Hello Saint Kateri School families ~

Thank you for your generous gifting to Sunset House and all the canned goods that were brought in last Friday! You are the best role models for your children on how to be Christ for others. God bless ~

At this time Saint Kateri School continues to follow the masking mandate and all faculty/staff, students and visitors will be required to wear a proper mask (cloth, disposable surgical masks or KN95/N95) and to wear it properly. While this mandate is set to expire on February 21st there are conversations at the State level to extend it. There is nothing official yet and we will keep a close eye on any developments between now and the return from Winter Break. It is unclear at this time what the extended State of Emergency (March 16th) means for schools. If the mask mandate is extended, SKS will continue to follow it and require masking for everyone in the building. When the time comes that it is lifted ~ SKS will transition to a "Highly recommended, mask optional" policy. Any updates over Winter Break will be communicated via email to all of our community.

As COVID positive rates in our area and in our school continue to drop, we will be discontinuing our daily temperature checks upon arrival when we return from Winter Break. Families will still need to complete the Daily Health Check for their child in PUP each day. We anticipate that Daily Health Checks in PUP will continue until the end of the year. I will communicate any changes or updates when necessary.

When we return from Winter Break, the season of Lent will be upon us. Third grade will be leading our Ash Wednesday School Mass on March 2nd at 9:00am. As has been our policy this year for School Masses ~ we are limiting participants to families of the class leading it. Third grade families will be able to attend this Mass in March. Our school masses are considered a school event according to our COVID guidelines and participants are required to follow our current school masking policy while in church.

Ashes will be distributed at our other sites:

• 9:00am at St. Cecilia's Church
• 12:00pm at Christ the King
• 7:00pm at St. Margaret Mary's Church

I wish you all a very restful and blessed Winter Break! Thank you for your support of Catholic education ~ our families are the heart of SKS!

Mrs. Terri L. Morgan, Principal

Email: Terri.Morgan@dor.org

Website: www.saintkaterischool.org

Phone: (585) 467-8730

• April Hot Lunch opens on Wednesday, March 2nd
• April Hot Lunch closes on Wednesday, March 9th at 9:30am
• Early Bird registration for the 2022-2023 school year will end on Tuesday, March 15th ~ on March 16th the registration fee will increase to $150.
• A reminder that Wednesday, May 11th was changed from a Half Day to a Full Day

GET ON THE HILL FASTER!

Stations of the Cross dates (all on Fridays):

• March 4
• March 11
• March 18
• March 25
• April 4
• No school on April 8 and April 15

FEBRUARY:

• 2/18: Greystone Tubing Day!
• 2/21-2/25: No School ~ February Break!

MARCH:

• 3/1: No Quiet Mass
• 3/2: Ash Wednesday School Mass (3rd grade)
• 3/2: April Hot Lunch opens
• 3/4: Stations of the Cross at 8:45am (5th grade)
• 3/8: Quiet Mass (5th/2nd)
• 3/9: Spring School Pictures
• 3/9: Parent's Association 6:00-7:30pm
• 3/9: April Hot Lunch closes at 9:30am
• 3/10: Spring School Pictures and Kindergarten Cap and Gown
• 3/11: Stations of the Cross at 8:45am (5th grade)
• 3/15: Quiet Mass (4th/1st)
• 3/16: NO SCHOOL (Parent/Teacher Conference-not mandatory)
• 3/18: Stations of the Cross at 8:45am (5th grade)
• 3/22: Quiet Mass (3rd/K)
• 3/25: Stations of the Cross at 8:45am (5th grade)
• 3/29: No Quiet Mass
• 3/29 - 3/30: NYS ELA Assessments

APRIL:

• 4/1: Stations of the Cross at 8:45am (5th grade)
• 4/5: K-5 School Mass (5th grade)
• 4/6: Parent's Association 6:00-7:30pm
• 4/8: NO SCHOOL
• 4/12: Quiet Mass (3rd - 5th)
• 4/14: Report Cards go home
• 4/15 - 4/22: NO SCHOOL - Easter Break
• 4/26 - 4/27: NYS Math Assessments

We will be having our next Parent's Association Meeting:

• Wednesday, March 9th
• In-Person in the SKS Gym (Please note: this is an update from our original schedule)
• All are welcome!

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

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

Updates from the Health Office

The Test to Stay guidelines have changed. Here is a summary of the changes:

a. Students, teachers, and staff are now eligible to participate.

b. Anyone subject to quarantine may participate. It is no longer only those exposed in school.

In other updates:

• We will now be accepting At-Home test results. We will still be require confirmation of that. The best way will be to email a picture of the completed test to me. Please write directly on the test: the students name, date, and time that the test was performed. It can be sent to me at: Elizabeth_trimaldi@westiron.monroe.edu or to school at: sksdcs@dor.org

• We are currently registering students for next school year. Please remember to complete all your health forms (HIPPA and the WICSD Health Information Update) and return them to the office as soon as possible.

• Students entering Grades: PreK, K, 1, 3 and 5 are required to have a Health Exam performed by a medical professional. Please have your child’s doctor’s office fax that information to us if you have not previously done so. The fax number is: (585) 467- 5392.

• I have At-Home COVID test kits available. They were distributed Thursday and Friday.

a. Opt-In or “screening testing”: This is available to any student who wishes to be screened throughout the school year. This was not available to us earlier this school year but now that we have the ability to utilize this, we will. If we notice an increase in COVID cases after break, we will begin testing those who have opted in.

b. Test-to-Stay: This is testing offered to any ASYMPTOMATIC student, teacher or staff member who is subject to quarantine due to exposure to COVID. You may continue to attend school while in quarantine and will be tested a minimum of two times during the five-day period. If we notice a rapid increase in positive COVID cases in a classroom, we will provide this as an option for the class. With masking guidelines changing, risk for close contact exposures (Close contact means: students who are within 3 to 6 feet of an infected person, unmasked, for longer than 15 minutes) could also change. I expect more updates to come regarding this.

c. Rapid PCR testing: This is testing available to any SYMPTOMATIC student. If a student develops symptoms at school, they have the option of being tested and if negative, can return to class, depending on symptoms. This is also an available option for students who are home with symptoms and may be unable to get in to see the doctor for testing.