Monday - September 21, 2009
Good morning!  I hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  It seems that school is going well, although we are experiencing increased absenteeism.  Most of the reports say that we are experiencing more students with flu-like symptoms.  We are monitoring our absenteeism on a daily basis; we are in communication with the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District; and we are following all advice given.

There are some points I would like to make to keep you informed, and these have come from Fernando Guerra, Director of Health for the Metropolitan Health District:

• Health Departments across the country, including Metro Health, are no longer tracking individual suspected cases of H1N1 Influenza.  They are monitoring patterns of illness in the community, but they are not providing notifications to schools of individual cases of H1N1 Influenza.  As a result Northside ISD and our schools do not and will not have confirmations of flu (H1N1 or otherwise) from doctors or Metro Health.
• According to Metro Health, the symptoms of H1N1 Influenza are generally the same as typical seasonal flu.  Strategies for controlling H1N1 and seasonal Influenza are the same:
  • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
  • Avoid close contact with sick people.
• Students, faculty, or school staff that have influenza-like illness should stay at home and avoid contact with others until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone.
• At this time, and consistent with national guidance, Metro Health does not recommend the closure of schools, cancellation of public gatherings, or any interruptions of normal community activities due to H1N1 Influenza.

We were told by the Health Department that the H1N1 virus has become widespread across the globe; the severity of illness for most cases has fortunately been mild; and that most cases in our area and across the nation have been self-limited without the need for healthcare intervention.  Also, we are under discussion about how to proceed with the vaccination of school children once the vaccine becomes available.  This is a real concern because of the magnitude of the task, and the logistics that will be involved.  Everyone has an opinion about this, but it really is how we can do it best and still serve our student population with our normal day-to-day activities of our school clinics.  It is very likely that vaccination events could be held after school and into the evening hours, in addition to regular school hours, and also held on weekends.  I won't go into all the issues here, but suffice it to say it is more complicated than most understand, when you talk about the personnel needed, the scheduling, handling of parental permission notices, and database entry.  I ask that everyone be understanding as we make plans and decisions about how to go about vaccinating the large student population of Northside.

Also, this morning I want to congratulate our Adult and Community Education Department, Mead Elementary and Colonies North Elementary on receiving a grant for what is called Project Tumaini.  Northside ISD is one of nine school districts to be awarded a $50,000 grant by the First Lady's Family Literacy Initiative for Texas, a program of the Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy.  This grant will support Project Tumaini, a family literacy project for our newcomer/ refugee families.  Project Tumaini, a Swahili word that means to hope and believe with confidence, will provide these families from various countries with intensive and differentiated instruction focused on becoming English literate.  I am so proud of the faculties at Mead and Colonies North and the wonderful job they are doing with our newcomer/refugee children.  This is a great program that will give so much support to the families of these children.

Also, one of the results of House Bill 8 which significantly changed the administration of ad valorem taxation by increasing oversight of county appraisal districts and reducing the frequency of school value studies by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts was the creation of the Comptroller's Property Value Study Advisory Committee.  The committee includes two members of the Legislature, two representatives of school districts, two representatives of appraisal districts and three members who have school finance or ratio study experience.  George Torres, Deputy Superintendent for Business and Financial Services, has been appointed to serve on this Committee.  Being selected as a member of this Committee is a testament to the statewide reputation that George has.  Congratulations to George and we are very proud of him.

In closing, I appreciate all the hard work you do.  No doubt the challenges we are presented by the H1N1 Influenza are significant but, as Northside always does, we will meet the challenge as we continue to provide an excellent education for all of our students.  This is the "heart of Northside."

Have a great week!