2020-11-20 Noticias de ISLA y ISLA PTO

September 7, 2021

Emily Smith

Administrative Assistant

ANSWER THE CALL!

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will soon expand its toolkit for case investigation and contact tracing (CICT) by notifying people via text that the health department will be calling.

A text message will be sent to people identified as a positive case or the close contact of a case to let them know that an interviewer from the state, local or tribal health department will be calling to discuss their COVID-19 test results or potential exposure.

The MDH understands that people might be leary of answering phone calls from an unknown number. Sending the text lets people know that someone is going to call them soon and even tells them what number to expect the call from.

The text message is simple:

Answer the Call: State and local public health department staff will be calling you with important information about your health. Please answer the call from xxx-xxx-xxxx. This is an automated text message, please do not reply.

The phone number in the text will vary depending on which region of the state you are in. Case interviewers from MDH not only gather valuable information from positive cases about the outbreak, but also provide connections to resources to help all Minnesotans reduce the risk of infection.

Case interviewers will talk to you about: 

  • Symptoms you may be experiencing. 
  • People you may have been in contact with. 
  • How to avoid getting other people sick.

Case interviewers will never ask for a Social Security Number, bank account information, or credit card numbers. Anyone with questions can visit the MDH website for more information on Avoiding Phone Scams.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the goals of case investigation and contact tracing have remained the same: To contact people who have or were exposed to COVID-19, help people isolate themselves to prevent spreading the virus and educate people on reducing their risk. Each case that successfully isolates can prevent dozens of people from contracting the disease.



Who Should be Tested, COVID-19 Testing at Home

No-Cost At-Home COVID Testing For All Minnesotans

Minnesota is proud to offer at-home COVID-19 saliva testing for any person who wants to be tested, with or without symptoms, at no cost. This saliva test is just as accurate as the nasal swab test and is available at no cost for every Minnesotan, whether or not you have insurance. With the COVID-19 positivity rate climbing higher than ever before, expanding access to COVID-19 testing to all communities across the state is critical to keeping Minnesotans informed and safe. More information about this partnership with Vault Medical Services is available at Minnesota Department of Health’s website, including information on how to order a test. The test is sent to the new lab in Oakdale, MN for processing.

UPDATES TO TESTING LOCATIONS

In order to expand access to free, “no barrier” COVID-19 testing, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) today announced 11 new longer-term COVID-19 testing sites will open across Minnesota in the coming weeks. Ten of the testing sites will be at National Guard Armories in Albert Lea, Anoka, Crookston, Fairmont, Hibbing, Hutchinson, Inver Grove Heights, Morris, Stillwater, and Wadena. The 11th will be in the west metro.

All of the new testing sites, as well as the mail order program, offer COVID-19 testing to any Minnesotan who wants to be tested, whether they have symptoms or not, and does not require insurance. Some sites will offer nasal swab testing, others will offer saliva testing. They will stay in operation until at least the end of the year to provide sustained testing capacity across the state.

The state will also open a new saliva testing site in Burnsville, at the former Pier 1 store, on Monday, Nov 16. It is the 10th saliva site operated by Vault Medical Services, which has also partnered with the state to offer the COVID-19 Test at Home program statewide.

See the complete list of testing options available at the MN Dept of Health website: COVID-19 Testing Locations




New COVID-19 (Spanish) Hotline Now Available

HACER (Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research) has started a new COVID-19 (Spanish) HOTLINE: 651-304-6145.

Please help get the word out about the new hotline.

The hotline is not solely focused on schools, but also helps connect people with support they may need for food and housing and helps them get information about COVID-19.

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS--Per Governor’s E.O. 20-99

Unnecessary travel is strongly discouraged. Consistent with federal guidance and to protect our neighbors, Minnesotans are encouraged to stay close to home and are strongly discouraged from engaging in unnecessary travel, particularly to other states or countries.

People traveling into Minnesota Encouraged to Self-Quarantine. Persons arriving in Minnesota from other states or countries, including returning Minnesota residents, are strongly encouraged to practice self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival by limiting their interactions to their immediate household. This recommendation does not apply to individuals who must cross state or country borders for work, study, medical care, or personal safety and security. Students returning home for school breaks are strongly encouraged to follow the recommendations available at MDH’s Institutes of Higher Education website.

(https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools/ihe.html)

CONTINUE TO TRACK POSITIVE COVID CASES

Please continue to inform ISLA of any positive COVID test that your child receives. Even though we will be in distance learning for a while, we still want to track cases within our school community. If we have documentation on hand for your child’s positive test, they will not be asked to quarantine if they are exposed to another positive case within the following 90 days. At this point in time, the science is showing that it’s unlikely you would be re-infected or contagious again within those 90 days. There have been cases where an individual has been shown to be infectious again after 90 days, however. Once we return to in-person learning, there will potentially be exposures and it will require those identified as close contacts to quarantine. If your child has had a positive test sometime in the prior 90 days, it will not be necessary for them to do the 14 day quarantine. The exception to that would be if they develop any symptoms after their exposure. If they are experiencing symptoms, we would ask them to isolate and seek medical evaluation. Please send any documentation of positive COVID cases to Tanya Nelson, School Nurse at tnelson@isla.school. Thank you! Take care and be well!

Fundraising Committee

Hola ISLA community!  The Fundraising Committee is actively looking for 2 volunteers to serve on the committee.  As we surge forward with our exciting new school this committee will be engaged and vital in the upcoming months!  For details or questions, please contact Justin Elder at jelder@isla.school.

Employment Opportunity

Do you have project management/marketing experience?  Do you have any openings in your schedule?  

The building working group is looking for a part-time Building Relocation Project Manager.  This position will require a time commitment of approximately 10 hours per week, and the Manager will be compensated  with an hourly stipend.

If interested, please send an email to info@isla.school.


Support the PTO!

Looking for easy ways to help support the great work that the PTO does for our kids and their school?  Here are three great options!

Mabel’s Labels: You can find your child’s things easily in the lost and found by marking them with bright, durable, Mabel’s Labels. Go to https://mabelslabels.com/en_US/fundraising/support/
Type International Spanish Language Academy into the search bar on the screen

A portion of your purchase will support the PTO.

Amazon Smile: Shop at Amazon?  You can have a portion of your purchase donated to the PTO!  Go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and search for International Spanish Language Academy.  Then just make sure to bookmark AmazonSmile and use it for all your Amazon shopping needs.

Box Tops: Download this app to scan in your receipts to make easy money for our school!

Go to: Home - Box Tops for Education