We had anticipated sending out rapid tests and medical-grade masks for all students by the end of this week. Unfortunately, the provincial government has now announced that the rapid tests and masks will be delayed.
We had anticipated sending out rapid tests and medical-grade masks for all students by the end of this week. Unfortunately, the provincial government has now announced that the rapid tests and masks will be delayed. We have been told that the supplies will be shipped in January, but we have no confirmed arrival date, due to disruption in supply chains and distribution networks. We are very disappointed by this delay, but we will be sure to distribute the supplies to students as soon as we receive them.
Having the additional supply of masks and rapid tests was an additional layer of protection for us all in the Foothills community. We need to continue to work with what we have, so our health protocols remain stringently in place. In the meantime, we will continue to remind all of our stakeholders that in addition to the measures we have in place, we follow health guidelines to strongly recommend that everyone be fully vaccinated to help curb the spread and severity of COVID-19.
Please remember that students must continue to use the AHS Daily Checklist (all students must use the checklist for Children Under 18, even grade 12 students who are 18 years old).
- The checklist has “core symptoms” and “other symptoms” which have different responses, so please complete the checklist carefully every day, and follow the direction provided.
- It is important that your child stays home when they are sick or have symptoms, and that individuals who are not fully vaccinated isolate for 14 days if they are close household contacts of a positive case.
As the Omicron variant continues to impact the health of so many Albertans, there is a possibility that the operational capacity of Foothills will be compromised at some point in the future which could lead to a temporary switch to at-home learning for some classes or grades. However, we are pleased that this week has gone as smoothly as it could, and our day-to-day school operations were largely unaffected by COVID. In-person learning is so important for our students, and seeing them connecting with each other again is great to see.
We will communicate with all families as soon as we have more information about the arrival of the delayed rapid tests and medical-grade masks. If students are unable to bring medical-grade masks to school, we will continue to share our limited supplies with them when necessary.
Thank you all for supporting students and staff, as we continue to adjust and adapt through these challenging times,