Return to School Blueprint
Please note:
The information below may change depending on updated government guidance and implementation. If you have additional questions, please contact your divisional principal.
Health & Safety Protocols
- Daily Self Assessment
- Protocol in the Event of a Confirmed COVID-19 Case in School
- Self-Isolation & Self-Monitoring
- Vaccinations
- Remote Support
- Developing Symptoms on Campus
- Arriving At and Leaving School
- Building & Grounds
- Classrooms
- Dining Hall
- Cleaning & Disinfecting
- Washrooms
- Elevators
- First Aid
- Transportation
- After School Care
Daily Self Assessment
- Parents MUST conduct a daily COVID-19 health assessment of their child every morning before school. If a student is presenting with any symptoms, they should not come to school and, 8-1-1 should be called.
- Parents need to be prepared to pick their children up from school if their child becomes symptomatic during the day.
- K-1 parents must conduct a daily COVID-19 health assessment on themselves if they plan to enter the school for drop off or pick up.
- Staff will complete their own daily self-screening before coming to campus.
- TRAVEL (as of February 28, 2022, at 12:01am EST):
- Students under 12 years old, travelling with fully vaccinated adults, will be exempt from quarantine. This means, for example, students no longer need to wait 14 days before attending school, camp or daycare.
- Unvaccinated travellers over 12 years old will continue to be required to test on arrival, on Day 8 and quarantine for 14 days.
- Fully vaccinated students, staff and other adults who have travelled outside of Canada may qualify for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption.
- Students under 12 years old, travelling with fully vaccinated adults, will be exempt from quarantine. This means, for example, students no longer need to wait 14 days before attending school, camp or daycare.
Protocol in the Event of a Confirmed COVID-19 Case in School
- As per the mandated directives from the Ministry of Health and Education, schools will not be issuing exposure notifications, self-isolation or self-monitoring letters to distribute to parents. These letters do not apply in managing the Omicron variant since contact tracing is no longer being conducted by the Health Authorities. Southpointe may send out communications to the grades or divisions affected if attendance rates precipitated a change in delivery to the educational programme.
Self-Isolation & Self-Monitoring
Self-Isolation
Full Vaccinated:
- If you test positive for COVID-19 and are fully vaccinated, you need to self-isolate at home for 5 days AND until your symptoms improve and you no longer have a fever.
Not Fully Vaccinated:
- If you are 18 years of age or older, test positive for COVID-19, and are not fully vaccinated, you need to self-isolate at home for 10 days AND until you no longer have a fever AND your symptoms improve. You do not need to be re-tested for COVID-19 after your self-isolation period ends to return to normal activities; you can remain test positive for many weeks, even after you are no longer infectious.
- If you are under 18 years of age, test positive for COVID-19, and are not fully vaccinated, you need to self-isolate at home for 5 days AND until you no longer have a fever AND your symptoms improve. You do not need to be re-tested for COVID-19 after your self-isolation period ends to return to normal activities; you can remain test positive for many weeks, even after you are no longer infectious.
Close Contacts
- At this time, close contacts of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19, do not need to self-isolate.
Self-Monitoring
- At this time, the BCCDC recommends that everyone self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.
- If you develop symptoms, use the Self-Assessment Tool to see if you need testing.
For further information on self-isolation and self-monitoring, please visit the BC Centre for Disease Control website.
Vaccinations
Remote Support
- Southpointe will provide Remote Support for students who need to self-isolate if they have tested positive for Covid. Remote Support will also be in place for students who are being asked to self-isolate by the Fraser or Coastal Health Authorities.
- Please be reminded that Remote Support and/or Online Learning is not provided for students whose families choose to have their children remain home out of concern for contracting the virus, or those who need to self-isolate due to recent travel.
Developing Symptoms on Campus
- Students who develop symptoms while at school will move into a dedicated isolation room where they can be supervised and made comfortable.
- Parents/caregivers will be called immediately. Parents need to be prepared to pick their children up from school if their child becomes symptomatic during the day. It is especially important that up-to-date parent and emergency contact information is maintained in Alma.
- The area(s) that the student used will be cleaned and disinfected.
- Students should only return to school when all symptoms of illness have resolved.
Arriving At and Leaving School
- Members of the Leadership Team will be greeting all students as they walk up the steps to the school each morning to help ensure physical distancing while waiting to enter the building.
- Facial scanning digital thermometer kiosks have been installed at the front doors to quickly and accurately scan temperatures.
- Kindergarten students and parents will enter from the North entrance on the side of the building by the gym. Please wait outside on the sidewalk or in your car until the North Doors are open.
