Charger Check-In
October 30, 2020
A Note from Ms. Owens
We've had another busy week here at SCA. Our before care and after care program has fully reopened. We celebrated Halloween with zombie unicorns; ninjas, a bevy of Disney princesses as well as several Descendants; Mario and Luigi; several students being kidnapped by aliens; dinosaurs; Spidermen and Captain Americas; lots of lifeguards; some creepy clowns and dolls; two giant blowup chickens; Harry Potter and Hermione Granger; and, of course, some witches and vampires. Our 7th grade girls demonstrated their skill at coordination as they came dressed as different varieties of soda - Fanta, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Coca-Cola, and more.
Today, our 3rd grade classes attended Mass in-person and following the liturgy, we recognized and celebrated Mrs. Janczak, who is retiring from St. Catherine. Mrs. Janczak received a lovely commemorative certificate from Dr. Rigg, Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Chicago; a binder filled with messages from her former and current students; a bouquet of well wishes from faculty and staff; and a presentation bouquet of roses from St. Catherine. We finished our ceremony with "Chelsea Dagger" as Mrs. Janczak loves the Blackhawks.
Our Covid awareness needs to continue. If a member of your household knows they will be going for a Covid test or is waiting for the results, your child must stay home until results are received. If the results are negative, if your child has not had exposure to anyone who has tested positive and if your child is free of symptoms, they may return to school.
In addition to the next paragraph that has appeared in every Charger Check-In this school year, I urge you to monitor closely the health of all members of your household. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever (temperature greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit), chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle/body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.
- If a member of your household has even one Covid-like symptom, your child(ren) should not come to school that first day of a household member having symptoms.
- Mrs. Malone or Mrs. Omiecinski will walk you through the proper protocols to follow regarding when your child(ren) can safely return to school.
- Do not send your child(ren) to school medicated to camouflage symptoms.
- If your child(ren) has been identified as a close contact to a confirmed or presumed positive case and develops symptoms, contact your medical advisor to discuss evaluation and testing.
- If your child(ren) has been identified as a close contact to a confirmed or presumed positive case and does not develop symptoms, it is recommended to be tested 5 to 9 days after your child’s exposure to the positive case.
I ask that you continue to partner with us in a shared effort to maintain a safe environment for our school community. We have gone through extensive measures to put protocols and procedures in place for our collective health and safety. Maintaining cohorts is at the heart of that plan. We ask for your cooperation in maintaining this model whenever feasible so that our staff and students are able to experience a safe and sustained return to school.
Last Friday, the Office of Catholic Schools sent communication directly to school families about a system-wide change in school schedules with the coming holiday season. A copy of the letter is available below for your convenience. At St. Catherine, remote classes will begin on Wednesday, January 6 as this is our scheduled day to return from Christmas break.
A Bit More News
- As is true for most all schools who have returned to in-person learning, we are eager to increase the number of qualified individuals in our pool of substitute teachers. If you are interested in working at St. Catherine as a substitute teacher, please reach out to Mrs. Kehoe. A Bachelor's degree is required.
- Retakes for school pictures will happen on Wednesday, November 4. All students who were absent on the day pictures where taken in September can take their pictures this day. Our 8th graders will also take their school pictures - not graduation pictures - on Retake Day.
- If you know of an SCA family who owns a small business that we can publicize here to help support them, please reach out to me via email. Scroll down to see local businesses we can support.
Please pray for our nation, for our communities, for our brothers and sisters who are tired and broken, for our brothers and sisters working to keep us safe, and for own sorrows. We are all - each and every one of us - beloved children of God.
Peace,
Kristine Owens
Updated Travel Quarantine List
The list now includes 31 states and Puerto Rico. Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Kentucky remain on the list. This means every state with which Illinois shares a border is on travel quarantine list.
The state of Florida has been put back on the list, and Michigan was NOT added this week.
Please note that individuals who travel to Wisconsin or Indiana, even if for less than 24 hours, still need to quarantine upon returning unless deemed an essential worker or are a student who commutes for school.
For our Archdiocesan schools, any travel outside of the United States will also require a 14-day quarantine for students and employees upon their return.
A Bit More Focus on Our Quarantine and Sick Policies
Please be aware of these situations in which a student/faculty/staff/volunteer will need to remain home.
- Any student/faculty/staff/volunteer who has close contact to a person who is symptomatic, awaiting test results or diagnosed with COVID-19 will need to stay home.
- Anyone with close contact with a confirmed case must quarantine for 14 days from date of last contact with confirmed case.
Close contact is defined as "anyone (with or without a face covering) who was within 6 feet of a confirmed case of COVID-19 (with or without a face covering) for at least 15 minutes. The period of close contact begins two calendar days before the onset of symptoms (for a symptomatic person) or two calendar days before the positive sample was obtained (for as asymptomatic person).
Any student/faculty/staff/volunteer who presents with any of the following symptoms - fever (100.4 or higher), headache, shortness of breath, cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, congestion, new loss of taste/smell, nausea, fatigue or muscle/body ache will need to stay home or will be sent home if they are at school. All members of that person's household will also be sent home.
