Return to the news page

HFCRD School Relaunch Handbook & Re-entry Survey

  Posted: August 6, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians/Staff,

Holy Family Catholic Regional Division (HFCRD) will be welcoming students back to class in the Fall 2020.

On July 21, 2020, the Government of Alberta announced that all Kindergarten to Gr. 12 students will re-enter school this fall under Scenario 1: in-school learning with class resuming at near-normal operations and health-measures. This is in-line with the preference of students and parents/guardians, and HFCRD is appreciative of the government’s early announcement, which will allow our jurisdiction time to finalize its plans under this scenario.

With the safety and well-being of students and staff at the forefront of all efforts, HFCRD will be changing some school routines and practices to adhere to provincial risk mitigation strategies by employing multiple layers of protection such as:

  • Asking families, staff, and visitors to conduct daily health checks prior to school entry with strict stay-at-home and pick up procedures for anyone exhibiting signs of illness,
  • Enhancing cleaning and disinfecting practices in schools and on buses,
  • Encouraging physical distancing where possible,
  • Simplifying rooms and traffic flow to allow for more physical space,
  • Cohorting students where possible,
  • Mandating hand hygiene and coughing/sneezing etiquette, and
  • Outlining shared material and equipment handling.

Given the evolving nature of the pandemic, we will be working to minimize risks under this scenario but remind everyone that circumstances may change, which may see the province mandate our schools move to a blended or at-home learning format with very little notice. We recommend that you have contingency plans in place to support your children and family should such an event arise.

HFCRD School Relaunch Handbook

As we finalize our plans, parents, guardians and staff members are encouraged to review our preliminary re-entry plan for Scenario 1, accessible on the HFCRD website (this is a link to the live document that will be updated as needed). Much of the information outlined in this scenario was guided by provincial direction and the more than 1000 responses we received from parents/guardians, students and staff in our re-entry survey completed at the end of June. Please note that these preliminary plans are subject to change as we gather more information.

HFCRD School Re-entry Survey

HFCRD is considering the possibility of offering at-home online learning for students led by an HFCRD teacher. We invite all parents and guardians to respond to this survey before Friday August 14th, 2020 to give their feedback for the 2020-21 school year. Please note that this option will only be offered if an adequate number of families indicate an interest, which would make it financially viable for HFCRD. Please fill out this survey for each of your children.

Provincial Re-entry Toolkit

HFCRD recognizes parents/guardians and staff will likely have questions in the coming weeks as we all prepare to return to school. We encourage you to submit your questions through our website. Parents/guardians are also asked to watch for communication on or before Aug. 28, 2020, with more details of what they can expect for their children when school returns. The provincial government has provided a re-entry tool kit as a resource for parents to help prepare them for returning to school. 

We look forward to welcoming you back to safe and secure learning environments in September.

Yours in Christ,

 

Kelly Whalen, HFCRD Board Chair and Betty Turpin, Superintendent of Schools

Division COVID-19