- Due to COVID-19 and space restrictions, we are encouraging our students to come in independently without a parent. Should your child require your assistance, only one parent per child is allowed to enter and must leave promptly.
- Grade 2-12 students will walk into their classrooms independently.
- For bus students, teachers will pick up all students from the bus and walk them into the classroom as a group.
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Students will be dismissed in a staggered format:
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2:55 pm Grade 10-12 students will be dismissed down the South stairwell and exit through the Grade 10-12 Entrance doors at the bottom of the stairs.
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3:00 pm Grade 6-9 students will be dismissed down the South stairwell and exit through the Grade 10-12 Entrance doors at the bottom of the stairs.
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3:05 K -5 students will be dismissed as follows:
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K parents will enter through the North Entrance on the side of the building by the gym and pick up their children from the classroom. Parents are asked to exit the building the same way as soon as they have their children.
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Grade 1 parents may enter through the Front Entrance and wait in the lobby for their children who will be brought down from their classroom by their teachers.
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Grade 2 parents will pick their children up from the front of the school in the designated area at the bottom of the stairs.
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Grade 3-5 teachers will take the students out to the grassy field and will dismiss the students from there.
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- Dedicated entrance doors for G1-5, G6-9 and G10-12 at the front of the school will be clearly marked with signage.
- In keeping with a trauma-informed approach to changes in Covid-19 guidelines, Southpointe encourages the wearing of masks for a period of time after spring break; however, masks will be optional. The decision to wear a mask or face covering is a personal choice for staff, students and visitors. A person's choice is to be supported and respected.
- Visitor access during school hours will be restricted to support well-being and student learning.
Building & Grounds
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The School has maintained all additional hand hygiene stations that were installed throughout the building last year.
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Enhanced cleaning protocols will continue to be implemented throughout the building.
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Heating and ventilation systems have been upgraded to improve air quality.
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Classrooms are stocked with cleaning supplies so students can disinfect when they leave the classroom.
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Visitor access during school hours is prioritized to support well-being and student learning.
Classrooms
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In the Middle and Senior School, wherever possible, individual student desks and work areas will be spaced out to encourage social distancing.
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Implementing strategies that prevent crowding during class transition times.
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There will be designated play areas for outside play.
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Teachers will be provided face shields, masks, hand sanitizer, disinfectant and gloves.
Dining Hall
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The dining program will return to full operation with safety protocols in place.
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Hand sanitizer stations will be set up for students to sanitize as they come into the dining hall and as they leave
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All food will be served to students by a member of the SAGE staff or in the case of Kindergarten parent volunteers.
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Kindergarten to Grade 3 will continue to eat their lunches in their classrooms, while Grade 4 and 5 students will eat their lunches in the Dining Hall.
Cleaning & Disinfecting
- Our Exposure Control Plan, vetted by Fraser Health, has been updated to safeguard the safety and health of all students and staff.
- Maintaining the increased janitorial staff to ensure the cleaning frequency of high touch surfaces and washrooms.
- Additional hospital quality equipment has been purchased to disinfect classrooms, hallways and buses with a non-toxic, hypoallergenic mist.
- Over 100 hand hygiene stations were installed throughout all floors of the building.
- Heating and ventilation systems have been upgraded to improve air quality.
- All MERV 13 air filters were replaced in early January 2022 to ensure excellent ventilation.
Washrooms
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Occupancy is limited to 2 students.
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Dedicated washrooms for Staff.
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Movement through the hallway will be monitored to encourage physical distancing.
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Regular cleaning throughout the day using disinfectant solutions.
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Hands to be washed and/or sanitized before entry into the washroom and washed thoroughly before exiting the washroom.
Elevators
First Aid
Transportation
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Buses will be equipped with Driver Protection Shields to provide a physical barrier between the driver and the students. Drivers will also be provided with masks, hand sanitizer and gloves.
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Buses will be cleaned after each bus trip.
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Masks will be mandatory on the buses for all K-12 students.
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Students will be assigned seats on which they must sit for the entire trip.
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No movement will be allowed between seats.
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Students from the same household will share seats if space is limited.
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Only students who have signed up for the bus will be allowed on the bus.
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Parents will not be allowed to come on to the bus at all.
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Students who show any symptoms of cold, influenza, COVID-19 or another infectious respiratory disease must not take the bus or come to school.
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Daily single rider tickets will not be allowed at this time.
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Southpointe's Traffic Flow & Parking Map can be found here. This map shows the building entrances for each grade level and parking/drop off locations for parents.
After School Care
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Our plans are to continue offering After School Care (ASC) to K-2 students whose parents have no other option but to use this service. Students MUST wear masks while in the ASC program. Please note that this should be used as a last resort for parents, as we need to keep the number of students in ASC to a minimum.