Good afternoon Fort McMurray Catholic Schools families,
We are very excited to see our students and staff back in school on Monday. Hearing the constant hum and feeling the busyness of a full school is when we feel whole.
We all agree that the best place for instruction and learning is in the classroom. Today we reach out asking for your support and assistance as we strive to make the remainder of this school year as successful as possible.
Isolation Requirements
The Government of Alberta has updated their requirements for isolation following a positive COVID-19 test result. These updated isolation protocols do include an end to a full isolation following 5 days for those who are fully vaccinated (2 weeks after 2 doses, or 2 weeks after a 1 dose vaccine). Please note these requirements do include wearing a mask at all times while outside the home on days 6-10. This would include at all times at school, including lunch and snack times. Fort McMurray Catholic Schools is working on planning for how this could possibly look in a school environment. Parents/Guardians may choose to keep their child(ren) home for 10 days following a positive test result.
Notification of Positive Cases
The Government of Alberta has indicated school divisions will not be informed about individual cases of COVID-19 by Alberta Health Services as they have transitioned to PCR tests being prioritized for those in high risk settings.
Fort McMurray Catholic Schools is making the decision to continue informing class families when we receive word of a confirmed case that was potentially infectious while in school. We recognize this may be imperfect and will be based on the honour system. We will do this via email. There will be no action for families to take as AHS is no longer identifying or following up with close contacts, and quarantine for close contacts in school is not mandatory. We feel this information is important to share as families may wish to monitor more closely for symptoms.
We encourage families to make us aware when a child tests positive. When/if families report a positive case to the school, you are providing consent for the school to send out a notice to specific classes. You have the opportunity to withdraw this consent by speaking with your school. Our Division will, as always, endeavour to maintain the privacy of those who receive positive test results.
Possible Transitions to Virtual Learning
Fort McMurray Catholic Schools will continue to be as transparent and honest as possible. There may come times when due to positive tests/illness or staffing challenges we will have to make tough decisions.
When it comes to any possible transition to virtual learning for a class, grade, or school we will communicate this information to families as quickly as possible.
We all agree the best place for students is in the classroom, but the safety and security of our students and staff will always be our first priority.
If you are interested in becoming a Substitute Teacher or Substitute Teacher Assistant Supervisor please visit our careers page or send your resume to our Human Resources Department at hr@fmcsd.ab.ca.
Thank you for your continued support,
Fort McMurray Catholic Schools