Dear Parents/Guardians:
We hope the return to the 2022-2023 school year has been a joyful one for you and your family, filled with excitement as we return to a more regular school experience with our students.
As you may be aware, over the last two years during the pandemic, the Ministry of Education has provided significant investments to school boards to support improved ventilation and air quality such as upgrading HVAC systems. This information has previously been posted on our Board website for all of our NPSC schools. As we journey into the cooler months and spend an increased amount of time indoors, it is important that our Catholic school communities are aware of the measures being taken in our schools to improve ventilation and filtration. As such, we are pleased to share the school-specific ventilation improvement measures with you for St. Francis School as outlined below and through this link:
- Installing portable High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) purifiers in the school to enhance cleaning of the air.
- Increasing the frequency of filter changes in existing mechanical systems to four (4) times per year using MERV 13 rated air filters, where possible.
- Conducting assessments on all mechanical ventilation to ensure they are fully operational and servicing where necessary and placing the highest priority on ventilation repairs if needed.
- Encouraging the school to open windows throughout the day to increase ventilation and bring in natural fresh air, dependent on weather.
- Promoting and supporting classes, and activities to be held outside where possible
Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact your school principal.
We thank you for your ongoing support.
Sincerely,
Paula Mann
Director of Education