Healthy Schools Newsletter for Educators
From Hastings Prince Edward Public Health


September 15, 2021

 In this Issue:

  1. COVID-19 Protocols
  2. School Vaccines
  3. Return to School and Mental Health
  4. Personal Safety and Injury Prevention

Welcome to September’s HPEPH Healthy Schools Newsletter!

Welcome back to in-person learning! We, at HPEPH, are so excited to continue working together with local schools this year to create and enhance healthy school communities. Over the course of the school year, we will issue a Healthy Schools Newsletter each month, and each month we will highlight a few timely and relevant School Health topics. Newsletters will include general information, curriculum supports and other resources to support communication with students and families.

We look forward to working together throughout the 2021/22 school year! We invite you to encourage your colleagues to subscribe to this newsletter to receive up to date and timely information from HPEPH.

COVID-19 Protocols

As local students, educators, and school staff settle into a new school year, HPEPH continues to appreciate your ongoing efforts to keep schools as safe as possible. The support of local school communities has been essential to get students back to class safely. As always, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change and evolve, and this means that we may see changes to guidance and protocols over the course of the year. Changes will be sent in an email to COVID-19 Leads and Communications Officers, who will distribute information about changes (and any supporting links) to school administrators. Public Health Nurses will follow up with their assigned school by email, in the event there are any questions or concerns.

HPEPH is committed to working with school communities as the local situation continues to change. Current protocols can be found at hpePublicHealth.ca:

As you are likely already aware, Some COVID-19 protocols have changed since the 2020/2021 school year.

If you have questions, you can speak to the COVID-19 Lead at your school board or talk to the HPEPH Public Health Nurse and/or Health Promoter assigned to your school.

Staff and Student Education Resources

Home-School Connection Resources

If you are receiving questions from parents/caregivers that should be answered by public health, they can be directed to hpePublicHealth.ca/back-to-school-planning-parents. Enquiries can also be sent by email through our online form.

Additional Resources

Suggested Social Media Messages for Use with School Families

School Vaccines

The Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) requires parents and guardians to provide public health with up-to-date immunization record for all students attending HPE-area schools. Typically, if complete immunization information is not received by a date agreed upon between HPEPH and schools/school boards, students may face suspension for up to 20 educational days.

However, due to resource redeployment to support the COVID-19 pandemic response, HPEPH has limited ability to update vaccination records at the current time. In addition, as most nurses have been redeployed to administer COVID-19 vaccines, it has not been possible for HPEPH to hold childhood vaccine clinics for several months. For this reason, the ISPA has not been enforced in the past year.

While Public Health plans to offer catch up clinics for mandatory vaccines once capacity allows, an exact timeline is not confirmed at this point. All parents and students should be encouraged to access mandatory vaccines through their primary care provider as to not further delay. In addition, all students who are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to become fully immunized.

Students with Outdated Vaccination Records

We understand that some students may have outdated or incomplete vaccination records. Schools should continue to require proof of vaccination upon registration. However, as it will take some time for HPEPH to catch up with vaccination record processing, it is acceptable for students to be enrolled for the 21/22 school year even if their vaccination records are known to be out of date.

Quick Contact – HPEPH Immunization Line: 613-966-5500 or 1-800-267-2803 ext. 221

Home-School Connection Resources

Return to School and Mental Health

Supporting a Mentally Healthy Return to School…and Beyond

The school year is underway and the transition back to school has probably been a unique experience for all students and staff, depending on individual situations. The mental health and well-being of all members of the school community is a priority during this ‘return to school’ transition and throughout the entire school year. Many resources and supports have been shared with schools and some are highlighted below.

If supporting student mental health seems overwhelming, try to come back to the basics – the 5 practices that any adult in a school can do.

  1. Take care of yourself. Taking care of yourself will help ensure you are able to support those around you.
  2. Create supportive environments. Creating safe and welcoming classrooms will enhance a student’s sense of belonging and overall mental health.
  3. Develop positive relationships with students. Teachers are trusted adults that are in an ideal position to support a student when they are experiencing stress.
  4. Support social emotional learning and mental health literacy. Supporting the development of social-emotional skills and understanding of mental health will help students learn how to navigate relationships, and care for their mental health.
  5. Pay attention and do your best to support students who are struggling. While educators are not mental health professionals, they are in an excellent position to observe, notice and support students who may require additional support.

School Staff and Education Resources

Home-School Connection Resources

Suggested Social Media Messages for Use with School Families

Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to receive our monthly newsletter and receive updated resources and information directly from HPEPH.

Personal Safety and Injury Prevention

The last Wednesday in September each year is Rowan's Law Day - a day to engage students, staff and parents/guardians in activities that increase awareness about concussions and to share Rowan Stringer's story. This year, Rowan's Law Day lands on September 29th (#RowansLawDay). Rowan's Law (Concussion Safety) makes it mandatory for sports organizations to ensure that athletes under 26 years of age, parents of athletes under 18, coaches, team trainers and officials confirm every year that they have reviewed Ontario's Concussion Awareness Resources.

The tips, tools, and links to additional resources in the Rowan's Law Day Tookit for Schools are designed to encourage and support your participation.

For more resources on this topic, visit HPEPH's Personal Safety & Injury Prevention in Schools page.

Evidence-informed information about school health topics can help parents and caregivers to make informed decisions about caring for their child. HPEPH is committed to helping schools share this information with parents and caregivers, with the goal of encouraging parent engagement and raising awareness about evidence-based resources.

Back to Summary

Contact Information: 

To give us your comments about this e-newsletter: hart.sara@hpeph.ca

For other questions about Healthy Schools: healthyschools@hpeph.ca 

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