Healthy Schools Newsletter for Educators
From Hastings Prince Edward Public Health

September 2, 2022

 In this Issue:

  1. COVID-19 Guidance Update
  2. HPEPH's 2022-23 Healthy Schools Program
  3. Clinical services at local secondary schools this year
  4. Video resources can help new students adjust to kindergarten

Welcome to the September HPEPH Healthy Schools Newsletter!

We invite you to encourage your colleagues to subscribe to this newsletter to receive up-to-date and timely information from HPEPH.

COVID-19 Guidance Update

As announced on August 31, 2022, the province has updated public health guidance to manage COVID-19 during the respiratory illness season this fall. Updated guidance has a broadened focus with an aim to reduce transmission of all infectious illnesses, not just COVID-19.

New guidance is reflected in an updated School and Childcare Screener. All children, students and staff are recommended to continue to screen daily before attending school including school transportation.

In summary, the new guidance indicates:

  • Everyone should stay home when they feel sick – whether or not they test positive for COVID-19. This means screening for illness each day, and if you do not pass the screener, staying home until:
    • Your symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours for nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea), and
    • You do not have a fever, and
    • You do not develop any additional symptoms.
       
  • After having symptoms of COVID-19, take additional precautions for a total of 10 days after the day symptoms started.
    • Wear a well-fitted mask in all public settings (including school and childcare, unless unable to mask (e.g. under 2 years old).
    • Avoid non-essential activities where mask removal is necessary (for example, playing a wind instrument in music class or removing a mask for sports, dining out). Eating lunch in the classroom or cafeteria is considered essential, but distance as much as possible when a mask is removed.
    • Avoid visiting anyone who is immunocompromised or may be at higher risk of illness (for example, seniors).
    • Avoid non-essential visits to highest risk settings such as hospitals and long-term care homes.
       
  • If you have had close contact with someone who has symptoms of COVID-19 or has tested positive, it is recommended that you take additional precautions for 10 days from your last exposure. 
  • Information about appropriate precautions for your situation can be found by completing the School and Childcare Screener.

IMPORTANT!

  • Follow this advice whether you have tested for COVID or not, and even if a test for COVID-19 is negative.
  • Individuals who are immunocompromised or live in a highest risk setting (for example, a hospital school or an Education and Community Partnership Program) who have COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test should still isolate for 10 days from their symptom onset or positive test result, whichever came first, and until they no longer have a fever and their symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours (48 hours for gastrointestinal symptoms).
  • As these are recommendations, individuals and families are expected to comply as needed, and there is no requirement for schools to monitor appropriate return-to-school dates, etc.

School staff and education resources

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HPEPH's 2022-23 Healthy Schools Program

The HPEPH Healthy Schools Team is a group of public health professionals, including Public Health Nurses and Health Promoters, who are assigned to work with your school to support student and staff well-being. The Healthy Schools program provides resources, action guides, and in-person support to encourage healthy school communities. The Public Health Nurse and Health Promoter assigned to your school will connect with you early in the school year in order to provide information about the Healthy Schools program, which can support the health and well-being of your school community with tools such as:

  • Resources - For resources and support that are offered to all HPE-area schools, please visit our website section for Educators under Partners and Professionals.
  • Action Guides - The Education section of our website contains Action Guides which include classroom and school community resources for health topics based on the Foundations for a Healthy School Framework.
  • In-Person Support - Public health nurses are available on a weekly basis in secondary schools within HPEDSB and ALCDSB for clinical support and available to students by text during business hours.
  • Healthy School Communities – The Healthy Schools Toolkit can be used to guide your school community to even greater well-being.
  • Questions? Do you have questions right now? Use our online form to contact us.
  • Spread the Word About Monthly Healthy Schools Updates! For monthly updates and information, including direct links to topic-specific curriculum supports, activities, and resources, encourage your colleagues to subscribe to our Healthy Schools e-Newsletter!

Clinical services at local secondary schools this year

This school year, HPEPH Public Health Nurses will be offering weekly drop-in clinics for students at all public secondary schools in HPEC. Being available to identify and address student health concerns as soon as possible will help connect students with supports to improve their wellbeing. School public health nurses can help students with the following topics and services:

  • Quitting or cutting down on smoking or vaping
  • Mental health
  • Naloxone kits and other resources for substance use
  • Birth control, condoms and emergency contraceptives (Plan B)*
  • Pregnancy or STI testing*

Appointments with school public health nurses are free and confidential. HPEPH offers competent and caring services and support to the 2SLGBTQI+ community. At the clinic, nurses can also provide students with counselling or referrals for:

  • Healthy relationships
  • Immunization
  • Oral health
  • Violence & bullying
  • Healthy eating
  • Physical activity, and more!

Students can self-refer or drop into a school health clinic, but educators and other staff can also refer students with the student’s consent. Posters and bookmarks promoting school health clinics will be coming soon to your school, and will feature a scannable QR code where students can self-refer, or staff can refer students. 

Students and staff will be able to scan the QR code to the right in order to access Healthy Schools services or for referral to school clinics!

 

*Please note that some services may not be available in your school. Students and educators will be provided with information specific to the services provided at their school.

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Video resource can help new students adjust to kindergarten!

A video resource that has been prepared in collaboration with KFL&A, to help families and educators support students as they transition to kindergarten.

The mental health and well-being of a child begins in the early years, and children’s kindergarten transition experiences are essential to their school success and their physical and emotional growth and development. Parents play an important role in helping their children prepare for school.

HPEPH and KFL&A have created a video entitled “Helping Kids Manage Stress!”, to:

  • help parents/caregivers understand causes and signs of child stress,
  • share information about ways to identify and lower stress in children’s lives, and
  • encourage parents/caregivers to help children identify how they are feeling, and how to respond.

Children who can recognize, acknowledge and express their feelings appropriately cope better with stress. By using a fun and age appropriate tool (the Stress Stoplight), the “Helping Kids Manage Stress” video provides an overview of the stress children may experience, signs and symptoms of stress, and strategies parents/caregivers can use to help children respond to their stress.

Educators are encouraged to share this video with parents, and use these strategies in the classroom!

School staff and education resources

Home-school connection resources

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Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to receive our monthly newsletter and receive updated resources and information directly from HPEPH. HPEPH will also provide updated resources directly to school administrators for distribution to staff before the return to school.

Back to Summary

Contact Information: 

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

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

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health is situated and provides services on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Huron-Wendat and Haudenosaunee people.

You have received this email at from Hastings Prince Edward Public Health as a result of a request you have made or due to a service/subscription that you are registered for. While you may discontinue your subscription to this mailing at any time by pressing the unsubscribe button below, please note that this bulletin will be used to provide important updates about infectious and communicable disease.