November 16, 2020

Parents/Guardians,

I am following up on the letter from Public Health shared earlier this evening confirming a positive case of COVID-19 in our school. We are working with Public Health officials to identify any students and staff who may have been in close contact with the confirmed case on November 13. The individual was not in the school today.

On the advice of Public Health, our school will remain open. Anyone who has been in close contact with the confirmed case is required to stay home from school, self-isolate and monitor for symptoms.

We have already shared information with potential close contacts so if you have not been contacted, your child can continue to attend school.

We understand you may feel anxious over the coming days. It is natural to want to know if your child may have been exposed to the virus. Public Health officials will inform those who are at risk of the next steps, but to protect the privacy of students and staff, other details including names, will not be released.

Tomorrow in our school:

• Any student who is self-isolating will be supported to continue learning. School staff will connect with those families to identify what learning materials and technology they require and make a plan to deliver these resources. Our team has lots of experience working with students who miss time due to illness and will draw on this knowledge over the coming days.
   
• Our enhanced cleaning protocols have been in place since school opened in September. The possible exposure occurred last week and in the time since, the high touch surfaces in our building have been sanitized each night. This work will continue tonight and our school will be clean and safe tomorrow.
   
• In the morning, staff will be focused on ensuring that everyone who is required to self-isolate does not come to school.

Children and young people look to the adults in their lives to guide them on how to react to worrying and stressful events. Parents are encouraged to talk to their children about any anxieties and remind them to treat one another with kindness and respect, in person and on social media. Should your child require additional support, please contact the school.

Please  continue to monitor your child(ren) daily for signs or symptoms of COVID-19, using Nova Scotia’s daily checklist at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/docs/Daily-COVID-checklist-en.pdf .

If your child(ren) has or develops signs or symptoms as described on the checklist, complete the COVID-19 self-assessment online at https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca or call 811 if you are unable to access the online tool.

I would also encourage you to visit www.novascotia.ca/backtoschool where you can find information and resources for you and your family.

If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will send an update to families tomorrow night.

Karen Hudson
Principal