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Return to School – Message to Parents and Guardians

  Posted: January 7, 2022

As you may be aware, the Government of Alberta has confirmed that students are returning to school on Monday January 10, 2022 for in-class learning. We are thrilled to welcome students back to the classroom, however we have several important information items to share with parents and guardians. The guidelines below will continue to change as the situation in our province evolves. We will continue to adjust and change our practices as we respond to the situation.


Daily Health Checklist

All individuals must review the Alberta Daily Checklist before entering any HFCRD school. The checklist can be accessed here. Please be aware that the daily checklist will be updated soon.

 

Symptoms

Anyone with symptoms – students, staff or visitors – will be sent home as soon as possible. Our priority is the health and safety of all individuals in schools, and we will do our best to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

 

Rapid Test Kits and Masks Provided by the Government of Alberta

The Government of Alberta is providing rapid test kits and medical-grade masks for use by students and staff members.
Masks: Students in grades 4-12 and all staff will be required to wear the medical grade masks at all times whenever possible while in schools. All students from grades K-12 will continue to be required to wear masks on school buses.
Rapid Test Kits: The rapid test kits and medical-grade masks will be sent home to families when they are received. If a rapid test kit is frozen, please thaw the liquid to room temperature before using the rapid test.

How to Perform a COVID-19 Rapid Test


Masking

All students in grades 4-12, all staff and visitors will be required to wear the medical grade masks at all times whenever possible while in schools. This requirement is consistent with the current recommendation from the Government of Alberta.

 

Rapid Testing – Test Results and Next Steps

Please use this guide when deciding what to do after receiving your rapid test results. For the most up to date information on what to do if you get a positive, negative or invalid rapid antigen test result, please visit the Government of Alberta’s website here. Close contacts of positive cases are no longer required to quarantine for 14 days.

  Positive rapid test result with symptoms:
  • Isolate immediately:
    • Fully vaccinated (2 doses or 1 dose Janssen): 5 days or until symptoms resolve, whichever is longer, plus 5 days of wearing a mask at all times when around others outside of home.
    • Not fully vaccinated (1 dose or less): 10 days or until symptoms resolve, whichever is longer.
  • Do not continue rapid testing. Book a PCR test only if you meet the high-risk conditions.
  • Notify all close contacts from the previous 48 hours that they should monitor for symptoms and be cautious about going to any high risk settings like continuing care facilities or crowded indoor spaces.
    Negative rapid test with symptoms:
  • Isolate immediately for 24 hours.
  • Take second rapid test in 24 hours:
    • If negative, continue isolating until symptoms resolve before cautiously resuming normal activities.
    • If positive, continue isolation:
      • Fully vaccinated (2 doses or 1 dose Janssen): 5 days or until symptoms resolve, whichever is longer, plus 5 days of wearing a mask at all times when around others outside of home
      • Not fully vaccinated (1 dose or less): 10 days or until symptoms resolve, whichever is longer
     Positive rapid test result no symptoms:
  • Isolate immediately.
  • Take second rapid test in 24 hours:
    • If negative, isolation can end unless you develop symptoms.
    • If positive, continue isolating as outlined above.
  • If the second test is positive, inform all close contacts as indicated above.
     Negative rapid test no symptoms:
  • Isolation is not required but continue monitoring symptoms and following public health guidelines.

 

Diploma Exams Canceled

All January diploma exams have been canceled. A decision will be made about final exams for junior high and high school next week. 

 

Online Tutoring through e-Tutoring Hub

The Government of Alberta has announced a new support for grades 4 to 9 students. Free online tutoring resources through the e-Tutoring Hub will be available to view free online for students who may have fallen behind due to the pandemic. 

The e-Tutoring Hub will be launched with pre-recorded video tutoring sessions students and their parents can access any time to build literacy and numeracy skills. Later this year, Alberta Education will expand the online tutoring services to cover more grades and subjects, including live tutoring.

 

School Shifts to At-Home Learning


A shift to at-home learning can happen by class or by school and will be due to operational reasons, not due to an individual positive case. A 10-day shift reduces the need to have extensions to the length of shifts which results in uncertainty for students, parents and staff. This also aligns with the maximum isolation period.

 

HFCRD thanks all staff, students, and families for their patience and support as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Together we can slow the spread of COVID-19 and maintain a positive learning environment for students and staff.

COVID-19