Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope you and your family are well and have enjoyed a safe and healthy Christmas break so far.
As you have likely heard in the media, earlier today the Chief Medical Officer of Health announced additional measures that will be put in place to help curb the spread of COVID-19 across our province. One of these measures is related to schools and requires all publicly funded elementary and secondary schools to delay the return to instruction for all students until Wednesday, January 5, 2022.
Return to Class Following the Break
As noted in the news release, and confirmed by the Ministry of Education during a teleconference with Directors this afternoon:
- Schools will be closed to all students on Monday, January 3rd and Tuesday, January 4th.
- No in-person or remote instruction will take place during this time for any students, including students with special education needs and students currently enrolled in our virtual school, St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Elementary School.
- In-school and remote instruction will resume for all students on Wednesday, January 5th.
Additional measures that will be in place in schools include:
- The province will be updating the COVID-19 school and child care screener ahead of the return to school on January 5 as well as updating COVID-19 reporting requirements for school boards and child care in January.
- The province will be supplying three-ply cloth masks for students in January. These masks will be distributed to families once we have received them from the Ministry.
- The province has also committed to deploying additional standalone HEPA filter units to school boards.
- The Ministry of Education has provided a limited quantity of PCR self-collection kits for symptomatic students and education staff. These kits will be distributed in consultation with Halton Region Public Health.
- Starting in January, high-contact indoors sports will be paused until further notice.
A Few Important Reminders
- As indicated in the emails you received on November 18, 2021 and December 16, 2021 for the first two weeks of school following the break, all Kindergarten to Grade 12 students will be required to show daily confirmation of successful completion of the COVID-19 school screening tool. This process will begin when students return to school on Wednesday, January 5, 2021.
- Families who have travelled outside of Canada over the Christmas break are reminded to monitor updates to federal travel directives and mandatory isolation periods for students. Please refer to the Government of Canada’s instructions for travellers from outside Canada for more information.
Please continue to monitor your emails, as we will share any new information through email as it becomes available.
Thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding as we work with the Ministry of Education and our Public Health officials to keep our community healthy and safe for all.
Pat Daly
Director of Education