Holiday COVID Guidance & Testing
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We hope that your Winter Break is off to a happy and healthy start. We know that everyone is looking forward to spending quality time with their loved ones. Although many activities can be held outside, COVID-19 still poses risks because of the high level of transmission in L.A. County and the new variant, Omicron.
As you enjoy your Holiday plans, we want to remind you that you still need to inform Da Vinci Schools if your student tests positive during Winter Break so we can calculate a return date as well as report all cases that were on campus in the past 14 days, a requirement of the L.A. County Department of Public Health. If your student tests positive or has been notified they are a close contact of someone who has tested positive, please report it to the Da Vinci Schools Nurse via email at egreen@davincischools.org.
Please take a moment to read this important Holiday Health Alert from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health [English Version; Spanish Version]. It provides critical information about what you can do to stay safe this season.
Get vaccinated, get boosted! L.A. County’s recent data provides strong evidence that getting vaccinated and the booster are an effective way to protect yourself against COVID-19. According to early data from around the world, people who received booster doses have better protection from Omicron than those who received only a primary vaccine series. Encourage family and friends ages 5 and older to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Remember to plan ahead; it takes two weeks for the vaccine to provide full protection. Schedule your COVID-19 vaccine or booster at VaccinateLACounty.com.
Help keep your family safe by:
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Getting tested – especially if you traveled for the holidays, have had a possible exposure or have symptoms. Schedule a free test at https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/
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Staying local – strongly consider delaying travel until you and all of your traveling companions are fully vaccinated.
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Adhering to masking requirements – make sure you wear your mask when indoors and at crowded outdoor events, regardless of vaccination status.
As we monitor the impact of emerging variants, both testing and vaccination efforts are critically important to protect our community during winter break and when we return to school in January. Please consider testing prior to returning to campus or in the first week through our testing program on site. If you have not already provided consent for your child(ren) to participate in our school-based testing, please consider opting in and the registration link is here.
Winter Break Local COVID Testing Options: All Wiseburn/Da Vinci students, staff, and community members are encouraged to utilize the free PCR COVID-19 tests on Tuesdays and Thursdays during Winter Break if needed. Drive up or walk to the designated Fulgent location and follow instructions of staff members on site — no appointment needed!
Tuesdays:
- Anza Elementary from 12- 6:00 p.m.
- Dana Middle School from 12 - 6:30 p.m.
Thursdays:
- Cabrillo Elementary from 12- 6:00 p.m.
- Dana Middle School from 12 - 6:30 p.m.
Sameday Testing (numerous locations, lots of appointments, their 72-hour free PCR seems to be getting returned in 24 hours or so!
Thank you for helping keep our families, friends, and school community safe.
Have a happy and safe Winter Break. See you all in the New Year 2022!
Emily Green, School Nurse, RN, PhD
Fax: 310-356-3224
