COVID Surveillance Testing Starting Soon

At West Side, we continue to seek to maintain a safe environment for students, staff, and the community. To support those goals, we have partnered with Concentric by Ginkgo to provide an optional and free pooled testing program.
 
We need your help! We encourage each family to participate in this program to help safeguard the wellbeing of our entire school community. Our plan is to test students and staff every Wednesday during school hours starting October 13.

 

Please read the attached overview in ENGLISH and SPANISH  from Concentric to help answer any questions you may have. If you still have questions, please email Susanne at [email protected].
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To get started, please fill out the ONLINE CONSENT FORM with your permission to perform a COVID-19 pooled test for your student at West Side. This process should take no more than 5 minutes to complete using a computer or a smartphone.
 
1.     First, click here https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent
2.    Then, enter this access code: BOBCAT
3.    Finally, enter your child’s information, and you’re done!
 
Note: If you need to provide consent for more than one child, please complete the process once for each child.
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What is pooled testing?
Pooling can test 25 people using one test. All students and staff in a class swab their own noses and place their swabs in a single tube (that’s the pooling step). The samples in that tube are then run as a single sample, using one test. See it in action here.
 
Why pooled testing? Why should my student participate?
You know the old saying: “knowledge is power.” Tools like pooled testing empower us to make great decisions. Without knowing the specific prevalence of COVID-19 in our school, it’s tough for us to make informed decisions about safeguarding our school community, returning to school, or continuing in-person learning.
 
Only students with completed consent forms are able to participate in testing. If you do not want your family to participate, your student will not be included in the testing program. Though, we hope you do!
 
Testing empowers us to make these informed decisions about in-person learning and allows students and staff to come to school with peace of mind.
 
To learn more about pooled testing, read the attached overview of Concentric’s pooled testing program and watch this video from another school using this service.
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For more information, visit Concentric by Ginkgo’s website.