Preschool Newsletter
July 25, 2021
Facing the "IMPOSSIBLE"?
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” John 6:9–10a
Have you ever been faced with what seems to be an “impossible situation?” Jesus was, but He proved He could overcome any apparent obstacle He wanted to. Sure, He is God, but the fact remains that He can do all things He wills. And He can do so in our lives, too!
This passage above reveals His confidence in His ability to feed many thousands with only five loaves and two fish. Humanly speaking, this is not possible, but divinely speaking, it’s easy.
Jesus’ miracle speaks to His commitment to “feed us” in every way. Yes, this was a feeding with food, but it’s symbolic of Him being able and willing to feed our souls with His grace to face whatever hardship or challenge life throws at us. His grace is enough!
The problem is often twofold. First, we face some challenge in our lives, and we see it as something we do not know how to overcome. This can lead to despair and disillusionment. But when this happens, we must reflect upon miracles like this one and realize that all things are possible for God.
The second problem we often face is the ability to distinguish between God’s will and our own limited ideas. Too often we come up with our own ideas of what we think is good and right, and we start praying for that. But what if God’s idea and will is much different and, of course, much greater?! What if God has a plan that we never could have come up with on our own? The truth is that He does have a far more perfect plan for our lives than we could ever dream up. He knows what is best for us, and He can bring that plan to fruition. For our part, we must seek that plan, surrender to it and have faith in His perfect love, mercy, and power.
Reflect, today, on your future. What is it that seems to worry you the most? What is it that seems to fill you with anxiety? God has a perfect plan for that situation. Your job is to seek out that plan and trust it will be brought to fruition.
Lord, I know You can do all things and that You will the good in all things. Help me to turn and to surrender to Your perfect divine will. As I surrender to it, help me to have perfect faith that You will bring Your will to fruition. Jesus, I trust in You.
July 26 - 30: Theme: Disney (Free Dress)
Students may wear their favorite Disney character shirts
- August 1 - 17: Teachers In Service (School Closed) Preparation for the new school year
- August 18, 2021: First Day Back to School
- August 23, 2021: Religious PD (Minimum Day)
Summer Office Hours:
Please find below our Summer Office Hours:
June 14 - 19 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
June 21 - 25 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
June 28 - July 2 Office is closed
Month of July
Whole Month of July, the office will only be open on Wednesdays
July 7, 14, 21, 28 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Month of August
August 2 - 6 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
August 9 - 13 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
August 16 - 17 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
August 18th: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ONLY
August 19: Regular Office Hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Please find below updates on Physical Distancing, Quarantining, Travel:
The San Mateo County Office of Education released an updated edition of its Pandemic Recovery Framework, a tool for helping schools reopen and stay open for in-person learning. The updated framework includes and/or links to recent San Mateo County Health and California Department of Public Health guidance around physical distancing, quarantining, and travel.
Key updates in the guidance include the following:
- There should be a minimum distance of three feet between students’ chairs. Previously, the recommendation was six feet. A minimum distance of six feet should be maintained between teachers’ desks and students’ desks. All other mitigation layers must be strictly adhered to. When students or staff cannot be masked (e.g., while eating or drinking), a minimum of six feet of distancing must be observed.
Note: At OLM, we continue to maintain six feet of distancing between student chairs until further notice.
- Fully vaccinated individuals (with documentation of COVID-19 vaccination completion submitted to San Mateo County Health) who are identified as a close contact of a positive case of COVID-19 are generally not required to quarantine, but a 14-day symptom-watch period is still required.
- Fully vaccinated individuals are not required to test or quarantine before or after domestic travel unless they have symptoms associated with COVID-19 infection. Fully vaccinated individuals need to complete a COVID-19 test after international travel.
- All students and staff should be screened for symptoms and exposure prior to entering the school campus. In earlier guidance, the focus was on screening and temperature-taking on campus.
At OLM, we continue to take temperature as we do the health screening for students and staff during morning drop-off / at the start of school day. You will be advised should there be changes in our health screening protocol.
Note: Per the California Department of Health:
Non-Essential Travel of unvaccinated persons
- Except in connection with essential travel, Californians should avoid non-essential travel outside of California, to other states or countries unless they are fully vaccinated. Avoiding travel reduces the risk of virus transmission, including by reducing the risk that new sources of infection and, potentially, new virus strains will be introduced to California.
- Non-essential travelers from other states or countries, are strongly discouraged from entering California, and should adhere to the quarantine procedures set forth below.
- Non-essential travelers who are not fully vaccinated should get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before travel, and get tested 3-5 days upon arrival to their destination. They should stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel, even if their test is negative.
- Non-essential travelers who are not fully vaccinated and don't get tested should stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
San Mateo County local guidance travel advisory is still the same and currently being reviewed.
We will continue to take precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of everyone.Please note that those (unvaccinated) traveling more than 120 miles will be required to self-quarantine for 10 days. Please be guided accordingly.
June 9, 2021
Bay Area County Superintendents Announce
Support of School Campus Reopening for Fall 2021
San Mateo County, CA—The Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco County Superintendents of Schools in collaboration with the Public Health Officers in their respective counties, urge school administrators, teachers, and parents to work together to plan for full in-person instructional programs in classrooms for all grades in the fall with the continued use of face coverings as a common-sense risk reduction strategy.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Bay Area county schools were united in their efforts to prioritize and maintain the safety and wellness of students, school personnel, and the communities within these counties. They remain united in this effort, and families can feel safe returning to school campuses this fall.
“Because San Mateo County schools worked collaboratively and closely adhered to our county’s Pandemic Recovery Framework for Schools, we were able to safely conduct in-person learning opportunities for students, especially those in high priority groups,” said San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools Nancy Magee. “We are excited to move forward into full in-person learning for all students in the fall, while also continuing to closely partner with San Mateo County Health in ensuring safe conditions for our students, staff, and families.”
