Announcements

May 27, 2020

A Letter from From Fraser Health

 

Dear School Administrators, Staff, Students and Parents,

Through careful evidence-based planning by public health experts and in accordance with BC’s Restart Plan, students can voluntarily return to school on a part-time basis starting June 1, 2020. With effective public health measures in place, BC has done an excellent job of decreasing the community spread of COVID-19.

Scientific evidence on COVID-19 has guided the provincial response to school reopening. Data has shown that children and youth are at a much lower risk of becoming infected with COVID-19, and if they become infected, they generally have milder symptoms. Children primarily get sick from other household members, and not from school settings. There is also no conclusive evidence that children who are asymptomatic pose a risk to other children or to adults.

The Public Health Guidance for K-12 School Settings provides strong guidance and measures for schools in British Columbia in order to maintain the health and safety of staff and students while at school.

As outlined in the guidance, school administrators, staff, students and parents can contribute to the health and safety of the school environment through important measures, including:

 

1. Staying Home When Sick

• All staff and students who have symptoms of COVID-19 OR travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days OR were identified as a close contact of a confirmed case or outbreak must stay home and self-isolate.
• Staff must assess themselves daily, and parents and caregivers must assess their child daily for symptoms of COVID-19, common cold, influenza, or other respiratory disease before going to school.
• If a student or staff becomes ill at school, they must go home as soon as possible.
• There is no public health restriction from working in the school environment due to age, medical conditions or pregnancy. Children and adults with compromised immune systems or underlying medical conditions should talk to their family physician to understand the risks of COVID-19 and what additional precautions they should take for their situation.

2. Performing Diligent Hand Hygiene

• Thorough hand washing with plain soap and water for at least 20 seconds is the most effective way to reduce the spread of illness.
• Where sinks are unavailable, use alcohol-based hand rubs with at least 60% alcohol.
• Hand hygiene should be practiced throughout the day and especially upon arrival at school, before and after any breaks, before and after eating and drinking, after using the toilet, after sneezing or coughing into hands, and whenever hands are visibly dirty.

3. Practicing Respiratory and Personal Hygiene

• Staff and students should cough or sneeze into their elbow sleeve or a tissue, refrain from touching their face with unwashed hands, and refrain from sharing any food, drinks or unwashed utensils.
• Wearing masks at school is not recommended, as there is no current evidence of their effectiveness at school. Wearing a mask is a personal choice.

4. Physical Distancing and Minimizing Physical Contact

• Physical distancing strategies are implemented where possible, such as re-arranging desks, organizing students into smaller groups, staggering pick-up and drop-off times, staggering breaks, incorporating more outdoor learning activities, and avoiding physical contact. Outdoor playgrounds are a safe environment, and appropriate hand hygiene practices should be used before, during and after outdoor play.
• Assemblies and other school-wide events should be held virtually to avoid a large number of people gathered in one space.
• Some students will require one-on-one support. This care should continue to be provided and appropriate hand hygiene and cleaning measures should be practiced. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is not required when working in close proximity with students, unless they are used by staff as part of regular precautions, such as when cleaning blood or bodily fluids.

5. Cleaning and Disinfecting

• Regular cleaning and disinfection are essential to preventing the transmission of COVID-19 from contaminated objects and surfaces. Schools should be cleaned and disinfected in accordance with the BCCDC’s Cleaning and Disinfectants for Public Settings document.
• General cleaning and disinfecting of schools should occur at least once a day, and frequently touched surfaced should be cleaned and disinfected at least twice a day.

 

If someone displays symptoms of COVID-19 or is concerned, they can call 8-1-1 or use the online self-assessment tool, bc.thrive.health. If a student or a school staff member tests positive for COVID-19, public health staff will ensure there is robust contact tracing and management of any clusters or outbreaks. They will also ensure that children, staff and parents have access to health care providers and that appropriate supports are in place.

If school administrators, staff, students or parents have questions, you can contact the Fraser Health Population and Public Health COVID Call Centre at 604-918-7532.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dr. Ingrid Tyler
Medical Health Officer, Fraser Health Authority

 

Dear 2020 graduating class families,

We are certainly sharing a very unusual time with you and finding meaningful and safe ways to celebrate our graduating classes of 2020 this June is challenging.

For most graduates, it is the chance to toss their mortar boards high into the air with their classmates or to take group pictures with their friends and loved ones in their caps and gowns that makes commencement meaningful. For staff, families and friends, it is the coming together of the class to recognize their achievements that makes commencement special.

With this in mind, our secondary schools are moving forward with planning to hold the 2020 commencement event once the Provincial Health Officer lifts restrictions on the size of gatherings. We will look for ceremony dates that fall close to holidays when students who are away for studies or work are more likely to be home with their friends and families. The work on virtual ceremonies is already well underway and these will continue as planned.

There are many attempts being made throughout the province to make the year-end celebrations as meaningful as possible, but in the end, it is our connections with this class and their connections with each other that are important. We want to honour and recognize these connections by holding our 2020 commencement events once times are safer rather than making attempts to replicate the traditional commencement ceremony now in ways that might present a risk to our students, families, staff and community.

Secondary school principals will keep in touch with you and this graduating class to establish dates in the upcoming school year for the grad 2020 commencement once Dr. Henry indicates that it is safe to do so. It was not unusual in the past for schools to hold their commencement ceremonies in the fall of the following year. This was done with great success and made the scholarships and bursaries that much more meaningful since students were actually on their way into their lives as young adults.

Thank you for your patience as we develop our plans for this graduating class. All schools and the two cities are working with us to do the best we can in virtual ways to celebrate with our students this June.

We hope to see all of you soon at an actual commencement ceremony in safer times.

