School buses, playgrounds, hallways and classrooms are once again bustling with activity as students across the province return from an extended winter break.

The week-long extension was announced prior to the start of the New Year as Omicron cases began to rapidly spread across Alberta.

As local students reunite with their peers today, the province is reporting the highest active COVID case count since the start of the pandemic. There are currently 43,414 active COVID cases in Alberta, 381 of which are in Cochrane. In terms of COVID hospitalizations, there are currently 504 Albertans in hospital, including 64 in ICU.

In a letter from Rocky View Schools (RVS) Superintendent Greg Luterbach and  Board Chair, Fiona Gilbert say their focus is on keeping students and staff as safe as possible and they stand behind the government's decision to have students return to in-person learning.

"RVS takes a balanced and thoughtful approach to supporting the overall well-being of our students while minimizing the transmission of COVID-19 in school," explains Luterbach and Gilbert. "We align health measures in our schools with the recommendations and direction from provincial medical leaders and remain focused on supporting students’ overall social, emotional, physical, and learning needs."

The province will be distributing medical-grade masks and rapid test kits to schools across the province this week for optional use. Health officials say that these additional layers will be available for anyone who wants them but they are optional. Once these items arrive at the school, students and staff who choose to receive them will be given enough at-home rapid kits to test twice a week for a few weeks, and they will also receive a two-week supply of medical-grade masks allowing for two masks per day.

In the letter from RVS, Luterbach and Gilbert say they anticipate staffing challenges due to the rising numbers, but they explain that the division is taking necessary steps to minimize disruption to student learning.

The letter states that "some of these measures include hiring additional substitute teachers and support staff and pausing many meetings and professional development activities during class time to limit the need for replacement staff."

School authorities will continue to monitor the COVID situation and at any given time they're able to shift classes or grades to temporary online learning to address outbreaks.