In the 2022-23 school year, here are some of the health and safety protocols and expectations that will continue to keep our schools as safe as possible:

• Each day parents and caregivers are responsible for assessing the health of any student who will be attending school. Every staff member is also responsible for assessing their health before entering a school building or other district site. Anyone who has new or worsening symptoms is expect to follow the guidelines provided by , or that of a聽 health provider, on whether or not a COVID test is required and what to do next.
• Do not attend school or work if you are sick.
• Mask wearing will continue to be supported as a personal choice. Disposable masks will continue to be available at each site for those who need or want one.
• Our ventilation systems at each site will continue to be run at maximum capacity, with filters changed at the regular and recommended intervals. (See below for ventilation system overviews.)
• Each portable in the district has been equipped with a portable HEPA filter unit.
• Hand washing and/or hand sanitizing stations are available at each site, including in portables.

Throughout the year we will continue to monitor the evolving health and safety conditions, adapting as recommendations shift and require revisions.

As updates are made to the Communicable Disease Plan, we will share the latest versions of the plan here: 91桃色apps Communicable Disease Plan – 4.1
(Version 4.1 was updated November 24, 2022)

Ventilation

Our Facilities team has been working exceptionally hard to make sure our schools are maximizing our systems at each site. Here are some things to know about ventilation in New Westminster schools:

• Thanks to the newer construction of many of our New Westminster schools, in collaboration with proactive years of upgrades to others, we are meeting or exceeding the recommended standards wherever possible.
• All filters 鈥� at every school and site 鈥� are replaced on a regular schedule throughout the year.
• Our Facilities team has ensured that we continue to run our ventilation at full capacity, as we maximize the circulation of clean air at each school.
• And we have added portable HEPA filter units to every portable in the District.

Below are overviews of the ventilation systems that are currently supporting each school and site. Where there may be changes or upgrades to the overall systems or capacity, these will be updated.

Elementary Schools:

• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� Connaught Heights Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� FW Howay Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� Herbert Spencer Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� Lord Kelvin Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� Qayqayt Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� Queen Elizabeth Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� Skwo:wech Elementary

Middle Schools:

• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� Fraser River Middle
• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� Glenbrook Middle
• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� Queensborough Middle

Secondary School:

• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� New Westminster Secondary

Other sites:

• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� Hume Park Learning Centre
• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� MIT Building (Maintenance & IT)
• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� School Board Office
• Ventilation System Overview 鈥� Columbia Square Learning Centre

Should you have further questions about ventilation, please contact our Maintenance team at:聽maintenance@sd40.bc.ca

Here are the key changes that are now in effect:

• Mask and PPE use is now a personal choice for all staff, students and visitors. We respect each person or family鈥檚 individual choice to determine what鈥檚 right for their needs. We will also continue to supply disposable masks at each school for those who would like to continue to be provided that option, should they forget or need one.
• Some teachers may start to shift learning configurations around a bit more freely, to support different teaching options and lessons 鈥� while still being asked to consider strategies that support keeping some space between people, where appropriate.
• Visitor sign-in and sign-out practices will return to more simplified forms and processes.

As we look to upcoming changes: when the PHO lifts the orders on gatherings and events (expected to happen at the end of day, April 7th), we will be able to return to 100% capacity options for school events or activities that include parents or spectators. That means, after two years of heavily modified alternatives, we鈥檙e in the exciting position to start to plan for more typical graduation celebrations, as we look to honour and celebrate our hard-working students.

In terms of what protocols, practices and measures will continue:

• It is the parent or caregiver鈥檚 responsibility to ensure that a Daily Health Check is completed for each student before they attend school that day.
• If a student is experiencing new or worsening possible symptoms of COVID-19, follow the on when to test, or on that were provided by the Provincial government.
• Respect personal space and consider where maintaining physical distance may still be appropriate.
• Continue to follow the standing guidance on respiratory and hand hygiene 鈥� as that pertains to not sharing food or drink, continued hand washing, sanitizing items like mouth pieces on musical instruments, etc.
• Stay home when sick.

