Dear PCS Families,
Further to our communication of August 25th, a reminder that you can expect to see the following updates regarding our return to school:
Today –overview of the PCS implementation of various government Covid regulations
Wednesday – overview/review of the first week of school.
Friday – last-minute back-to-school information.
Monday, Sept 6 – grade 1-7 parents will receive an email identifying the teacher(s) of their child(ren).
We will publish all of these to myPCS.ca/notes as well as distributing them via social media (Facebook/Instagram) and email.
As we welcome students and staff back for a new year, the safety of our community remains our top priority. As part of our planning process, we have created the Communicable Disease Plan for PCS. It provides an overview of the policies and procedures PCS will be implementing to best protect our students, staff and families.
Some of the preventative measures and practices we will be putting in place include:
- Daily health checks
- Staff and students staying home when sick
- Masks required for all staff, visitors, and students in grades 4-12
- Masks strongly encouraged for students in grades K-3
- A continued emphasis on hand washing
- Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting
- Discouraging the use of volunteers and requiring their vaccination (except for those medically exempted) if their role requires direct contact with students.
A few significant differences from 2020/21 include:
- Students will no longer be grouped in cohorts
- Students will no longer be required to physical distance by two metres; however, we will work towards measures such as respecting space and encouraging outdoor work when possible
- Extra-curricular activities will be permitted in accord with public health orders (this includes sports)
- Gatherings and events may resume if permitted by public health orders
While vaccinations are not required for eligible students or staff, they remain one of the most effective tools to prevent COVID transmission and serious illness. Further information about vaccinations and clinics may be found at Island Health.
As we head into the new year, I believe one of the things we can and should be doing as an intentional Christian community is pray. A couple of specific opportunities are a prayer walk at school this Wednesday (Sept 1, 7:00 am in the tent in front of the Secondary School) and by participating in a special prayer week starting September 13th where we’ll be encouraging students, staff and families to pray for PCS. Prayer serves both as a reminder of who is at the centre of our school and a way to put our both our hopes and fears before our loving God.
Blessings,
Darren Lewis
Superintendent