Our Lady of Good Counsel School’s admission policy related to immunizations and state health assessments is as follows: We will not accept any students, with religious or personal exemptions from Virginia State required school vaccinations for admission to our school. Medical exemptions for vaccination will be accepted with physician documentation of medical reason for delayed schedule or inability to vaccinate.  The list of all required school admission immunizations can be found on the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) website and by clicking here. During the application process, we will request a copy of currently completed immunizations which will need to be submitted with other documents like birth certificate and baptismal certificate.  We cannot complete your application review without the immunization record. Even if your student still needs 5-year-old vaccines or the 7^th grade boosters, please send the most current records. The final physical due once the student is accepted will include any outstanding immunizations. If you would like additional information about this policy, please call the school at (703) 938-3600 and ask for the school nurse.

Please ensure all physicals are submitted using the Commonwealth of Virginia School Entrance Health Form. The physical is due no later than August 1^st for the start of the school year. It must be, per Virginia Code, dated within 12 months of the start of the school year. A physical from more than 12 months ago is not acceptable, and a new one will need to be completed for students to start school on time. Please ensure the primary care provider for your child completes the TB Risk Assessment, Hearing Screen, Vision Screen, and Dental Screen portions of the assessment on page 4 of the Commonwealth form, as well as signs the forms. It sometimes happens things get overlooked during those busy well visits. In addition, page 1 should be completed fully by the parent/guardian per state requirements including signature at the bottom.

For Transfer Grade 1 thru 8 students only: If you can have the current/previous school send the Commonwealth of Virginia and vaccine reports on file there, they can be faxed or email scanned to OLGC. However, if the previously attended school does not send the medical documents with the academic records, we will need a new one completed by a physician prior to the August 1^st deadline. 

No exception or extension is provided for state required physicals or vaccines. OLGC does not provide or accept conditional enrollment. If your student has a late year birthday (after August 20^th), the prior year’s physical may be needed to ensure on-time start of school. Please contact the clinic directly regarding any questions for physical dates.

MEDICATIONS

The following guidelines are outlined in the Office of Catholic Schools Policies and Guidelines and Virginia Health Guidelines Manual.

• OLGC does NOT provide medications for student use
• Medication forms are required for each Prescription and Over The Counter (OTC) medications administered in school. Prescription medications, herbal and OTC medications taken 4 or more consecutive days also require a licensed healthcare provider's (LHCP) written order. No medication will be accepted by school personnel without the accompanying completed medication authorization form.
• ALL medication must be transported to and from school by a parent/guardian.
• All medication must be in their original container and properly labeled. (NO baggies will be accepted).
• Students are NOT permitted to self medicate unless the student has prior written approval to self-carry a medication (inhaler, Epi-pen).
• Within one week after expiration of the effective date on the order, or on the last day of school, the parent or guardian must personally collect any unused portion of the medication. Medications not claimed within that period will be destroyed.

Our school superintendent, Dr. Joseph Vorbach, has asked us to share an important message about the Diocesan communicable disease policy, which is attached here:  August 2022 Letter to Parents from Superintendent Vorbach. 

An update to the Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC) School health policy is as follows:  

As we move into the 2022-2023 school year, COVID is still present in our community.  During this newest phase of the COVID pandemic, our school will be open for full-time in-person instruction in keeping with our mission to provide an education rooted in Christ.  The key components of the OLGC School COVID-specific health policy for the coming year are:

• Staying home when sick
• Handwashing and respiratory etiquette (please see attached infographics Handwashing Infographic  and Respiratory Etiquette Infographic)
• Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities
• Ventilation
• Individuals are encouraged to distance physically when possible.

Per Virginia Department of Health - At this time, public health guidance recommends people base their mask wearing decisions on personal preference and health care guidance.  Wearing face masks on campus will be optional except as outlined below.

Sick students and staff: Sick students and staff should stay home while feeling unwell and until their symptoms resolve and they are fever-free for at least a full 24 hours without fever reducing medication.  Individuals with vomiting and diarrhea must also be symptom free for a full 24 hours before returning. Individuals with contagious illnesses such as hand, foot, and mouth (HFM); influenza A or B (flu), pink eye, strep throat, etc., should contact the Nurse jbliven@olgcva.org about return to school timelines specific to the illness.  Parents should notify attendance for sickness related absences.  Families should contact the clinic for specific guidance for their child if they have any questions.

COVID positive students and staff:  All COVID positive persons should stay home for five (5) full days from becoming ill or the day of the positive test.  Please notify the clinic as soon as possible at jbliven@olgcva.org.  To clarify, date of symptom onset or positive test is counted as DAY ZERO.  If you are uncertain of dating, such as with prolonged symptoms before testing positive, please clarify with your primary care provider or discuss with the clinic nurse directly.

Return to school and activities for COVID positive individuals:  Students/Staff may return to school and activities on Day 6 if their symptoms are resolved and they have been fever-free for 24 hours.  Masks are strongly recommended through Day 10.  While a negative test is not required to return to school on Day 6, students/staff still testing positive on Day 6 with home tests are requested to wear a mask indoors to help decrease any potential close contact spread in classrooms.

Close contacts to COVID positive persons:  Quarantine is no longer recommended for close contacts.  If OLGC is notified of close contacts, they will assist those families.  Identified close contacts may attend school unless they become symptomatic.  If they develop symptoms they should stay home from school, obtain a COVID test, and notify the clinic of the result.  Masking for those with known exposure/close contact, especially within a household, is encouraged but it will not be mandated unless the individual presents to the clinic with symptoms at school.

Absences related to COVID illness or exposure:  After the clinic has been notified, all absences will be considered medically excused.  Students should contact their teachers to obtain missed work.  No virtual classrooms will be launched for absences.  No details of the absence need to be shared with teachers other than that the clinic has been notified. 

Please Note:  Our Lady of Good Counsel School reserves the right to amend school health policies based on community spread and identification of COVID spread within the school, in consultation with Fairfax  County Public Health Department (FCHD) and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).  Mandated masking and/or testing will only be evaluated when outbreaks are identified during moderate or high community transmission.  Families will be notified of any changes to school policy that are deemed necessary via school communication channels.

Thank you, and please contact Nurse Bliven at jbliven@olgcva.org with any questions you may have.

Resources:

COVID-19 in Virginia (Virginia Department of Health): https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/

Letter from Superintendent Dr. Vorbach:  Ltr.to.Parents.From.Supt.August.2022.pdf 

Handwashing Infographic:  kids handwashing infographic.pdf 

Respiratory Etiquette Infographic:  Respiratory etiquette infographic.pdf