Families Interested in Moving to Remote Learning
The close of the first trimester is a few weeks away at St. Catherine. If you would like to move your student to remote learning for the second trimester, please complete this Google Form.
This decision needs to be confirmed by Friday, November 6.
St. Catherine is in communication with Catapult to determine when this transition would happen. Ms. Owens will be in touch!
Changes in Room 212
You may already know Mrs. Janczak is retiring from St. Catherine, and her last day at school was today, Friday, October 30. During her time at St. Catherine, Mrs. Janczak taught hundreds of students - encouraging them to love reading, to strengthen their math skills, to explore STEM, and to grow in their faith. As a school community, we are grateful for Mrs. Janczak’s steadfast commitment to our school and to her students, and we celebrated all Mrs. Janczak has done for our community over the years at Friday's all-school Mass.
As Mrs. Janczak takes her leave, we are also preparing a smooth transition for the students in Room 212. Mrs. Kathleen McMahon will be stepping in as the new classroom teacher. Mrs. McMahon is a certified elementary school teacher and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education as well as a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Mrs. McMahon joined SCA earlier this year, and she has proven herself an incredible asset to our school in this short time serving as a substitute teacher, providing one-on-one support to students, supervising lunch and recess, and acting in a number of other roles.
Mrs. Janczak and Mrs. McMahon have been working together to ensure that learning continues and students know they are supported during the coming days and weeks.
We wish Mrs. Janczak all good things as she begins this next adventure, and we welcome Mrs. McMahon to her new role as a classroom teacher at St. Catherine.
Heroes Work Here
We love our St. Catherine staff and faculty. Our teachers and staff have worked tirelessly over the summer and this school year to bring quality in-person learning to families during this unprecedented time.
To recognize the fantastic work Catholic schools are doing, the Office of Catholic Schools (OCS) is excited to announce the #SchoolHero program that will highlight the educators and staff who have gone above to ensure a safe and productive learning environment.
To complete this nomination form, you will need your nominee’s name, name of the school, professional title (if a teacher, the grade they teach) and why you’re nominating them for the #SchoolHero program.
OCS is seeking nominations from within our Catholic school communities - families, students, parishioners, alumni and school staff.
Looking for a Way to Help Support St. Catherine?
If you are interested in learning more about this position, please reach out to Fr. Dennis or Aimee Nowak.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Conferences will take place virtually via Zoom. We have a few more details to concretize and then we will send out an electronic sign up (via Sign Up Genius). Stay tuned!
FSA Pop Up Shop
Visit the link below to see the new SCA swag that is available. Please note that these items are spirit wear and are not part of the St. Catherine school uniform.
Religious Education Catechists and Aides Needed
Our Religious Education Program is looking for a catechist for our 5th grade class. Our 5th grade students are great. They need someone who is willing to share their faith with them. They’re eager to learn. We will provide training and lesson plans.
We also need substitute catechists and teacher aides. A great way for high school students to get service hours is to be a teacher’s aide or a Sunday morning office worker. If you enjoy children and want to help them grow in faith, this is the perfect place.
Contact Mary Ellen Lynch to volunteer or ask questions about our program.
Our Church is Open!
- Saturdays - Mass at 4PM
- Sundays - Mass at 9:30AM and 11:30AM
In order to attend, parishioners must sign up online. The sign up is available below. Be sure to read the protocols that must be followed by those attending Mass in-person.
You are also invited to attend a weekday morning Mass on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday in-person at 8:30AM. You will need to register in the vestibule when you arrive and all protocols must be observed.
Ways to Support Our Local Small Businesses
If you know of an SCA family who owns a small business that we can publicize here to help support them, please reach out to me via email.
Queen of Hearts Raffle
Congratulations to our winner! Check out the SCA Queen of Hearts Facebook page for more information.
So Many On-going Ways to Support St. Catherine!
Upcoming Events
Friday, November 6
- All-School Liturgy (streamed)
- Deadline for Confirming Switch in Learning Plan
Tuesday, November 10
- 8th Grade Cap & Gown Measurement
Thursday, November 12
- TRIP Cash & Carry in Church Vestibule from 6:30-8PM
Friday, November 13
- All-School Liturgy (streamed)
Thursday, November 19
- Report Cards sent home
- TRIP Cash & Carry in Church Vestibule from 6:30-8PM
Friday, November 20
- All-School Liturgy (streamed)
Tuesday, November 24
- Early Dismissal at 11AM
- Parent-Teacher Conferences via Zoom (Times TBA)
Wednesday, November 25
- Thanksgiving Break - No School
Thursday, November 26
- Thanksgiving Break - No School
Friday, November 27
- Thanksgiving Break - No School
Monday, November 30
- School resumes
About us
Website: www.scaoaklawn.org
Location: 10621 South Kedvale Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL, USA
Phone: 708-425-5547
Facebook: facebook.com/scaoaklawn/