Central Elementary Weekly Update – February 7-11, 2022

Central Families,

School-based COVID-19 Walk In Vaccine Clinic at Central 

A walk in vaccine clinic for ages 5 and up will be held at Central Elementary School on Monday February 7, 2022 from 4-7:30 pm. For details please visit City of Hamilton’s COVID-19

A memo went home last week with students about the Walk In Vaccine Clinic at Central on Feb 7 from 4-7:30 pm and messages will be emailed to families and posted on our website so please be sure to check for more details or call the school at 905 522-9690 if you have any questions.

Date: Monday February 7th, 2022

Time: 4:00pm-7:30pm

Location: 75 Hunter Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8P 1P9

Walk-in registration

Participants can walk-in to the location during the allocated vaccine clinic times.

Why is vaccination being recommended?

The Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health, and all local Medical Officers of Health, confirm that vaccines are safe and are one of the infection prevention and control measures you can take to protect yourself from getting very sick and being hospitalized with COVID-19. It is also important for the protection of our youngest children (0-4) years, who are not yet eligible for vaccine protection.

Who can attend this vaccination clinic?

Students from the following schools may attend this clinic:

· Cootes Paradise

· Dalewood

· Hess Street

· Strathcona

· Earl Kitchener

· Ryerson

· Central

More information will be sent out to Central families or call the school if you have any questions (905 522-9690).

For a memo translated in Arabic please click this link: walk-in school vaccine clinic (1)

Monday, February 21st, 2022 is Family Day so there will be no school. Student report cards will be going home on Friday, February 18, 2022. If you have any questions about report cards please contact your child’s teacher. 

We have received a lot of the iPads that we loaned to families so thank you to those families that have returned them. Please continue to return the school iPads so that we can use them at the school. A reminder that they will be locked soon so please label with your child’s first and last name and return to the school as soon as possible. Please continue to check your emails for updates from the school and register t0 receive updates on our school website at https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/central/

Beginning the week of January 31, 2022, school staff may resume extra-curricular activities, with a few exceptions based on public health guidance. We are hoping to start up our extra-cuuricular activities at Nutrition Breaks later this week.

Students should be masked during these activities and distancing maintained to the greatest extent possible. Cohorting should occur whenever possible.

What is paused until further notice: 

The following extracurricular activities continue to be paused:

• Choirs
• Bands
• High-contact sports (e.g., Basketball, Hockey, etc.)

Testing for COVID-19

To slow the spread of COVID-19 and to continue to support school communities, HWDSB is pleased to offer rapid antigen test kits for symptomatic students and staff who are in person. This testing option is voluntary. Information has been shared with families as they received their tests this week. Learn more about Testing for COVID-19 at HWDSB.

Communicating self-reported positive test results

Although Ontario has stopped COVID-19 case management in schools, we have created a process to share information when staff and families tell a school about positive test results. This process is new and will be monitored and adjusted as we receive feedback.

Starting Monday, January 24, a parent/guardian can notify their child/ren’s principal of a positive student test result (PCR or RAT). Staff also have the option to self-report a positive test result. The school will post to their website without disclosing the name or position of the case. We encourage families to subscribe to their school website to get notifications of updates.

Self-reporting a test result is encouraged but voluntary. Any information that schools share with communities will not be confirmed by Hamilton Public Health Services (HPHS). This means that we cannot confirm the infectious period, but we want families to be able to make an informed decision about sending their child to school.

Guided by the Ministry of Health, HPHS will no longer dismiss cohorts of positive cases. Students and staff in schools are generally no longer considered high-risk contacts requiring isolation. Students and staff who do not have symptoms, who have not been advised to isolate, and who pass the COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening may go to school.

Families are reminded to continue following all public health protocols, including masking, physical distancing, and close monitoring of symptoms. Please follow the directions provided in the COVID-19 school and Child Care screening and stay home if your child is sick.

School Closure Preparedness and Advisories

Parents and guardians should be prepared if there is a school closure due to a public health concern or challenges with staffing. In these situations, a school may temporarily transition to remote learning and some classes may close if there is not an educator available. Families will be notified of the closure through School Messenger. We will give as much notice as possible, although in extreme circumstances, a decision could be made by 7:30 a.m. on the day impacted.  School closures will be also be communicated through the HWDSB website.