Connect Charter Family Weekly Update

Dear Connect Families,

This email contains information about the current Outbreak Status at Connect Charter School including:

-an update from Alberta Health Services;

-a timeline with absenteeism rates;

-what the Alberta Chief Medical Officer is recommending;

-what the school is doing in response and

-important information for families.

We are working with staff, students, parents, and our custodians to support a healthy learning environment. In a recent communication, Alberta Health Services indicates that “The influenza season in Australia often predicts the type of season we will see in Canada. This year, Australia had a severe respiratory virus season. In Australia, the highest rates of influenza disease were in children and teenagers, and children under 16 years of age accounted for the majority of influenza hospitalizations.”

Update:

Late yesterday, Alberta Health Services confirmed that we would continue with the Outbreak Status for Respiratory Illness until November 21st with the lifting of this status if our absenteeism rates improve. Our original tentative date for the lifting of restrictions was yesterday, November 16th.

A Timeline:

On November 6th, AHS was notified that our absenteeism due to illness was over 10%, several days later they confirmed this and put us on an Outbreak Status. Our absentee rates improved to approximately 8% during the following days. Connect Charter students then had a four-day break. Returning on Monday, November 14th our absenteeism rate was at 15%. Throughout this week it has hovered around the 13% mark.

Recommendations from the Chief Medical Officer:

“I encourage Albertans to take simple, daily actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:

Stay home when feeling sick.

Make the choice to stay up to date on your vaccinations, and speak to a physician or other care provider if you have questions about options.

Wearing a well-fitting, high-quality mask can help reduce the risk of becoming sick and help protect others from being exposed. Albertans should be supported regardless of their choice to mask or not.

If possible, avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Regularly clean hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer or wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.

Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

Maintain good respiratory etiquette by covering coughs and sneezes.

Avoid or limit time spent in crowded indoor places.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and items at home, especially when someone in your home is sick.”

What is Connect Charter School doing?

Communicating with Alberta Health Services regularly related to attendance data

Increasing cleaning of high-frequency touch points in the school

Providing a respectful environment for how individuals respond to this information (for example, respecting that someone may or may not choose to mask)

Providing increased accessibility to masks (all classrooms received masks)

Sharing information from AHS with students about the recommendations on announcements and through formal learning opportunities in the classroom

Replacing our higher quality air filters more regularly than required

Helping students, parents, and teachers to see themselves as a team in catching up on missed work when students are absent

Maintaining online learning management systems (seesaw) for access to some learning opportunities online

Important for Parents to Know:

Please communicate with the front office and the homeroom teacher if your child is going to be absent

Students who become ill during the day will wait in the infirmary and we will call primary contacts for immediate pickup

It is recommended that children stay home when they are sick

The current COVID-19 recommendations include isolating for five days from the time symptoms begin and then wearing a mask in public places the following five days

We appreciate all stakeholders who are working together to create healthy learning environments for our students.

Thank you to everyone who has already purchased your holiday chocolate treats. There is still time to submit your order as we are just HALFWAY into our Fundraiser. We appreciate all those who have also shared our fundraiser with your friends and family as all of the funds raised are going back directly to our school community. And, with the holiday’s just around the corner (45 days to December 25th be exact), now is a great time to order your chocolate treats. These are perfect gifts for people in your life and a lovely way to say thank you or to let someone know you appreciate them.  If you have already ordered, you can share our link and let others know!

Thank you again for your support to Connect Charter

https://fundraising.purdys.com/1594771-99759

Our campaign number: 1594771-99759

Go to our fundraising website: fundraising.purdys.com

Click “Join Campaign”

We’ll pop back in again just before the deadline to make sure everyone has submitted their Purdys treat orders.

THANK YOU to everyone who “zoomed in” to our School Council meeting on Tuesday. Our next meeting will be January 24, 2023.

Monday November 22 is the deadline for our last two timely, pre-holiday fundraisers:

PURDY’S CHOCOLATES
Thanks to everyone who has purchased and shared our fundraiser with friends and family. With all funds raised going back directly to our school community, this is a great way to stock up on gifts for those unexpected holiday invitations or forgotten folks who may have missed your list. If you have already ordered, you can still share our link and let others know!

Direct link: https://fundraising.purdys.com/1594771-99759

Or follow these instructions:

– Go to our fundraising website: fundraising.purdys.com

– Click “Join Campaign”

– Our campaign number: 1594771-99759

Get those orders in by Monday, and we’ll have them ready for pick up at the Student-Led Conferences on December 8 & 9.

GIFT CARDS: FORMS DUE AT SCHOOL BY MONDAY AT 9AM
Last week, all students were sent home with a package of information on the Gift Card Fundraiser. Consider purchasing gift cards for friends or as corporate gifts, or even for your own everyday shopping. Connect receives a percentage of all proceeds, as indicated on the form. From groceries to gas, Amazon to Hello Fresh, there are many participating businesses which you probably already use. If you need a replacement form (each student was given a unique code) please contact [email protected] as soon as possible. Paper forms must be returned by Monday at 9am. All gift cards will be shipped to Connect Charter and will be available for pick up or sent home with your child during the last week of November.

BOOK FAIR & STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES will be combined on December 8 (evening) & 9 (daytime). Students will have time to visit the book fair in advance, and will be picking their favourites before your visit. Teachers may also create Wish Lists which can be purchased for the classroom. We will need some volunteers to help. Look for a sign-up list around the time that conference scheduling is open.