The return to school on Monday will be the start of another adjustment period for all of us. It鈥檚 important to be mindful that everyone will have a different level of comfort with these changes, as we work to support the transition back to more typical learning environments.

Thank you for all you have done and all you continue to do to keep our schools as safe as possible.

Sincerely,
Karim Hachlaf
Superintendent of Schools / CEO

PDF: Superintendent letter outlining recent changes to COVID related protocols

Starting Tuesday, February 22nd, we will see a return to the guidelines we started the school year with, as it pertains to larger group gatherings in particular. As we ease slowly back from the more restrictive controls we were working under through the winter, here are the changes of note:

• School gatherings and events that bring together multiple classes or other groupings of students and staff, such as meetings and assemblies, can occur in person again (mask requirements and other protocols remain in place).
• Extracurricular activities, events and social gatherings that bring together members of the school community beyond staff and students (e.g. arts performances, music festivals, sports tournaments, etc), can be organized and go ahead, but will be restricted to 50 people or 50% capacity if held indoors, whichever is greater.
• Spectators and visitors may be present at gatherings and events, working within capacity limits and continued mask requirements.
• Visitors to the school will no longer be strictly limited to those supporting or providing direct benefit to student learning and well-being, enabling opportunities for limited volunteering options that may benefit students and staff.

All other protocols and measures continue to remain in place.

For the most up-to-date version of our health and safety plan, you can find that listed at the bottom of this page: /daily-health-checks-and-safety-plans-for-2021-22/

To make it easier to read, we’ve stripped the content out of file and placed it directly below. To maintain the format of the chart created, we’ve included it as a picture, but links can be accessed to those relevant sections by opening the PDF above.

The below extracted content is also directly available from the Province of BC at this page:
As noted, this information and guidance is adapted from the BC Centre for Disease Control. For more information, visit

Daily Health Check and What to Do When Sick

Daily Health Check

Everyone going into to school must complete a daily health check, including staff, visitors, and students. A daily health check means checking yourself or your child for new symptoms of illness, including symptoms of COVID-19.
Symptoms of illness (including COVID-19) include things like:

• Fever or chills
• Difficulty breathing
• Runny nose
• Headache
• Diarrhea
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Sneezing
• Body aches
• Loss of sense of smell or taste
• Loss of appetite
• Extreme fatigue or tiredness
• Nausea or vomiting

If you are sick or feel unwell, stay at home. This is important to stop the spread of illness, including COVID-19, in schools.

You can attend school if:

• Your symptoms are consistent with a previously diagnosed health condition (e.g., seasonal allergies), OR
• You have existing symptoms that have improved to where you feel well enough to return to regular activities,

AND you are not required to self-isolate, or your self-isolation period is over (based on a positive COVID-19 test result, if taken).

What to Do When Sick

If you have mild symptoms of COVID-19, you usually don鈥檛 need a test. Mild symptoms are symptoms that can be managed at home. Most people don鈥檛 need testing for COVID-19.

Stay home and away from others (as much as possible) until you feel well enough to return to your regular activities and you no longer have a fever. You should also avoid non-essential visits to higher risk settings such as long term care facilities and gatherings, for another 5 days after ending isolation.

If you have a Rapid Antigen Test at home, use it when you have symptoms. How long you should stay home depends on your test result. Find out more about .

If you do not have symptoms of COVID-19, you do not need a test.

If you are unsure about your symptoms, you can use the , contact your health care provider or call 8-1-1.

Testing may be recommended for some people who may be more likely to get severe disease. See BCCDC for information on .

What to Do if Someone in Your Household is Sick

You can continue to attend school if someone in your household is sick and/or self-isolating as long as you do not have any symptoms of illness and feel well. This includes if they have tested positive for COVID-19.

Try to stay apart from the person in your household who is sick as much as possible.

Ensure you closely monitor yourself (or your child) for symptoms of illness and stay home if you develop symptoms of illness or feel unwell.

