Charger Check-In
January 15, 2021
A Note from Ms. Owens
I'm so looking forward to greeting our students on Tuesday! I hope your family had a lovely Christmas and New Year's with some good memories. Thank you for all the support you provided to your child(ren) during these eight days of remote teaching and learning. I'm receiving messages with so much positive feedback and praise for our teachers. They certainly put in a great deal of time and energy preparing both themselves and their students for this remote period. The overall positive experience is definitely a result of great partnership between teachers and parents! Thank you for that!
Before moving into other important information, I have to spend a moment regarding the events transpiring in our nation right now. Our nation has witnessed a horrific attack at the Capitol building, the deaths of five people and an ever-widening political chasm. Next week will bring the inauguration of our 46th president. This important symbolic event - marking the peaceful transfer of power - is a hallmark of our national government and a reason so many other nations have looked to the United States as a model of democratic governance. Please join me in calling and praying for peace and calm in these days leading up to and following the Inauguration. Given Monday's holiday commemorating Dr. King, perhaps we can take time to remember the model he provided - an activist for peace and justice, a stalwart practitioner of civil disobedience, and a preacher and liver of God's word.
Now on to more mundane school stuff...
As we prepare for our return to in-person teaching and learning, please help your child by being sure they have all their necessary learning materials packed up and ready to go for Tuesday morning. If your child borrowed a school device, please be sure that device is fully charged and included in those items coming back to school.
Even though we have just finished Christmas Break, I know many families are looking ahead to Easter Break and are wondering if we will follow a similar pattern of having a period of remote teaching and learning following our days off. For now, the short answer is "I don't know yet." The decision to go remote following Christmas and New Year's was made at the Archdiocesan level and I expect the same will be true for Easter Break. I do know it is something being discussed, but I do not know when they will have their decision.
Please note two important updates regarding our Covid protocols.
- As of our return to school, students who have previously tested positive for Covid-19 will have to quarantine for 14 days following any Covid exposure. This comes from the Archdiocese.
- There is also a change in protocols for travel quarantine. Families should have received this update on these protocols directly from the Archdiocese on Thursday. The details are available below.
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.
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.
- If your child has symptoms on a second consecutive day, your child will need a negative Covid test in order to return to school. While PCRs are still the preferred tests, in light of the increased wait time for test results, rapid tests are accepted. (See button below for more detailed information.) Your household should quarantine while awaiting the results.
- 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, you child(ren) will need to quarantine for 14-days from the last day of contact with the positive case.
- 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.
A Bit More News
- All classrooms, offices, and meeting areas - including Kane Hall - now have air purifiers. These will help ensure the consistent flow of fresh air in these areas. We will continue to have windows open as the outside temperatures allow.
- This Thursday, January 21 marks Progress Reports in grades 3-8 for the second trimester. It is important that parents check their child's academic progress so, in partnership with teachers, they can act on any emerging concerns.
- The re-registration for current families continues. Beginning on Friday, January 22, the re-registration fee will increase to $100 for all current families who have not completed their re-registration. This includes submission of the online re-registration form and payment of the re-registration fee via Smart Tuition. Please scroll down for important links and for more information.
- Registration for new and returning families will begin on Thursday, January 28 at 8:15AM. If you know of who want to join our SCA community or who needed to be away from SCA for this school year, please let them know about this date. The registration form is available on the SCA website under the Admissions tab.
- 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.
Our nation continues to be broken. Please pray that calmer heads and spirits prevail over these coming days and weeks. And, of course, please continue to pray for our medical professionals, our first responders, our essential front line workers as they work to ensure the health and safety of the larger community.
Peace,
Kristine Owens
Adjusted Quarantine Period for Travel
After consultation with state and local health departments, as well as their own medical advisors, the Archdiocese of Chicago is making an adjustment to quarantine periods for travel. The following guidelines are in immediate effect for all Archdiocesan-run schools (no matter their location):
- Quarantine periods for all domestic travel (travel out of Illinois) is now ten (10) days.
- Quarantine periods may be shortened to seven (7) days if individuals present a written negative COVID-19 test result. The test must be administered no longer than 72 hours prior to arrival back in the state. Only written results are accepted (a verbal confirmation does not suffice).
- This guidance can be applied retroactively to any out-of-state travel that occurred in early January. This may enable certain families to return to in-person learning who were unable to return to Illinois by Jan. 4.
- This guidance does supersede the information released in the recent Parent Newsletter. We are doing our best to remain on top of frequently changing guidance from health authorities.
- Quarantines for international travel quarantine remain 14 days.
- Quarantines for COVID-19 exposure cases also remain 14-days (based upon the recommendation of all departments of public health in those jurisdictions in which the archdiocese operates and our own medical advisors).
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.
Re-Registration for Current SCA Families.
As you likely already know, we have moved the re-registration process online this year. The online form for re-registration for current families is below as is a link to Smart Tuition.
- For families who pay via ACH, the re-registration fee has been added to your monthly payment.
- For families who pay over the phone or mail in their payments, the fee has been added to your monthly balance.
- If you have questions about paying the re-registration fee, please reach out to Mrs. Omiencinski.
If your re-registration is not complete by Thursday, January 21, the re-registration fee will increase to $100. Please be aware that your re-registration is not complete until the online form has ben submitted and the payment has been made.
The Sunday Collection
Visit the link below to set up your recurring contribution. Donors can change the amount of the contribution or pause it at any time.
Our Church is Open!
- Saturdays - Mass at 4PM
- Sundays - Mass at 8:00AM, 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.
So Many On-going Ways to Support St. Catherine!
Upcoming Events
Friday, January 15
- All-School Liturgy (live-streamed)
Monday, January 18
- No School - Dr. Martin Luther King Day
Tuesday, January 19
- In-person classes resume
Thursday, January 21
- Reregistration due for current families (last day for $75 fee; increases to $100)
- Progress Reports for Grades 3-8
Friday, January 22
- All-School & 8th Grade Enrollment Liturgy (live-streamed)
Monday, January 25
- 8th Grade Graduation Pictures
Thursday, January 28
- Registration for New & Returning Families begins at 8:15AM
About us
Website: www.scaoaklawn.org
Location: 10621 South Kedvale Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL, USA
Phone: 708-425-5547
Facebook: facebook.com/scaoaklawn/