Letter from the Superintendent Nov 20, 2020

November 20, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians:
Re: New Province-wide Restrictions and Daily Health Checklists

With new Province-wide restrictions and increasing cases of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, we want
to remind our families of the important role they play in keeping our schools safe.

As of yesterday afternoon, our Provincial Health Officer (PHO) has put new rules in place that
reduce levels of social interaction, travel and indoor group physical activities, and the
requirement of masks in all indoor public setting and retails stores until December 7ᵗʰ.
These following restrictions have been enacted to keep our communities safe and to reduce to the
spread of COVID-19:

•     No social gatherings of any size with anyone other than your household or core bubble.
•     All events and community-based gatherings are suspended with a few exceptions.
•     High risk indoor group physical activities are suspended.
•     Travel to, from and between regions for athletic activities like games, competitions,
training and practice is prohibited under this Order.
•     Masks are required in all indoor public settings and all retail stores.
•     All non-essential travel should be avoided.

If you have any questions or require more information visit PHO’s Province-wide restrictions 
webpage.

At this time, there are no changes to the BC Centre for Disease Control Guidance for K-12 School
Settings, including non-medical mask requirements. Dr. Henry made it clear in her public
announcement on November 19, 2020 that schools are not public places and the existing guidance is
working.

Given the increasing confirmed cases in our region and Province-wide, it is important that we take
the time to re-familiarize ourselves with the BC Centre for Disease Control Guidance for K-12
School Settings and the Exposure Control Plan for School Sites.

COVID-19 Public Health Office’s Guidance for K-12 School Settings

GVSD Exposure Control Plan for School Sites

It is important that we follow these Orders and take all safety precautions. We all need to do our
part to
keep our communities safe and our schools open.

We want to remind parents and guardians to not gather at school entrances before and after school
and to continue performing the daily health checklist each morning to identify any key symptoms of
illness before sending students to school.

Daily Health Checklist for Parents to Assess Students

Daily Health Checklist Video: Students explain what key symptoms to monitor

We understand that this is a challenging time for our community. However, we are here to support
you. If you have any questions or concerns, connect with your school principal.

Until next time, please take good care of yourself and those in your core bubble.
Sincerely,
Shelley Green
Superintendent of Schools

School  District  No.  61  (Greater  Victoria) 556 Boleskine Road, Victoria, BC   V8Z 1E8 Phone
(250) 475-4162   Fax (250) 475-4112