Dear GPA Community,
We hope you are having an enjoyable winter break. We look forward to welcoming our GPA Eagles back to campus and to resuming student learning in the safest manner possible. Below you will find information regarding important safety and health updates.
Updates
We want to provide an update on our plans as we return next week. As COVID rates have increased due to the Omicron variant, we have continued our close collaboration with our partners at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). With the strong health safeguards we have in place, we are planning to continue with a full schedule of in-person learning. GPA has a high vaccination rate among staff, and the COVID-19 vaccine is now available for everyone ages 5 and older. We also strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to get a booster shot.
We will continue to follow the recommendations adopted by the CDPH, and as of the latest update on 12/29/21, current guidelines regarding testing, quarantine, and isolation for school settings can be found here.
Testing and Vaccines
To help protect our community and keep each other healthy, all GPA staff, families and eligible students are encouraged to take a few important steps.
1. Get Vaccinated:
- Please get your vaccine (available to those ages 5 and older) or booster, if you have not already done so.
2. Test Regularly:
- Community members should get regular COVID tests to help stop the spread. Tests are available at no cost at sites across the city (see here), or you can use at-home tests.
- Over the winter break, GPA worked with CDPH to secure at-home rapid test kits for every student to test prior to returning to school on Tuesday, January 4th.
- Free testing kits will be distributed in the GPA parking lot as follows:
- Saturday, January 1, 2022 – 9:00am – 1:00pm
- Monday, January 3, 2022 – 8:00am – 3:00pm
- HOW TO USE THE TESTS
Please note that any student who has had a COVID-19 infection in the past 90 days should not use the test kit. The test may be positive because of a prior infection.
- Students should take the first test on Saturday, January 1st— three days before their return to school.
- Students should take the second test before coming to school on Tuesday, January 4th.
- If the test is negative, your student feels well, and has no COVID-19 symptoms, they are cleared to return to school!
- If your child DOES have any COVID-19 symptoms which includes: fever or chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, new loss of taste or smell, muscle or body aches, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue and/or has HAD a known exposure to someone with COVID-19, please keep them home and call GPA for next steps before their return.
- If either test is positive, keep your child home and contact their doctor and school right away to follow any further instructions before returning to campus.
- Additional details on how and when to use these self-administered COVID-19 tests can be found on this instructional flyer
*Additional information regarding the distribution and administration of at-home testing can be found on our GPA website.
- GPA is HIGHLY recommending that every student test prior to coming to school on Tuesday. If your student or member of your household has a positive test or any symptoms please keep your child at home and contact both your local health care provider and the GPA Health Office for further guidance.
- GPA will also be offering testing to ALL staff members as they return to work on Monday, January 3rd to ensure that we are providing the safest possible environment for your students.
3. Follow Safety Protocols:
- Lastly, please continue to follow all safety protocols we have been using since the beginning of the school year.
Athletics
- Our masking requirements will remain the same as they have in the past for our Athletic events.
- ALL fans (indoor and outdoor) will be required to wear masks while they are at games.
- Coaches and players on the bench (indoor and outdoor) will be required to wear masks.
- Our indoor sports (basketball) will be required to wear masks while playing unless players are participating in weekly testing. Our basketball teams are tested weekly with rapid antigen testing, providing results within 15 minutes. If a player tests positive they will be sent home and asked to quarantine following San Diego County, CDPH, and CDC agreed upon guidelines.
Questions:
If you have any questions about our Covid policies please reach out to Assistant Director Hurlbert (jhurlbert@gomperscharter.org).
Our number one priority is to ensure the safest and healthiest conditions possible. We remain fully committed to keeping GPA open for in-person learning and support, as long as that is in line with the advice of our health experts. We also expect we will continue to face significant staffing shortages, which requires ongoing flexibility among our staff, students, and entire community.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