If You Test Positive for COVID-19

Your age and vaccination status determine how long you should self-isolate for if you test positive for COVID-19.

Close contacts, who are usually others in your household, do not need to self-isolate (regardless of vaccination status), but should closely self-monitor for symptoms. BCCDC has more information for .

If you find it hard to breathe, have chest pain, can鈥檛 drink anything, feel very sick, and/or feel confused, contact your health care provider right away or go to your local emergency department or call 9-1-1.

What to Do When Sick

*Again, to access links listed in this graphic, please open and use the PDF of this BC Government larger document 颈苍蝉迟别补诲.听

What to do if someone is sick in your household

You can continue to attend school if someone in your household is sick and/or self-isolating as long as you do not have any symptoms of illness and feel well. This includes if they have tested positive for COVID-19. Ensure you closely monitor yourself (or your child) for symptoms of illness and stay home if you feel unwell. The best way to protect yourself and your family from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated. Vaccines are available for anyone ages 5 and up. Register now at:

Fraser Health has made changes to the notification process that we鈥檝e been supporting them with. Outlined in a recent letter they shared with us, what they are seeing is that 鈥渢he Omicron variant spreads rapidly and, as such, contact tracing is a less effective measure in the timely management of COVID-19.鈥� As a result of this, Public Health will no longer be contacting everyone who tests positive, and this means they will not issue exposure notices through our schools or on their website. Fraser Health has transitioned to individual self-management (i.e., individuals care for themselves, engaging with health care providers when needed) and will continue to issue public notifications in cases where a declared outbreak has occurred.

In order to continue to monitor and manage COVID-19, across the province health authorities will now be using absentee rates to track what鈥檚 happening in individual districts, schools and classrooms. Our school-based staff are carefully monitoring attendance every day, as they look for and are reporting instances of unusually high absences, for this time of year.

Here鈥檚 what you can do to help us accurately report our attendance anomalies to Fraser Health:

• Please make sure that if your child is going to be away for any reason that you report the absence, directly to your individual school(s), as early as possible.
• When you report the absence, please be clear about reason:
  • If your child is ill (any type of illness), state 鈥渋llness鈥� as the reason.
  • Please note: if your child has been instructed to self-isolate because they are a confirmed close contact to someone with COVID-19, but are not showing symptoms and have not tested positive themselves, this is NOT AN ILLNESS.
  • If you are keeping your child home for any reason other than an illness (e.g. an appointment, family vacation, out of an abundance of caution or some other 鈥渂y choice鈥� reason), please clearly specify why your child will be absent.

We are all awaiting more details about how the Province of BC will be rolling out the anticipated wider access to Rapid Testing kits in the community. But for those who are already using the kits, we wanted to share this resource, the BC Centre for Disease Control鈥檚 instructions for people who have tested positive for COVID-19 (including information on how self-isolate, how to report your positive test results, and how to determine and notify close contacts):

If you have any further questions about how Fraser Health is managing COVID-19, you can find out more here: . If you have health related questions about COVID-19 please call 811.

Thank you for all the hard work and understanding as we continue forward, together,
Karim Hachlaf
Superintendent of Schools / CEO

PDF: Superintendent letter about Fraser Health related process changes

As you know, last week the Board of Education decided, while fully endorsing and supporting vaccinations as a vital layer of protections available to us, that our District will not be implementing a vaccine mandate for staff.

The decision was based on recommendations from health authorities, research and analysis that covered many facets of the work we do. What that data showed us was: we have every reason to believe that the vast majority of you are fully vaccinated. So to all of you who are fully vaccinated, 聽or are on your way to meeting that marker, thank you. It鈥檚 an important and easy way to protect both yourselves and all the people around you 鈥� at work and at home.

To those of you who have had questions, who haven鈥檛 found the time, or who have been resistant for some other reason, we are jointly appealing to you now to take steps to join your peers in getting vaccinated.

For those who are able to, vaccinations are important way to protect everyone around us, especially as we seek to protect those who cannot be vaccinated or are immune compromised.

