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November 3, 2021
Dear Alma Families,
As you may have heard, the CDC has now recommended COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5-11 years old. We would like to provide you with current information and resources on this vaccine, as we strongly encourage you to have your child vaccinated for COVID-19 to protect themselves, your family, and our school community. Alma is not requiring any scholars to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at this time.
While COVID-19 is generally less serious for school-age children than for older adults, children can become infected, and some may get very sick or suffer serious complications. Children can spread COVID-19 to others, including members of our community who are immunocompromised or who could suffer serious infection or complications from COVID-19.
The COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective against infection, serious illness, hospitalization, and death. Over 70 percent of Massachusetts youth ages 12-17 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Getting your child vaccinated will help limit COVID-19 spread in our school and community, and it can help keep your child and their classmates in school.
Please speak to your child’s doctor about their plans to administer the vaccine once it is made available and raise any questions or concerns you have about the vaccine and your child. We strongly encourage you to schedule your child’s first dose as soon as you are able, given the upcoming holidays.
If your scholar has received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine already, please provide proof of their vaccination status as soon as possible. You may take a photo of the entire card and send it as a text message to the corresponding Medical Assistant’s phone number below:
| Campus | Medical Assistant Name | Phone Number |
| Ottiwell Campus, K-8 | Keila Pires | (508) 296-0174 |
| Douglass CampusImmaculate Conception site, grades K-4 | Amy Rivera | (508) 216-0271 |
| Douglass CampusFisher College/Christian Fellowship, 6-8 | Itamary Lopez | (508) 205-9753 |
There are also hundreds of vaccination sites across the state that plan to vaccinate children 5 to 11. Many accept walk-in appointments, including CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, Market Basket and other grocery chains, and community health centers. More information on these sites, as well as safety information and helpful questions and answers, are all available at www.mass.gov/covidvaccine
As a reminder:
- The COVID vaccine is free for all, and no ID or insurance is needed to be vaccinated;
- You can get vaccinated even if you are undocumented. Getting a vaccine will not impact your or your family’s immigration status. The Public Charge rule does NOT apply to getting the vaccine.
Getting your family vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones. We appreciate your help to keep all of our students, faculty, staff, and volunteers, as well as our community, safe and healthy this fall and all year long.
We urge all of our families to have all eligible family members vaccinated, including your scholars. Vaccinations are now widely and readily available in New Bedford. Please review this calendar of vaccination clinics scheduled locally. Additionally, Alma plans to host COVID-19 vaccination clinics on site, and we will share those details with you once they are finalized.
Thank you for partnering with us in this work.
In Service,
Will Gardner
Executive Director