Public health researchers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Public Health, and local health departments have learned from the research and the experiences of classroom instruction from the fall of 2020 through the spring of 2021. In short, the risk of transmission among children wearing masks is very low, even with reduced spacing between desks.
In the Bay Area and throughout the state, many factors indicate that the risk of classroom transmission has decreased as community case rates have fallen. Rates of vaccination among people at increased risk of severe disease are high and the overall community prevalence of COVID-19 is low. San Mateo County’s Adjusted Case Rate is 0.4% as of June 8, 2021. Therefore, the Bay Area County Superintendents of Schools are united in their message to urge all schools to plan for the full return to in-person instruction in the fall.
The California Department of Public Health’s reopening framework for schools offers guidelines for limiting the spread of infection and requirements for face covering, basic cleaning, enhanced ventilation, and other measures to facilitate a safe return to in-person instruction. Schools have implemented these practices and brought students and teachers back to campus.
Students, parents, teachers, coaches – and their families – have made considerable sacrifices throughout the pandemic. After much hard work and resilience on the part of school leaders and the broader community, conditions now allow schools to offer the full range of learning and support programs that our educational communities typically provide.
The current guidance for schools is based on evidence from the CDC that shows vaccines are extremely effective in protecting vaccinated individuals from infection, severe illness, and death, as well as preventing them from spreading COVID-19 to others. Additionally, increasing vaccination rates helps mitigate the spread of new variants that are more likely to infect those who are unvaccinated. The wearing of face coverings in schools complements vaccinations and helps protect people who cannot yet get vaccinated, people who may not get the full benefit from the vaccine, and people with weakened immune systems. All persons aged 12 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The governor has announced plans to end the tier system on June 15 and fully reopen California’s economy, as long as vaccine supply remains sufficient to meet demand and hospitalization rates are stable and low. COVID-19 vaccines are safe, free and effective, and are now available to everyone aged 12 and up. Visit San Mateo County Health's website to book an appointment or find a drop-in location near you.
About the San Mateo County Office of Education
The San Mateo County Office of Education is committed to ensuring excellence and equity in education by inspiring students, investing in teachers, invigorating leaders, and involving communities.
Media Contacts
Patricia Love
Executive Director, Strategy and Communication
San Mateo County Office of Education
plove@smcoe.org
T: 650.802.5559
HEALTH SCREENING QUESTIONS
It is important for all of us including families of students returning for in-person instruction to answer the following questions before their children are allowed to come on-campus everyday:
1. Within the last 10 days have you been diagnosed with COVID-19 or had a test confirming you have the virus?
2. Within the past 14 days did you live in the same household as, or did you have close contact with, someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and/or someone who has been in isolation for COVID-19? Close contact is less than 6 feet for 15 minutes or more regardless of whether masks were worn or not.
3. Have you had any new or unexplained symptoms since the last symptom check?
In the absence of a more likely diagnosis: At least 1 of the following:
· Fever (temperature 100.4° F /38° C or subjective fever)
· Vomiting
· Diarrhea
· Conjunctivitis or “pink eye”
· Rash
· New loss of taste or smell (i.e., new olfactory or taste disorder)
· Painful purple or red lesions on the feet or swelling of the toes (“COVID Toes”)
OR At least 2 of the following:
· Chills
· Repeated shaking with chills (rigors)
· Cough (new or change in baseline)
· Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (new or change in baseline)
· Chest pain with deep breathing
· Sore throat
· Hoarseness
· Muscle pain (myalgias)
· Malaise or severe fatigue
· Abdominal pain
· Loss of appetite
· Nausea
· Headache
Before heading to school, be ready to give your answers to the above to our supervising staff members. Thank you!
Dear Families,
Thank you very much for all your support. We have always valued the partnership that we have and look forward to our continued work this coming school year. Together, we were able to rise above the challenges that this current pandemic has thrown upon us. And for that, we are truly grateful.
The stringent conditions set upon us have surely impacted us; financially, most certainly. As we look forward to the next school year, we have to make decisions to address the needs of our school, making sure that we provide our little ones the best opportunities they deserve. It is for this light that we would like to inform you of the following tuition fee schedule for the next school year:
Preschool Tuition Schedule 2021 - 2022
August 2021 - July 2022
Application Fee: $70.00 (non-refundable)
Registration Fee: $215.00 (new students)
$185.00 (existing students)
Schedule Time: 7:30 am - 3:30 pm
5 days a week MF $1100.00 / month
3 days a week M-W-F $900.00 / month
2 days a week T-TH $675.00 / month
The tuition is a flat monthly rate, no allowance or proration of tuition is allowed for absences or extended holidays when school is closed / holiday. The Preschool calendar is already provided at the beginning of the school year.
If you may recall, we did not have an increase last year given the crisis and despite the increased operational expenses resulting from the new learning platforms we had to implement while meeting all the safety and health requirements.
To further supplement the needs of the school, we highly encourage all our families to participate in fundraising efforts that we hope to sponsor. We will be working closely with the Parent Teacher Organization as we bring our community together in support of our students.
We are looking forward to your continuous support and understanding. We cannot wait to have everyone back on-campus in the fall.
Thank you and God bless us all!
Sincerely,
Maria Julie Picardal
UPDATED IMMUNIZATION RECORD
PAY FOR THE REGISTRATION FEE $185.00
UPDATED IMMUNIZATION RECORD
APPLICATION FEE $70.00 (NON-REFUNDABLE)
REGISTRATION FEE $215.00
OLM-Sister Claire's Preschool
Email: preschool@olmbulldogs.com
Website: www.bulldogs.com
Location: 7 Elmwood Drive, Daly City CA 94015
Phone: 650-756-4916