As you have likely heard, the government has officially announced that we will be returning to in-school instruction on January 10, 2022. We are very excited to see our schools full of students once again.
There are several items we wish to remind you of prior to attending school on Monday:
- Be aware of the updated isolation protocols from the Alberta Government. This includes differing isolation requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
- Complete the daily checklist every day prior to attending school and, if you have any symptoms, please notify your school and remain at home.
As Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr Deena Hinshaw has indicated, AHS will no longer be reporting positive COVID cases to school divisions. PCR testing is only available for those in specific high risk settings at this time.
The current recommendation is for staff and students to conduct rapid tests twice a week, even if asymptomatic. To assist with this, the Government of Alberta is sending rapid test kits and additional masks to all schools. We anticipate that these supplies will arrive the week of January 10-14, 2022 and will distribute them to families and staff as soon as they arrive. The government has also provided this video to provide instructions for at-home rapid testing.
We do wish to share with our families there may be a need to be flexible as the situation evolves. The division may have to make quick decisions and transition to virtual learning due to an uptick in cases or staffing shortages. We all agree the best place for students and education is in the classroom, but the safety and security of our students and staff will always be our first priority.
Thank you for your continued grace, compassion, and prayers as we continue our way forward through this school year.
Sincerely,
Ken Sampson, Superintendent