This appeal is also about our concern for your individual health as well. For your safety, and for that of those around you, we encourage anyone who is eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible, for those who have yet to do so. And we鈥檒l offer this reminder as well: you can take paid time off to get vaccinated, using the 鈥淐OVID Vaccination鈥� option in our absence reporting system to do so.

Regardless of vaccination status, we thank every single one of you for the steps you鈥檙e taking each day to safely support our school communities.

In appreciation,

The Board of Education for New Westminster
91桃色apps (School District No. 40)
New Westminster Teachers鈥� Union
CUPE Local 409
New Westminster Principals鈥� and Vice-Principals鈥� Association

PDF: Vaccine Encouragement, open letter

Our Facilities team has been working exceptionally hard to make sure our schools are maximizing our systems at each site. Here are some things to know about ventilation in New Westminster schools:

• Thanks to the newer construction of many of our New Westminster schools, in collaboration with proactive years of upgrades to others, we are meeting or exceeding the recommended standards wherever possible.
• All filters 鈥� at every school and site 鈥� were replaced over the summer and will be replaced on a regular schedule throughout the year.
• Our Facilities team has ensured that we continue to run our ventilation at full capacity, as we maximize the circulation of clean air at each school.
• And we have added portable HEPA filter units to every portable in the District.

Below are completed overviews of the systems at each school (updated April 2022).

Elementary Schools:

• Ventilation System Overview – Connaught Heights Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview – FW Howay Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview – Herbert Spencer Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview – Lord Kelvin Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview – Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview – Qayqayt Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview – Queen Elizabeth Elementary
• Ventilation System Overview – Skwo:wech Elementary

Middle Schools:

• Ventilation System Overview – Fraser River Middle
• Ventilation System Overview – Glenbrook Middle
• Ventilation System Overview – Queensborough Middle

Secondary School:

• Ventilation System Overview – New Westminster Secondary

Other sites:

• Ventilation System Overview – Hume Park Learning Centre
• Ventilation System Overview – MIT Building (Maintenance & IT)
• Ventilation System Overview – School Board Office
• Ventilation System Overview – Columbia Square Learning Centre

Should you have further questions about ventilation, please contact our Maintenance team at: maintenance@sd40.bc.ca

Want to know about the other layers of protocols that are keeping New Westminster schools safer? Read the highlights or dig into the full COVID-19 updated Communicable Disease Plan here: /daily-health-checks-and-safety-plans-for-2021-22/

The below messaging is pulled straight from the Fraser Health letter:

As per provincial direction, public health will notify staff and students who need to take a specific action, such as self-monitoring or self-isolation, as a result of a COVID-19 exposure. The school community will be notified when appropriate, such as in the case of an outbreak, and this will be posted to our website.
Public health will continue to provide contact tracing for all positive cases of COVID-19 in schools:

鈥� If a student or staff member is confirmed to have COVID-19, and were potentially infectious while they were at school, public health will investigate to determine if there were any potential close contacts within the school.

鈥� If it is determined that there are close contacts within the school, public health will notify the school administrators and request information to assist with contact tracing and provide guidance on what steps should be taken.

鈥� Public health may then:
– Recommend 14-day self-isolation if necessary
– Recommend self-monitoring for symptoms if necessary
– Provide follow-up recommendations if necessary

鈥� Schools will ensure students who are required to self-isolate are able to continue their educational program. Together, schools and public health officials will determine if any other actions are necessary.

鈥� Parents, caregivers and families will be notified by public health if their child is determined to be a close contact of a COVID-19 positive person.

At both a District and school level, please know that we will continue to support Fraser Health in accessing any information they may require, and in providing communication support as required. Where need may arise, know that we continue to be deeply committed to ensuring the continuity of learning for our students and families, as we all continue to work through this health crisis together.

You can learn about the health and safety protocols that are keeping 91桃色apps safer here: /daily-health-checks-and-safety-plans-for-2021-22/

Here are reminders about the current protocols that continue to keep us all as safe as possible.

