Family Update
Week of January 9, 2022
Week of January 9-14
Good morning,
The video included before this section will highlight the main points of the update.
If your child has any symptoms, please keep them home. We will send home students with runny noses, headaches, and coughs. We will send work home as needed. Also, if you tested your child because of a symptom or close contact, do NOT send them to school while waiting for the results. We have a shared responsibility. We will get through this together because WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER.
We will continue eLearning on Monday and Tuesday this week and then back to full in-person on Wednesday. Join me live for morning announcements and prayer at 8 AM on Facebook this Monday and Tuesday!
- Tax Credit Scholarship Applications will open on 1/12 for Empower Illinois at 6:30 PM to pre-enter information with 7 PM being the exact moment one needs to enter for a good timestamp. The following morning January 13th, Big Shoulders Fund's application opens at precisely 8 AM. We will start school at 9 AM that day (1/13) to give everyone time to apply and then get to school. 68 Children have tax credit scholarships this year - it's a wonderful program. Be sure to apply as close to the opening time as is humanly possible. For Empower go to: Apply - Empower Illinois For Big Shoulders go to: Application — Big Shoulders Fund SGO (for students entering K-12 in the 2022-2023 school year).
- Keep the resolution: FOLLOW THE DRESS & UNIFORM CODE: Hoodies and sweatshirts that are not part of the school uniform are not allowed during the school day. Please have your child wear their school hoodie, school gym sweatshirt, or a plain navy blue sweater if they're cold during the day. Please see the school uniform/dress code in our family handbook. We believe that excellence happens on purpose. Lessening distractions of being out of uniform is one way we foster that excellence. Currently, we have light blue hoodies in all sizes.
- Please be sure to check the "Save the Date" section below.
- Our Title I Game Night is Wednesday, February 16th. We are pushing the event out a couple of weeks as we hope things settle down. Use this form to sign up. This is an in-person event. We are limiting the number of adults to 2 per family. Students do not need to be in Title I to attend.
- We will have a five-week summer program for students entering PK3-5th grade for the 2022-2023 school year. See the flyer below! Registration begins on February 7th.
- We still have a few spots remaining in Preschool. Do you know of anyone with children preschool-aged? Referring families will receive a $300 tuition credit ($150 this year and $150 next year) and 3 PAWS will be credited. We accept Action for Children/Child Care for payment for preschool. Spread the word!
- Do you have clothes and shoes your children have outgrown or don't want? We have a clothes and shoes collection box in the parking lot! The school receives $0.02/lb and a tree is planted in our honor each time it's emptied. We are the stewards of God's beautiful earth. This is one way we help!
- The school office is open Monday through Friday 6:30 AM - 3:30 PM. After 3:30, please leave a message on the mainline or dial 101 at the recording to be connected to my extension. Our amazing office staff can take payments, sell hoodies and polos and answer questions. **During the eLearning days, the office is open 8-2.
- Please send your child to school with their mask every day along with an extra in their backpack. It's really important that the children are wearing child-sized masks that cover their nose and mouth fully. KN95 masks or other disposable masks are recommended over a cloth mask.
- Calendar Change: Friday, February 18th school will be closed. This day off is recommended by the Archdiocese in recognition of the hard work of our faculty and staff. This day off creates a 4-day weekend as Monday, February 21st is Presidents' Day.
- Calendar Change: Friday, March 4th will be a remote learning day with Parent-Teacher conferences occurring from 8-4. Again, both in-person and virtual conferences will be offered.
- Our next fundraiser, Double Good Popcorn, will begin on Friday, January 28th, and run through Tuesday, February 1st. Download the DG Popcorn app and enter code XBZ KKT to set up your child's store. Then email that information (1/28) out to your friends and family. That's it! DG takes care of the rest. I'll send more information right after the break.
Thank you for trusting us with your child/ren. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.
Let's make this a wonderful week!
Mrs. Farrand
Vaccine Clinic - SUCCESS!
I am expecting there to be another clinic on the 28th for the second shot for those who received their first shot on the 7th. Anyone aged 5 and over is welcome to get their first or second shot, as needed.
Tuition Payments
The office will continue making reminder calls and sending notices. Please let us know if there is a particular challenge in advance of the payment due date. We will work with you, but we need to know! We will be starting exclusions as necessary.
Volunteering in School
Go to https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/ to register for an online class and consent to the background check. Please see or email Ms. Fernandez (mfernandez@academystbenedict.org) if you need assistance or have a question.
The Archdiocesan policy is that volunteers who are working directly with children, like chaperoning or in the classrooms must be vaccinated. Proof of the vaccination must be shown to me. Thanks for your understanding.
PAWS
As a reminder, all PAWS must be completed by May 15th.
Thanks for your help!
Travel and Quarantines
In accordance with the Chicago Travel Order, anyone who is not vaccinated against COVID-19 traveling must either quarantine for 5 days upon return or have a negative PCR or Antigen test within 72 hours of returning to Illinois if the state visited is noted in the travel order. The test results must be shared with the school. Please help us keep our school community well by adhering to this policy.
Once fully vaccinated, no testing or quarantines are required unless the person has symptoms.
Thank you! https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/emergency-travel-order.html
UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES!
- January 10th & 11th - eLearning days
- January 12th - 7 PM -Empower Illinois Opens for 22-23 Tax Credit Scholarships
- January 13th - 8 AM - Big Shoulders Fund Application Opens for 22-23 Tax Credit Scholarships
- January 13th - School Starts at 9 AM due to the TCS Application opening (morning care is open)
- January 14th - Kind Shirt Day
- January 14th - Midterms go home
- January 17th - Dr. King's Birthday - NO SCHOOL
- January 20th - Liturgy - Celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King
- January 25th - Kind Shirt Day
- January 28th - February 2nd - Double Good Popcorn Fundraiser
- January 31st - February 4th - Catholic Schools Week
- February 7th - Kind Shirt Day
- February 7th - Registration for PK-5th grade Summer program opens
- February 11th - Professional Learning Day for Teachers -NO SCHOOL
- February 16th - Title I Game Night! 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
- February 17th - Kind Shirt Day
- February 18th - No School - Wellness day for Faculty and Staff
- February 21st - No School - Presidents' Day
- February 23rd - Kind Shirt Day
- February 25th - Black History Program - Details to follow
- March 4th - Remote Learning Day with Parent-Teacher Conferences 8-4.
- March 11th and 14th - No school
- April 15th - 22nd - Easter Break -no school
- May 30th - Memorial Day - no school
Academy of St. Benedict the African
Email: jfarrand@academystbenedict.org
Website: academystbenedict.org
Location: 6020 South Laflin Street, Chicago, IL, USA
Phone: 773-776-3316
Facebook: Facebook.com/academystbenedictafrican
Twitter: @asba_chicago