is hosting testing clinics at various locations throughout the jurisdiction. Find a testing site near you at www.dhd10.org/covid19-testing-clinics. You do not need to be a resident to get tested at any of these clinics. COVID-19 testing also takes place at most pharmacies, urgent cares, and your primary health care provider’s office.
For individual who utilized a COVID-19 home test kit and the results came back positive, please submit your results by completing the following survey: https://bit.ly/3zaCkiP
For more information on COVID-19, visit www.dhd10.org/coronavirus.
Lastly, as I have said in the past, if your child is not feeling well, even if it seems as though it is a simple cold, please keep your child home until they are no longer showing symptoms.
Thank you for your help in keeping everyone safe, healthy and in school!
Respectfully,
Dr. Scott Karaptian
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Pentwater Public Schools' family!
The board meeting on Monday, 12/20/21, will not be available virtually due to system server integration. Thank you!
3rd graders presented their Natural Disaster Projects to 2nd graders this week.
Mrs. Linda Stone reading & singing with our elementary students.
The girls JV and Varsity basketball games scheduled for Friday, 12/17/21, in Bear Lake, has been canceled!
December 16, 2021
Falcon Family and Friends,
We have recently been made aware of a copycat school shooting threat that is circulating nationwide on Tik Tok and possibly other social media platforms. We have been told by the Michigan State Police, Oceana County Sheriff's Office and our local Pentwater Police Chief that they are unaware of any credible threats and there have not been any threats made locally at this time.
I have been in contact with Chief Hartrum this evening and he assured us that he will be present at the school first thing in the morning as an added precautionary safety measure.
We would ask for your help by talking with your child/children about appropriate use of social media and the seriousness of making any kind of threat towards school or anywhere else. Again as mentioned in a communication I put out earlier this month, please encourage your children to speak up if they hear or see something, whether it is by talking to someone in person or through the anonymous platform OK2SAY (https://www.michigan.gov/ok2say/ ).
I want to thank you for your continued support and participation in helping to keep our students, staff and schools safe!
Respectfully,
Dr. Scott Karaptian
Please disregard earlier message about school being closed on Thursday December 16, the school does currently have power and will be open.
Again, Pentwater Public Schools will be open And running on Thursday December 16, 2021.
Sorry for the confusion and any inconvenience.
Dr. Karaptian
The Pentwater Athletic Boosters is seeking help in hiring a "Concessions Coordinator". This is a newly created paid position. Job duties include ordering/stocking, assigning workers, completing inventory, etc. If you are intersted, please check out the link below for more information:
https://5il.co/1339i
Reminder: If you purchased a pie from the athletic boosters, your pies may be picked up in the small gymnasium on Saturday, 12/11/21, from 12:30pm-2:30pm.
"There's room for everyone on the Nice List." Buddy the Elf
Congratulations to the 10 newest members of the Pentwater Chapter of the National Honor Society who were inducted Tuesday night in a formal ceremony:
Senior:
Crysta Cluchey
Junior:
Madelyn Green
Sophomores:
Mitchel Daniels
Aubriana Foster
Abby Hughes
Eliana Mandarano
Samantha Schaefer
Emily Schwarz
Abie VanDuinen
Ireland Breitner
Important dates for holiday programs!
November 2021 newsletter!
From all of us at Pentwater Schools, we want to wish you a safe, happy, and blessed Thanksgiving holiday! Happy Thanksgiving 2021!
Students in Mrs. Fatura’s high school forensic science class had the opportunity to Google Meet with Sean Tallman this week. Sean is a biological anthropologist who specializes in forensic anthropology, human skeletal biology, forensic archaeology, and human identification. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology at Boston University, where he teaches and does research in the Program in Forensic Anthropology. Sean has conducted field or laboratory work in Laos, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Germany, France, and the Solomon Islands. Much of his work is for the archaeological recovery of U.S. service members killed in past conflicts. His researched has focused on improving forensic anthropology methods for marginalized groups including estimating sex and ancestry. This opportunity was made possible by a program called “Skype a Scientist” which works to connect classrooms with scientists. This was a great opportunity to learn about forensic anthropology and what the career entails.
Mr. Stone (a.k.a. shipwreck expert) came in and taught the 3rd graders all about the many shipwrecks in our Great Lakes. There has been over 350 just in Lake Michigan alone!
Happy Veteran's Day!
Thank you!
7th Grade Artists learned about warm and cool colors as they painted today. They are so focused!
