Charger Check-In
January 21, 2021
A Note from Ms. Owens
Earlier this month - January 4, in fact - was the feast day of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. She is an important figure in the Catholic church in the United States. Mother Seton founded the first parish school as well as the first religious community for women in our nation, the Sisters of Charity. And she is the patron saint of Catholic schools. As we prepare for Catholic Schools Week, which we will celebrate the first week of February, I thought she served as a fitting source of inspiration to start this week's Charger Check-In.
It is great to have students, teachers and staff back in the building. The learning continues. Here is just a sample of the learning that is happening! Our fourth graders are reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. (One of my personal favorites!) Our eighth graders are putting the finishing touches on their science fair projects. In PK, our students are learning about rectangles, the letter W and the numbers 5-10. Our second graders are learning about vertebrates and invertebrates. Our fifth graders are learning how to divide fractions by fractions. And what a week for the social studies! Throughout the grade levels, students are learning about presidential inaugurations and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Please recall that with the exception of medication, lunch/snack or eye glasses, we are not accepting deliveries or drop-offs of items for students this year.
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 NEW change in protocols for travel quarantine. Families should have received this update on these protocols directly from the Archdiocese on Wednesday. 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
- Friday, January 29 is a 1PM dismissal. We will have lunch and recess, but there will not be after care that day. Please make arrangements for your child to be picked up at 1PM that day. (updated 1.23 at 5:30PM)
- The Archdiocese should be publishing their decision regarding the possibility of a remote period following Easter Break soon.
- St. Catherine has added another weekend Mass. You can now attend in-person Mass at 6PM on Sundays. The online sign up for Mass is further down in the Check-In.
- 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.
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
Dress for Recess
Given the reality that our girls in grades K-8 wear skirts or jumpers on non-gym days, please know that they are welcome to put on sweat pants when they are going outside for recess, snack time or a mask break. (The sweat pants should be removed when they return to the classroom.)
Adjusted Quarantine Period for Travel - updated 1/20
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 effect as of January 20 for all Archdiocesan-run schools (no matter their location). The updated information is in bold.
- Quarantine periods for all domestic travel (travel out of Illinois) is now ten (10) days.
- Quarantine is required regardless of whether or not there is a negative test result, and no matter how much time is spent in another state.
- Quarantine starts the day after return home.
- 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.
Year End Tuition Statements - Tax Documentation
- Log into your Smart Tuition account.
- Click on the "Family Year End Statement" button. See the image below for a visual.
Re-Registration for Current SCA Families.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all our SCA families who have completed their registration. This helps us immensely in our planning and preparations for the coming school year.
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 online form for re-registration for current families is below as is a link to Smart Tuition.
Catholic Schools Week
Stay tuned for more details!
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 8AM (no music), 9:30AM, 11:30AM and 6PM
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
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
Week of January 31 - February 5
- Catholic Schools Week (details coming soon)
Wednesday, February 3
- Blessing of the Throats (classroom visits)
Thursday, February 4
- Blessing of the Throats (classroom visits)
Thursday, February 11
- Dismissal at 1PM
- Parent-Teacher Conferences
Friday, February 12
- No School - PD Day for Teachers
Monday, February 15
- No School - President's Day
Wednesday, February 17
- Ash Wednesday
Thursday, February 18
- Tuition Exclusion Day
About us
Website: www.scaoaklawn.org
Location: 10621 South Kedvale Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL, USA
Phone: 708-425-5547
Facebook: facebook.com/scaoaklawn/