Sincerely,

Sylvia Russell
Superintendent

Dear families,

We look forward to welcoming students back into our schools starting June 1. As we reopen, however, the organization of our schools will look different than it did before COVID-19. Our focus over the next few weeks will be on continuing to ensure that all appropriate health and safety measures are in place to protect our students and staff as they return to part-time in-school instruction. I am writing today to provide you with key details about the changes we have implemented.

Please note that due to the limited hours of in-school instruction, we will unfortunately not be able to provide student transportation at the secondary level.

From June 1 until the end of the school year on June 24, our secondary school teachers and instructional support staff will continue to support students/families with remote learning. At the same time, we will be providing secondary students with the option of a voluntary return to in-school instruction the equivalent of one day per week. The attached Ministry of Education document, K – 12 Education Restart Plan, will provide you with additional information.

The final month of the school year is especially important for our secondary school students. Although staff will be contacting students who need support completing assignments and other requirements for their classes, I encourage you to connect with your child’s teacher(s), counsellor, or school principal/vice principal if your child needs assistance.

If you have selected the part-time in-school option for your child, by the end of this week the principal of your child’s school will provide you with school-specific details about school operations during the month of June. This will include information about the time that educational programming will be available, instructions on where your child will enter and exit the building, information about how physical distancing will be maintained, expectations with respect to hand washing, and guidance on how you can contact school staff during this time when school entry is limited to students and staff. You will find additional information about in-school instruction below.

Students not participating in part-time in-school instruction will continue their learning remotely. School staff will undertake instructional planning for both in-school learner groups and for students who have opted to continue with remote learning, with the goal of ensuring to the best extent possible that the material covered is consistent across both student groups. Since in-school instruction will be limited to two half-day morning sessions, remote/virtual learning opportunities will continue to be provided to all students.

Educational programming for students with disabilities/diverse abilities and for students who require additional supports will continue and may be available in school five days per week in consultation with school administration. Enrolling teachers, school-based support teachers and administration will continue to support these students as needed, working with Learning Services staff and families.

I wish you and your child a positive and successful end to the school year,

Sylvia Russell,
Superintendent of Schools

 

Additional Information Related to In-School Instruction

Students who have selected the option to participate in in-school instruction will attend in-school programming in two half-day sessions per week.

Students will be organized alphabetically in multi-grade groups. Staff will be available at school sites for the designated instructional times that students are in the building.

In the first week, secondary school principals will be starting with a schedule of two half-day sessions per week in the morning (8:30 am to 11:10 am). Principals will communicate with parents and students about the days of the week when students will attend.

Health and Safety Measures to Support the Return to In-Class Instruction

Below is a list of the health and safety measures in place to support the return to in-class instruction, including suggestions on how you can support us in making the return to part-time in-classroom instruction as positive an experience as possible:

• Please closely monitor your child(ren) daily for symptoms and do not send them to school if they are sick.
• Only staff and students will be permitted to enter the school. Parents requiring assistance should phone or email the school office, classroom teacher or principal.
• Students and staff will be required to wash their hands frequently (or use the hand sanitizer provided), including immediately after entering the school.
• Encourage your adolescent children to physically distance themselves when outside of the family unit or household.
• Please remind your children to avoid physical contact with their friends (no wrestling, no hugs, no touching). This is a time for verbal expression rather than physical closeness.
• Students are encouraged to bring a snack and water with them to school.
• Students will not share their personal items or food.
• There will be increased spacing between students in school and groups will be smaller than usual.
• In-school supports will be a combination of tutorials organized in large learning spaces with physical distancing and individual or small group instruction in classrooms with physical distancing.
• There will be no physical contact sports.
• We will not be holding assemblies or other large gatherings.
• Schools will be cleaned once a day, with high touch areas being cleaned an additional time during the day.
• Classroom furniture that is difficult to sanitize will be moved aside for this period of time and will not be available for use.

All of the measures I have outlined in this document are in alignment with provincial direction set out in the COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 School Settings document and the K-12 Education Restart Plan. I encourage you to review these documents before your child returns to school.

 

Dear parents/guardians,

On Monday, February 24, 2020, all school districts in the province received guidance from the Office of the Provincial Health Officer and the BC Centre for Disease Control regarding recommended measures for preventing and controlling respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, in schools and childcare settings.

The link below will take you to a document that includes a summary of these recommendations, information on how the recommendations are being implemented in our school district, and guidance on the steps you can take at home.

https://www.sd42.ca/assets/media/Summary-for-Parents-COVID19-Guidelines-for-BC-Schools.pdf

Dear parents/guardians,

As you know, on February 21, Fraser Health provided school districts in the Fraser Valley with an update on novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Since the release of this update, many different concerns have begun to circulate online in the region.

Although school districts cannot speak about specific schools or specific individuals, I want to reassure you that the Fraser Health Authority reports there is no public threat at schools in the region or anywhere else in the province. Whenever there is a public health matter, school districts work closely with health authorities to keep students and staff safe.

This week, all school districts in the province received additional guidance from the Office of the Provincial Health Officer and the BC Centre for Disease Control regarding recommended measures for preventing and controlling respiratory viruses (including COVID-19) in schools and childcare settings. We will be providing you with a summary of these recommendations shortly and will also let you know how they are being implemented in our school district and what steps you can take at home.

We understand that you may have many questions and concerns regarding the novel coronavirus. We are in regular communication with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and Fraser Health, and will continue to provide you with the very latest information provided by health authorities. We will continue to send these through the parent portal and to post them to the school district website at https://www.sd42.ca/information-community-coronavirus/.

Sincerely,

Sylvia Russell
Superintendent