Important Message From Serra High School

An Important Message From Serra High School: December 31, 2021

Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,

We hope that you have been able to find rest and rejuvenation with family and friends this Christmas holiday.

As we are all acutely aware, we are dealing with challenging new developments in the ongoing pandemic. This letter is being sent to inform you of the status at Serra and our plans moving forward.

Status - After an initial few COVID cases at the beginning of the semester, positive diagnoses had been minimal throughout the fall. This situation changed dramatically approximately one week before the end of the semester. Since December 17, we have had a significant increase in cases that have affected both students and staff. While it is fortunate that the increase occurred at the end of the semester, programs were disrupted during the Christmas break due to COVID cases among students and adults, both at Serra and at other schools. The rapid transmission reflects the rise of the Omicron variant in the region. The cases have impacted both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

We have been in communication with the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the county of San Mateo as we prepare for the second semester. On December 27, the CDC recommended shortening the isolation period for positive COVID cases if the person is asymptomatic. The county of San Mateo has not yet communicated this change to schools as the new policy. We will update our policies and communicate the change if and when it becomes official.

We believe that it is important to keep students in classes and participating in co-curricular activities. While we are encouraged by reports that the Omicron variant may be less virulent than previous COVID variants, we are concerned with its transmissibility.

Moving Forward - As a result of these new developments, we are instituting a number of programmatic changes to ensure safety and continue on-site learning:

Opening week (January 3-7)

Mandatory COVID testing - We are requiring COVID PCR testing of all students and faculty/staff prior to returning to campus. All students must plan on taking a Covid test at one of the times indicated in the schedule below. This testing will help minimize spread as we return to classes and begin the school year with minimal disruption.
Academic Classes - will be conducted on Thursday, January 6, and Friday, January 7 via distance learning to allow sufficient time for COVID testing. The abbreviated academic schedule is posted on the PCR Student and Parent Portal Homepage and in the Padre Week Ahead. Full in-person classes will resume Monday, January 10.
Final Exam Makeups - for students who were ill during finals week will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday on campus as planned. We will administer a rapid COVID test prior to the exam. These students will receive a separate communication regarding these plans.
Athletic practices and contests - will continue as scheduled. The Athletic Director and coaches will communicate with individual teams regarding schedule updates. Spectators at indoor Serra events will be limited to family members during this week to allow COVID testing in our community.

The schedule is as follows:

Policies and Protocols

COVID Testing - We are working on a testing schedule for regular surveillance testing through the semester. We will communicate the plan when finalized.
Upgrade to facemasks - All students and faculty/staff will be required to upgrade facemasks to N-95 (or KN-95) masks or 3-ply surgical masks. Cloth masks will no longer be allowed as they provide insufficient filtration.
Vaccination and booster - It is highly recommended that students and family members get vaccinated and boosted as allowed for each age group.
Stay home if sick - Even with minor symptoms: sniffles, extreme fatigue, headache, lower fever, etc. People have reported that the lesser symptoms led to a belief that they were not ill.
Communicate positive tests - If your son has tested positive, please email covid@serrahs.com. This is critical to keeping our community safe.

We appreciate your cooperation and your patience as we navigate the spring semester. These next few months will be challenging. We will continue to evaluate and adjust the academic and student life programs as conditions evolve. Serra will need to make decisions quickly based on the data available and in consultation with county and archdiocese officials as we adapt to changing conditions. Please know that we will do so with a focus on what we believe is best for our students, families, teachers and programs. We are committed to updating the community on a regular basis. We encourage all to remain patient, seek to support, seek to help, seek to collaborate and seek to find the best in each other. We will move through this time as we have in the past, demonstrating the highest values of the Serra community.

We believe that with full commitment and cooperation from our families, we can safely remain on campus as a thriving student body. We thank you for your continued support and adherence to these new protocols.

We wish you a safe and healthy New Year.

Sincerely,

Charlie McGrath

Principal

Barry Thornton, Ed.D.

President