Getting Ready for the Start of School

Dear Parents/Guardians, 

We are excited to welcome students and staff back to Port Perry High School on Thursday, September 9.  

We have rescheduled the email that shares Classroom/Teacher and school door entry information until tomorrow (Wednesday) as timetable changes are still being made and we want to be sure to send the most up to date course/classroom/door entry information to you and your child(ren).   

Below you will find additional information to help you get ready for the first day of school.   We know that the COVID-19 pandemic is still at the top of your mind. Our schools will continue to experience modifications, adaptations and changes (many similar to 2020-21) and we want to help make the transition back to school as safe and smooth as possible. For more information on the DDSB’s updated Return to School plans, please visit the DDSB website.  

COVID-19 Guide for Schools 

The DDSB has developed a COVID-19 Guide for Schools that includes information on what schools will be doing to prioritize the health and safety of students and staff for the 2021-22 school year. This includes enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols, information on masks, hand washing and sanitizing, self-assessments, physical distancing strategies and other measures.  

Vaccines 

Vaccination is one of the best tools we have to reduce COVID-19 in our communities. Durham Region Health Department will be hosting a drop-in vaccination clinic in the Port Perry High school cafeteria on Friday September 10 from 4:30 – 7:30 pm.   No appointment is necessary.   Proof of residence is required.  All residents of Ontario born in 2009 or earlier are eligible to receive a vaccine. 

You can also book appointments at https://www.durhamvaccinebooking.ca/  

Daily COVID-19 Screenings 

Before sending your child(ren) to school or to child care, every parent/guardian is required to screen for COVID-19. This must be done everyday. If your child(ren) exhibit any of the symptoms on the list, you are required to follow the instructions given and your child(ren) will not be allowed to come to school.  

The online self-assessment tool (updated August 2021) is available at: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/  

Wearing a Mask 

In accordance with direction from the Ministry of Education, wearing non-medical or cloth masks is mandatory for students in Grade 1 to 12.   If everyone wears a mask, it will help keep everyone in the school safe.  

We have compiled some resources about wearing masks at the bottom of this virtual information poster.  

Secondary Lunch Protocols 

Secondary students are encouraged to eat lunch at home (if possible) or weather permitting, to eat their lunch outdoors.  Our cafeteria will also be open to eat in with reduced capacity.  There will be no food service in the cafeteria until further notice so all students eating at the school must bring a lunch.   

Our school will be divided into two lunch zones with students being asked to eat their lunch with a consistent cohort within their chosen zone daily in order to limit contacts and support contact tracing.  All students who remain in the building must remain on the first floor (unless supervised by a teacher).   Zone A is the southern area of the 1st floor while Zone B is the northern area of the 1st floor.   Further details will be shared with students on Thursday morning during our online grade assemblies.   Students are encouraged to continue proper hand hygiene and distancing from others as much as possible.  Students can only remove masks when eating/drinking and must be seated (ie no eating and walking around). 

Ventilation & Air Quality 

An important part of health and safety in schools is air quality. Between 2015 and 2020, more than 180 projects have been completed across the DDSB to upgrade the air quality in DDSB schools and buildings. Since the start of the pandemic, we have invested in upgraded filters for all ventilation systems. These upgraded filters are highly effective at removing a broad range of particles and we employ a variety of strategies such as duct cleaning and fully replenishing the air in buildings every day.  

In addition, ventilation checks have been completed in every building. DDSB has purchased 1,870 portable HEPA air filtration units and the Ministry of Education has supplied a further 311 units. All of these individual units have HEPA-level filtration and filter the air within spaces that are not fully mechanically ventilated. All Kindergarten classrooms, regardless of ventilation type, have been given improved HEPA-level filtration units. For more information on ventilation in DDSB schools, please visit the ventilation section on our website.  

COVID-19 Protocols 

The DDSB will be following the Ministry of Education’s COVID-19: Health, safety and operational guidance for schools (2021-2022) as part of our school operations. This includes the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Guidance for School Case, Contact and Outbreak Management when COVID-19 is suspected or confirmed in a student or staff member. We will also be following any additional directions from the Durham Region Health Department, who have the responsibility of managing confirmed cases of COVID-19, including what happens if there is an outbreak.  

Our school and the DDSB are committed to informing you as parents/guardians of child(ren) in our school, along with school staff if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the school. We will be doing this in a message to families and to staff. We also have a COVID-19 Advisory page on both the school website and DDSB website that will include information on any confirmed COVID-19 cases in schools, along with information on closures of classes, cohorts or schools. While we hope that we will never have to update this page and/or send a letter home, we are committed to being transparent with families and working to be prepared for any event.  

COVID-19 Immunization Disclosure for DDSB Employees 

All DDSB staff are required to comply with the Ministry of Education’s COVID-19 immunization disclosure policy. This means that all DDSB employees are required to submit proof of being “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19. Any staff who are not fully vaccinated will be required to undergo regular COVID-19 testing in order to enter a workplace. In addition, those who do not intend to be vaccinated, without a documented medical reason, will be required to participate in an education session about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination.  

In mid-September, the DDSB will also be publicly posting aggregated, depersonalized statistical information on the main DDSB website to inform you about the overall vaccination status of all staff and this will continue to be updated monthly. Please note that due to privacy reasons, we are unable to disclose the vaccination status of individual staff members but will be vigilant in ensuring that all staff and any regular visitors to our building will be following the immunization disclosure and testing requirements to help keep our school community safe.  

School Testing Pilot Program 

The Ministry of Education has selected our school to participate in the School Testing Pilot Program from September 7 – October 29. Students and staff who are vaccinated and asymptomatic will receive a take-home self-collection kit if they have been identified as a high-risk contact of a COVID-19 case, as directed by the Durham Region Health Department. Further information will be communicated to anyone identified as a high-risk contact of a COVID-19 case. 

Visitors to Schools 

Similar to last year, we are trying to limit contacts by reducing visitors in our school. If possible, please make an appointment. Telephone meetings are preferred where appropriate. If you need to get in touch with someone at the school, please call or email the school.  

Times and Quadmester Schedules 

As previously shared, school will be taking place from 10am to 4pm for all secondary students.   The school doors will open at 9:45 am.    

Quadmesters will be continuing for the start of this school year. It is our hope that we can return to a semestered schedule halfway through the school year, pending Ministry of Education approval.  

Our school’s schedule is listed below with Course 1 taking place in the two morning periods and Course 2 taking place in the two afternoon periods.    

Lockers