COVID-19

Dear Students and Families,

I know that COVID-19 has presented everyone with challenges. I want to thank all of you who are in self-isolation. You are helping everyone in our community stay safe. This email is to share information about some actions that are being planned for students.

First, I want to remind you that schools are closed until April 6 as part of the province-wide measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This closure will be reassessed as the situation changes.

As March Break comes to a close, please know we continue to work with education leaders across the province and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, on plans to support students and learning. Beginning Monday, and over the next week, we will work with staff in schools to make specific plans to support students and learning during this closure.

Supporting students at all levels to continue learning at home is a priority for us, and we have been making these plans during March Break and into next week. We will have more information to share with you in the coming days and weeks, and school principals will share details that are specific to your school. In particular, we are focusing on the needs of Grade 12 students so they can meet graduation requirements.

Please continue to follow advice from Nova Scotia Public Health, including the mandatory self-isolation for 14 days if you have travelled out of the country recently. You can find accurate, up-to-date information at:

• www.novascotia.ca/coronavirus
• www.canada.ca/coronavirus

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we adapt and respond to this extremely rare world event. We will continue to be in touch. 

Sincerely,

Gary Adams

Regional Executive Director

Dear Students and Families,

As you may have heard, the Province of Nova Scotia has announced that all public schools will be closed for two weeks following March Break. This is one of several province-wide prevention measures to reduce the risk to public health caused by COVID-19.

March Break continues this week (March 16-20). Schools will remain closed to students from March 23 to April 3. This closure will be reassessed at the end of this period.

We understand that any change to school schedules can be disruptive to families, however, this is an important way to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.

We also recognize that you may have questions about what this closure will mean for learning, completing courses, final exams, school calendars, etc. Please know that our staff and members of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development are working together to address these questions.

You can expect to receive an update from us by the end of the week. We will share any new information with you in several ways:

• by our Alert email
• on our website [www.ccrce.ca]
• by social media [@CCRCE, on Facebook, @CCRCE_NS on Twitter]

In the meantime, if you or your family needs support, our Parent Navigator and SchoolsPlus teams can be contacted by phone or email:

CCRCE Parent Navigators

• Marcia Gamble, Cobequid Family    Contact Information: (902) 890-3973     gamblemm@ccrce.ca
• Tracey Austin, Celtic Family            Contact Information: (902) 921-1045     austintl@ccrce.ca 

CCRCE Schools Plus Facilitators

• Jillian Hennick, Pictou County West Facilitator          Contact Information: (782) 440-2213       hennickjr@ccrce.ca
• Kaylin Comeau-Leil, Pictou County East Facilitator   Contact Information: (902) 759-0649       comeau-leilk@ccrce.ca 
• Tracey Shay, Central Colchester Facilitator               Contact Information: (902) 890-2521       shaytl@ccrce.ca
• Matt Gough, Truro Junior Facilitator                         Contact Information: (902) 324-1262       goughm@ccrce.ca
• Candace Norman, Hants North Facilitator                Contact Information: (902) 497-3048       normanc@ccrce.ca
• Anneliese MacPherson, Hants East Facilitator           Contact Information: (902) 478-7917      macphersona@ccrce.ca
• Kim Wood, Cumberland Facilitator                           Contact Information: (902) 694-8581      woodk@ccrce.ca

Please continue to follow all advice from Nova Scotia Public Health. Accurate, up-to-date information is available at: 

- https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus 

- https://canada.ca/coronavirus

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work together to help each other stay as healthy and safe as possible.

Sincerely,

Gary Adams

Regional Executive Director of Education

Prevention measures for Nova Scotians are in effect immediately under the authority of the Health Protection Act and include public schools closed for two weeks following March Break (weeks of March 23 and March 30) and then will be reassessed.

In addition, march break camps are cancelled and regulated child care centres closed Mar. 17-Apr. 3 & then reassessed.

For more information, visit https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20200315002 

New Travel Protocols for Teachers, Students, Staff

Dear Students, Staff and Families,

COVID-19 has now been declared a Pandemic. As we deal with this extremely rare world event, we as Nova Scotians must take care of each other. We can do that by taking immediate steps to keep our schools safe.

To that end, the Province is directing public sector employees, including public education employees, who travel outside Canada to stay at home and self-isolate away from the public for 14 days after returning to the country. These travel protocols also apply to students of Nova Scotia public schools who have travelled outside the country with their families, as well as all education and support staff.

In addition, the Province, CSAP and Regional Centres for Education are taking steps to protect students while keeping schools open. As of today, the following steps are being taken:

• All out-of-province work-related travel, including Article 60 travel out-of-country, is being suspended for teachers and administrators and Regional Centre for Education staff until the end of April
• All professional development activities are suspended until the end of April
• All extra-curricular activities including sports are suspended until the end of April
• All attendance policies or initiatives (provincial, regional and school-based) that penalize students for staying home, or reward students for showing up to class, are suspended until the end of April
• All external meetings are suspended until the end of April
• All co-operative education placements are suspended until the end of April
• All assemblies or gathering of students are suspended until the end of April

Learning supports for students in self-isolation will be announced soon.

