January 17, 2021
RE: RED ALERT LEVEL IN ZONE 4
Hello Families of John Caldwell School
and Saint Mary’s Academy.
As
of midnight, on January 17, 2021, Health Zone 4 (Edmundston Region) will move
to the Red Alert level.
Specific
to ASD-W, Health Zone 4 includes Saint
Mary’s Academy in Edmundston and John Caldwell School in Grand Falls.
I
would like to assure you that we continue to work closely with Public Health
and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to do our best
in ensuring your safety, health, and well-being.
Based
on the provincial Covid-19 Recovery Plan, Saint Mary’s Academy and John Caldwell
School will follow the New Red Level Directives.
In
the Red Alert level, schools will remain open with enhanced health and safety
measures including:
- Students
and staff stay home if they have even one symptom of COVID-19.
- School
staff are actively screened when they report to work each day.
Parents screen their children each morning prior to sending them to
school.
- If
a positive case of COVID-19 is confirmed, the school will be closed for a
minimum of three days to allow for contact tracing. The school would also
become a testing site for school staff.
The
Red Alert level means staff and students will be required to follow enhanced
safety measures, as follows:
MASKS:
- Students are required to wear a mask at
all times including outdoors and in play during sports activities.EXCEPTIONS:
When they are working silently on their own or eating.
- Masks must be worn at all times on buses.
- All employees must wear a mask at all
times.EXCEPTIONS:
When they are eating or sitting
alone in a closed office or room.
- School-age children and those teaching them are
expected to bring two clean masks with them each day.
MUSIC:
- Use of wind instruments and singing are not
permitted.
- Extra-curricular
activities, including SISTEMA, theatre, choir and band are not permitted.
PHYS ED
Activities that allow for physical distancing
such as yoga, dancing, walking will be employed.
- Interscholastic, extra-curricular and
intramural sports are not permitted.
TRAVEL:
- Necessary travel only is
recommended in and out of Red level zones, however, people can continue to
travel within the province for work, school, essential errands and medical
appointments.
- All field trips will be cancelled.
Full
details of the community directives for each of the levels, including the Red
level, can be found on the government website here:
RECOVERY
LEVEL COMPARISONS CHART
Later
this evening we expect the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
to release a document which outlines Red Level directives specific to public
schools. This document will be posted to the ASD-W website as
soon as it is received. Please take the time to review this
document in full, and follow the instructions as described.
For
more information regarding the pandemic as it relates to schools, please also
refer to the "Return to School – Direction for School Districts and
Schools" document, which sets provincial expectations and standards for
the safe operation of our schools during the pandemic. It can be found at this
link:
RETURN TO SCHOOL DOCUMENT
As a final note, I encourage all families
to be more diligent then ever with wearing masks, hand-washing, and social
distancing. These actions can make a major impact on keeping our schools,
children, and communities safe.
Thank you,
David McTimoney, Superintendent