• Health Awareness: it is the responsibility of parents and caregivers to be aware of and track the health of each child, before they leave for school each day.
  • For students, you can find the extended daily health check (updated Jan 24, 2022) here: /updated-bc-extended-daily-health-check-and-action-guide/ …or you can use the Province’s online assessment tool:
  • For staff and other adults entering a building are also required to do a Daily Health Check before entering a school or other site. You can find the extended daily health check (updated Jan 24, 2022) here: /updated-bc-extended-daily-health-check-and-action-guide/ ...or you can use the Self-Assessment Tool at:
• If you’re unsure of whether or not you need to get a COVID-19 test, you can find that here:
• Free Rapid Antigen Tests have been distributed to both staff and students. For information on how to use those tests, you can find that here:
• Improving and maximizing our ventilation systems is another measure that’s supporting safety in our schools. All portables have now been outfitted with HEPA filtration units, and filters in school systems are being maintained and changed regularly. You can find ventilation system overviews for each site here: /惫别苍迟颈濒补迟颈辞苍-蝉测蝉迟别尘蝉-诲辞肠耻尘别苍迟补迟颈辞苍-蹿辞谤-别补肠丑-蝉肠丑辞辞濒/听
• We continue to prioritize and support hand and respiratory hygiene, as well as the regular dedication to our cleaning practices.
• Mask and PPE use is now a personal choice for all staff, students and visitors. We respect each person or family鈥檚 individual choice to determine what鈥檚 right for their needs. We will also continue to supply disposable masks at each school for those who would like to continue to be provided that option, should they forget or need one.
• The COVID-19 Communicable Disease Plan is being updated as needed throughout the year, based on recommendations and guidance provided by provincial and local health and safety authorities.

All of the above is based on the direction we have received from the Ministry of Education and the recommendations of the BC Centre for Disease Control. The District’s COVID-19 updated Communicable Disease Plan utilizes all of those recommendations. Versions of this plan are also produced for each school, to ensure each site is working within the same guidelines, adjusted to the specific needs of the particular spaces in question.

This Communicable Disease Plan was updated on April 16, 2022:
/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Communicable-Disease-Plan-3.9.pdf

Fraser Health COVID-19 School Update 鈥� Immunization for 12-17 year olds

Last Thursday, the province opened vaccine registration to youth aged 12 to 17. As of Tuesday, May 25, forty-five per cent of all youth in our region aged 12 to 17 have completed registration with six per cent of them having already received their first dose. Anyone 12+ who hasn鈥檛 registered yet should do so right away by visiting .

We are grateful for your support in helping to get the word out about registration to youth in your schools. Working with community partners such as yourselves to remove barriers for people to register for and get their COVID-19 vaccine has been pivotal in helping us work towards community immunity. Together, we are helping to put the pandemic behind us.

Please see resources below to help answer questions you may be receiving from your school communities as well as materials to help further promote vaccine registration to youth in your schools, including links to clinic locations and transportation services for those in need.

Fraser Health guides and resources
Registration and vaccination 鈥� what you need to know:
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Translations available at .

Live Town Hall: COVID-19 Immunizations for Youth 12+
Join us live in a town hall meeting on June 3 for parents, caregivers and youth as panel experts, Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin, Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. Sinha, Pediatrician, and Alison Everett, Child Life Specialist, walk us through COVID-19 immunization for youth. Event details can be found at .

Fight the FOMO vaccine campaign for youth
To help encourage immunization among young adults, we have launched a new social-media video campaign, called Fight the FOMO. Register, Book, Get the Shot. We have published two videos so far, one features and one features that young people can look forward too once we have achieved community immunity. More videos will be added in the coming days. You can view and share these from our social media channels on , , and .

Frequently asked questions

BCCDC has summarized key information, questions, and answers in a PDF for easy sharing:

Clinic locations, transportation and communications tools

You can also visit for more information including , , as well as a communications toolkit, where you will find shareable social media posts and other tools to help promote vaccine registration, including a vaccine registration , and .

Fraser Health PDF of above content: Schools update – 12-17 year old immunization_May 27_2021