Preparing for the Spring Semester & Return to Campus

Dear Cañada Students,

Welcome to the Spring semester and thank you for choosing Cañada College to achieve your goals! We understand that this upcoming year may be filled with challenges and new experiences as we continue to navigate during uncertain times as we return to face-to-face classes and in-person services. Please know that our surroundings may look and feel different but our mission to serve you, our students, remains the same.

As we approach the start of the Spring semester on Tuesday, January 18, we’d like to provide you with some quick tips and resources to help you prepare for a successful semester. We look forward to supporting you – from here you can go anywhere!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR RETURN TO CAMPUS

SAN MATEO COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH ORDERS Alignment
SMCCCD is in alignment with health and safety requirements identified by San Mateo County Health and the District is not adopting new or different standards. Current County Health standards include:

• Face Coverings (Masks): Masks are required to be worn at all times while in public spaces indoors, unless actively eating or drinking. This applies to all individuals regardless of their vaccination status. 
• Social Distancing Not Required: Social distancing requirements were eliminated and no requirements are recommended or in place by county health officials and are no longer recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 
• Isolation/Quarantine/Exposure: The CDC and County Public Health recently adjusted required isolation/quarantining relating to contracting or being exposed to COVID-19. New District protocols will be shared in an update later this week. 

IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION AND SERVICES
As a reminder, students will only be able to register for in-person courses or access in-person services if they have been approved through the vaccination attestation or have received a medical/religious exemption. Students who have not gone through the vaccination attestation approval process can still enroll in virtual courses and receive virtual student support.

For more information, please visit: https://smccd.edu/return-to-campus/students.php

FACE COVERINGS (MASKS) 
SMCCCD continues to make face coverings (masks) available to all students. Face coverings are required when indoors (unless actively eating or drinking). KN95 masks are available to students for free in campus Bookstores and surgical masks are located at various locations throughout all buildings.

FREE COVID-19 VACCINATION POP-UP CLINICS FOR SPRING 2022
The CDC continues to advise every eligible person to get the COVID-19 vaccine and booster. SMCCCD has extended the Vaccination Pop Up Clinics through May 2022. Clinics will continue to provide first time vaccination and boosters. For dates and locations, visit: https://smccd.edu/return-to-campus/vaccine-info.php

FREE COVID-19 TESTING AVAILABLE AT CSM
COVID testing services continue to be available at College of San Mateo (CSM) for any student who wishes to get tested, subject to appointment availability. You can access the following website to schedule an appointment: https://smccd.edu/return-to-campus/testing.php

SMCCCD is working to expand testing across the District; additional information will be provided as soon as testing resources become available and sites are fully established.

DAILY HEALTH SELF-SCREENING REQUIRED
Students must self-screen daily regardless of vaccination status. Do NOT enter campus grounds if experiencing any of the following COVID related symptoms:

COVID Self-Screen Check

• Fever or feeling feverish (chills, sweating) 
• Cough that’s new or worsening (continuous, more than usual) 
• Shortness of breath (out of breath or unable to breathe deeply) 
• Congestion or runny nose (not related to seasonal allergies or other known causes/conditions) 
• Sore throat (not related to seasonal allergies or other known causes/conditions) 
• New headache that is unusual or long-lasting (not related to migraines or recurring headaches) 
• Unusual fatigue 
• Unexplained muscle or body aches 
• Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea 
• New loss of taste or smell

Students should report to their instructor or appropriate college staff if they are experiencing any of the symptoms listed.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Before you return to campus, read through the most Frequently Asked Questions related to health and safety procedures, student services, and much more. 

VIRTUAL PARKING PERMITS
Effective now, Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College are introducing a virtual parking permit system for purchasing virtual parking permits on all San Mateo Community College District campuses. What is a virtual parking permit? Essentially, your vehicle’s license plate will act as your virtual parking permit. Individuals will register their vehicle plate information into an online virtual parking permit system when purchasing their permit. The permit software then generates a virtual permit linked to that vehicle's license plate number. Visit the Parking website and the FAQs page for more information, including how to purchase a permit.

STUDENT SERVICES & RESOURCES

ONLINE LIST OF STUDENT SERVICES
We’re here to help and support you. Check out these resources available online at Cañada College.

CAMPUS HOURS WEBSITE
As Cañada begins its return to in-person student services, please refer to the Campus Hours website that provides an updated listing of campus-wide hours.

CAMPUS SHUTTLE
The Cañada College shuttle will run direct service Monday-Thursday to/from Cañada and East Palo Alto beginning January 18, 2022 through May 27, 2022. Visit bestvip.shop/shuttle for the latest schedule updates.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

USE TELEMEDICINE RESOURCES TO MAINTAIN PHYSICAL & MENTAL WELLNESS
Schedule online health and personal counseling appointments at the Personal Counseling website.

If you are dealing with anxiety, depression, addiction, or bullying, you can access free on demand mental health professionals 24/7 through our partnership with TimelyCare. To learn more, visit https://timely.md/schools/index.html?school=SMCCD&=.

CLASS RESOURCES

VISIT THE VIRTUAL CAMPUS WEBSITE
Our Virtual Campus website provides you with online education resources and information on how to access student services online. It’s a one-stop resource for many student needs.

SIGN IN AND USE YOUR @MY.SMCCD EMAIL
All college electronic communications will come to your my.smccd.edu email address. Log into your WebSMART student account to find your email address and password. If you wish, you may forward your my.smccd.edu emails to a personal email account. For more information about email forwarding, see the Email Forwarding tutorial.

USE WAITLISTS
You will only have 24 hours from the time you have been notified via email (your my.smccd.edu account) to register. Please review your email daily if you are on a waitlist. If you do not register for the class within 24 hours, you will be dropped off the waitlist. You may also receive waitlist notifications via text message if you sign up to receive other non-emergency information via text message.

SIGN UP FOR TEXT MESSAGE NOTIFICATION
To receive important college communications via text message on your device, log in to WebSMART. Click on "Student Services", then on "Update Your Goal/Major and other Student Information".

CLOSED CLASSES
If a class you want is filled to capacity, you should contact the instructor. If the instructor has space in the class, they may provide you with an authorization code to add the class.

SUBMIT AUTHORIZATION CODES IMMEDIATELY
If you receive an authorization code from an instructor to add a class, be sure to register immediately via WebSMART. You will need both the authorization code and the CRN# for the class in order to enroll. Some instructors may honor your authorization code for a short period of time only. If you have not officially registered for the class, you may be denied entry.

IF YOU MISS THE FIRST CLASS, CONTACT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
If you were unable to get to your first class meeting please contact your instructor immediately to avoid the possibility of being dropped for non-attendance.

TECHNOLOGY & TEXTBOOKS

BORROW TECHNOLOGY  

Current students who need access to internet and technology equipment or software required to complete coursework, are eligible to borrow available equipment such as Chromebooks, hotspots, and graphing calculators. They can simply come to the Library to request technology. For more information, visit the Technology Loan website.

ORDER TEXTBOOKS ONLINE
Search and purchase textbooks by Course Reference Number (CRN) to get them shipped to you from the Cañada Bookstore.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

Do you need general assistance? Need help adding or dropping classes, or would you just like to speak with a student ambassador for some advice? Login through https://bestvip.shop/outreach/onlinehours.php To schedule a Zoom appointment on a specific day/time, please call 650-306-3444 or email [email protected]. In addition, the Welcome Center is also here to help you at (650) 306-3452 or [email protected]  

We look forward to welcoming you back in-person and virtually!