A decision about future student trips and the above activities planned for May and June will be made in mid-April.

Currently, there are no cases of coronavirus in Nova Scotia. However, more cases are expected in Canada. Public health officials continue to advise Nova Scotians to stay at home and self-isolate if they feel unwell. Individuals who develop a fever, with a temperature 38°C or higher, and/or cough should call 811 for assessment.

Doctors also say the best advice for Nova Scotians continues to be to follow proper hygiene practices, which help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses like influenza and coronavirus.
Information is available at:

• https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/ , and
• Government of Canada toll-free line: 1-833-784-4397

We are working closely with public health officials and the Province of Nova Scotia to keep our staff and our students as safe as possible. You will likely have more questions over the coming days, and we are committed to keeping you informed as new information becomes available.

March 4th, 2020

Cancellation of School-Organized Student Trips to International Destinations

Dear parents, guardians and students,

We recognize that international travel provides a valuable educational experience for students. Students broaden their perspectives, connect learning to real-world and gain lifelong memories from their rich and rewarding experiences abroad.

However, this year, we know that the public health situation worldwide involving COVID-19 is evolving at a rapid pace. Given the importance of the safety and well-being of our students and chaperones, CCRCE has made the difficult decision to cancel all school-organized student trips to international destinations between now and the end of April. Based on discussions with Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, we decided the best approach is a low-risk one, given that students are involved.

I appreciate how disappointing this decision is for everyone. If you were participating in a school-organized international trip in March or April, trip planners will be in touch with you with more information.

If you are participating in a school-organized trip to an international destination in May or June, no decision has been made related to cancellation. Our Regional Centre for Education will continue to monitor the situation and, after consulting with public health officials, we will provide further direction by April 9.

For those families travelling during March Break, we encourage you to monitor existing Government of Canada travel advisories – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice.html - to guide your decision making.

Public Health officials also recommend you follow prevention tips for the cold and flu season, which include the following:

• wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer
• cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue (throw the tissue away)
• limit contact with others when you're sick
• limit touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• don't share items that may have saliva on them like utensils and bottles/glasses

More information about COVID-19 is also available on the Government of Nova Scotia website at https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/

We appreciate that this situation is evolving. Our commitment is to keep you informed throughout the school year. Although we regret having to cancel these rich educational trips, we see this as a necessary precaution while we collectively try to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Sincerely,

Gary Adams
Regional Executive Director

February 28th, 2020

School and Student Travel Update

We recognize that many schools, students and families are planning travel trips over the March Break holiday. We appreciate that many of you have questions related to travel and the novel coronavirus COVID-19. At CCRCE, we have been in close contact with public health officials through the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Strang, advises families and schools to make individual decisions about travel based on up-to-date information about COVID-19. In the attached letter, Dr. Strang provides links to valuable online resources to help guide your decision-making, including:

• https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice.html
• https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/

We appreciate that information about COVID-19 is evolving. Our commitment is to listen to public health officials and use their advice to guide our decision-making regarding school trips. We recognize that international travel provides a valuable educational experience for students. However, if we are advised that school trips should be cancelled, we will take immediate steps to meet that outcome.

Dr. Strang’s letter also provides important prevention tips for all Nova Scotians related to staying healthy during the cold and flu season. As he writes, these steps are important in preventing the spread of common respiratory illnesses, such as influenza, as well as COVID-19. These steps include the following:

• wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer
• cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue (throw the tissue away)
• limit contact with others when you're sick
  • limit touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
  • don't share items that may have saliva on them like utensils and bottles/glasses
  • clean surfaces like taps, doorknobs, and countertops often

CCRCE works closely with Public Health in regards to all illness-related issues which include specific cleaning protocols.

We appreciate that this situation is evolving. Our commitment is to keep you informed throughout the school year.

February 25th, 2020

Coronavirus Update

Below is updated information about the novel coronavirus from Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Nova Scotia, all other provinces and territories, and the federal government have just announced that national screening guidelines are being enhanced to respond to the evolving novel coronavirus situation.

Travellers coming to Canada who have travelled to Hubei province in the last 14 days will be asked to self-isolate at home for 14 days from their last day in Hubei province.  They will receive supporting health information from Nova Scotia Health Authority public health.

People who have travelled from any other part of China in the last 14 days will be asked to closely monitor their health for 14 days from their last day in China and call the province’s 811 line if they develop fever or cough or difficulty breathing.

People in either category who have returned to Nova Scotia within the 14-day time period will be asked through public messaging (since we do not know who they are) to take the appropriate measures for the remainder of the 14 days.

At this time there have been no cases of this virus in Nova Scotia despite some individuals claiming to be infected on social media.

The provincial website has updated information for the general public at https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/