Happy First Week of Advent ~

This is such a beautiful time of the year, for our children, but also for the adults in their lives that get to witness them be awed by our God and the birth of his Son.

There are many events we are having at SKS during this holiday season and Parent's Association will need help with volunteering. We made the decision this week to re-instate the vaccination or negative COVID test for volunteers in the school. This decision was made in the light of rising COVID-19 rates and in effort to add another layer of safety measures to our COVID-19 guidelines for this year. This policy will also help us keep our students in school learning and hopefully avoid unnecessary quarantining.

To volunteer at SKS you will need to:

• Be CASE trained (This process can sometimes take up to two weeks) Click HERE to go to the CASE training information.
• Wear a mask during your time in the school building
• Show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to either the Nurse or the Principal before be your volunteering. Proof of vaccination will only need to be done one time. We will not make copies of your proof, but will only use it to document it for our records.

We hope to be able to loosen our restrictions, sooner rather than later ~ please bear with us as we continue to navigate these COVID times ~ Thank you for your support ~

Tis the season of Snow Days! If there are weather related conditions that cause West Irondequoit to close, Saint Kateri School will also be closed. Please stay tuned to local radio and television channels for listings of school closings. SKS will also send out a Robo Call to all families with closing information.

God bless you and your family and we enter the Second Week of Advent ~

Mrs. Terri L. Morgan, Principal

Email: Terri.Morgan@dor.org

Website: www.saintkaterischool.org

Phone: (585) 467-8730

• For those families using the Milk Program at SKS ~ please remind your child that they should be drinking the milk each day. Recently we are seeing a lot of milk being thrown away, unopened. Thank you!
• Reminder to put their Daily Health check into PUP each morning by 7:30am. Students do not go to their classroom until their Daily Health Check is an "All Clear" submitted by the parent. The Main Office follows up on each student that arrives without it completed; it takes time for them and students are missing time in their classroom preparing for the day.
• Changes to a student dismissal plan (i.e., leaving early for an appointment, absent from school, coming in late, etc.) must be entered into PUP.

DECEMBER:

• 12/5: Second Week of Advent
• 12/6: St. Nicholas Day
• 12/7: No Quiet Mass
• 12/8: January Hot Lunch closes @ 9:30am
• 12/8: K-5 Immaculate Conception School Mass (Grade 5 leading)
• 12/8: Chipotle SKS Fundraiser 4:00-8:00pm, East Ridge Road
• 12/9-12/10: Holiday Gift Shop is BACK!
• 12/12: Third Week of Advent
• 12/13-12/14: Parent volunteers will help pack Gift Bags for Senior Tea
• 12/15: Preschool Christmas Concert 10:00am in Church
• 12/19: Fourth Week of Advent
• 12/20: K-2 Christmas Concert 10:00am and 7:00pm
• 12/21: No Quiet Mass
• 12/21: 3-5 Christmas Concert 10:00am and 7:00pm
• 12/22: Half Day Dismissal (Preschool at 11:00am and K-5 at 11:30am)
• 12/25: Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!
• 12/23 - 1/2: Enjoy your Christmas Break!

We had a very fun and festive In-Person Parent's Association Meeting on December 1st ~ Thank you to everyone that attended or contacted Katie Stam that they were unable. After the meeting parents stayed for fellowship and Christmas Tea preparations ~ thank you for your help!

Parent's Association Needs Volunteers ~ Santa's Shop needs volunteers throughout the day Wednesday, December 8, to help us transform the library and set up our Shop. On Thursday (12/9) and Friday (12/10), we need volunteers to work various time slots to help with cashiering and student shopping/crowd control, etc. Lastly, we need a few people Friday after school to help us clean up and take down.

Here is the Sign Up Genius link for Santa's Shop

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B094EADAC22A4FA7-holiday

Volunteers must:

• Be CASE trained prior to volunteering (process can take up to two weeks)
• Follow 2021-2022 COVID guidelines (i.e., wear mask at all times, social distance and hand wash/sanitize frequently)
• Be fully vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID test

Our next Parent's Association meeting will be on Wednesday, January 12th from 6:00-7:30pm. This meeting will be Virtual ~ This year we are using the same link for all of our Virtual Meetings. We will also be providing the opportunity to participate virtually

Email Katie (stam.kaitlyn@gmail.com) or Nicole (n_staebell@hotmail.com) with any questions or items to add to the agenda.

Hello families,

I wanted to reach out and review the current COVID guidelines. COVID cases in Monroe County are on the rise. We want to be diligent and make sure that we are keeping our students and staff as safe as possible.

Please DO NOT send your child to school if they are experiencing COVID symptoms.

These include:

• Fever
• Shortness of Breath
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste or smell
• Headache
• Loss of appetite
• Cough
• Nasal Congestion/Runny nose
• Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches

If your child displays these symptoms at school, we will be contacting you to pick them up. I understand that it may not be convenient but for the safety of the students and staff, it is required by the Department of Health. It is important that we follow these guidelines so that we can keep school open and keep our kids healthy.

If your child is home sick or is sent home with COVID symptoms, one of the following must occur:

• Your child can get a COVID PCR or NAAT test. These results must be sent to school before your child can return.
• Your child can be seen by a Medical Provider and given an alternate diagnosis. A letter explaining the alternate diagnosis must be sent to school before your child can return.
• Your child can quarantine for 10 days.

If you believe your child has been in contact with someone who has tested positive, please keep them home while you await the results.

Flu season is also upon us. Flu symptoms and COVID symptoms are very similar. Please be cognizant of this when sending your child to school.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out. I am happy to answer any questions and help clarify any information.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support,

Elizabeth Trimaldi, RN, School Nurse Saint Kateri School

Elizabeth_Trimaldi@westiron.monroe.edu