SaberSpeak
Week of October 26, 2020
How to Submit News to SaberSpeak
Information to be considered for inclusion in the newsletter must be emailed to dsinopoli@st-hilary.org by 3:00 p.m. on Friday for the following week. Information must be relevant to the St. Hilary School or St. Hilary Parish community, and cannot promote a personal interest or a school other than our own. The school reserves the right to determine what content will be included.
Need To Know Now
Click here to schedule your Parent-Teacher Conference
Click here for help with Gradelink
Click here for the School Faculty & Staff Directory
Click here for the 2020-2021 School Calendar, revised August 1
Click here for the 2020-2021 Dress Code
Click here for the 2020-2021 School Handbook and Amendments, including important health and safety information, school policies and procedures, updates due to COVID-19, and more
COVID-19 Updates
HELPFUL INFORMATION FROM AKRON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
Akron Children's Hospital has published some helpful information for parents navigating the cold and flu season during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to view the information.
TRAVEL ADVISORY STATES
As we clarified in our August 28 SaberSpeak Special Edition, we are requiring students to self-quarantine for 14 days after visiting states that have a 15% or more COVID-19 positivity rate. Again, this is an extra precaution and we know this could impact travel plans. If your children are learning in-person, we are asking you to respect this decision and plan accordingly. Students who are required to quarantine after traveling to a state or country with a 15% or higher COVID-19 positivity rate will be required to distance learn for the 14 days. Click here for the current list and map of Travel Advisory states.
ST. HILARY SCHOOL PARTICIPATING IN SCPH REPORTING PROGRAM
As the autumn season gets underway, preparations for the upcoming influenza season have begun. The 2020-2021 flu season is unique, since widespread community transmission of COVID-19 continues in Summit County and Ohio. Summit County Public Health (SCPH) has begun another season of community influenza surveillance. St. Hilary School will be participating in this program. Surveillance will run from early October until early May or longer if influenza is still a concern. With the ongoing concerns about COVID-19, influenza and their impacts on public health, surveillance remains vital. Data shared provides important information about COVID-19 and influenza trends and peaks of activity in Summit County to our school and to the community. As a school reporting partner, St. Hilary School will submit student absence numbers (for any reason) on a weekly basis. This data will also be aggregated with other school attendance data. No data specific to a particular student or to our school will be shared publicly, nor will our school be identified as a reporting partner. We hope that our participation in this program will help to strengthen our partnership with SCPH during this time of heightened public health concerns.
COVID-19 DASHBOARD
We have added a COVID-19 Dashboard to our school website to report up-to-the-minute positive case data for students and staff members. Click here for our COVID-19 Dashboard.
COVID-19 REPORTING UPDATE
Please see below for our September 15 update on COVID-19 reporting.
SAFER AT HOME GUIDE
Cleveland Clinic and Clorox have partnered to create a COVID-19 Safer at Home guide to keeping your family safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please click the attachment below to view the guide.
SUMMIT COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH CLARIFIES CONTACT TRACING
Summit County Public Health has issued a letter to parents that explains how contact tracing is handled in a school setting. Please click the attachment below to read the letter. Please keep in mind that our school policy remains "72 hours symptom-free" (not 24 hours) before a student may return to school.
Click here for all of our COVID-19 information
Hot Off The Press
WEAR RED ON OCTOBER 27 FOR RED RIBBON WEEK
In observance of Red Ribbon Week, students are asked to wear red shirts with their school uniform bottoms on Tuesday, October 27. These may be school uniform shirts, red spirit wear shirts, or any school-appropriate red shirts. Red Ribbon Week is a week-long alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention awareness campaign. The theme for this year's Red Ribbon Week is: Be Happy. Be Brave. Be Drug Free.
DECEMBER HOT LUNCH ORDERING BEGINS NOVEMBER 1
Hot Lunch ordering for December begins November 1 and will be open through November 10. All orders must be placed and paid for online by the deadline. You must have an account to order. Click here for instructions on creating an account. Please note that activation of your account is not immediate, so don't wait until the last minute to create your account! Click here for more information about our Hot Lunch program. Please contact Hot Lunch Coordinator Becky Vieltorf at bvieltorf@st-hilary.org with questions.
THE COUNSELING CONNECTION
Please click here for the October Counseling Connection newsletter from our school counseling office.
ORDER 2021-2022 YEARBOOKS NOW!
Don't miss your chance to capture this unique school year with our beautiful, full-color 2020-2021 yearbook! Online ordering is now open. Visit www.ybpay.lifetouch.com and enter Yearbook ID Code 3685721 to order. Soft cover books cost $25; hard cover books cost $30. The deadline to order is May 21, 2021. Yearbooks may be ordered online only - please do not send checks to the school. Please keep a record of your order, as the school has no access to orders placed and no record of who has ordered and who has not. Books will be delivered to students next fall.
The Main Event
This week's main event is our Halloween festivities! Please click here for our SaberSpeak Spooky Special Edition with all the details!
Plan Ahead
GOOGLE CALENDAR
Click here for the school Google calendar
~ October 26: Conference Scheduling Due on SignUpGenius
~ October 27: Pumpkin Contest Drop-off from 6:00 to 7:30 pm (Please see Halloween link in Reminders section below for complete information)
~ October 29: Students wear Halloween costumes to school (Simple costumes, please - Please see Halloween link in Reminders section below for complete information)
~ October 29: Halloween Parade at 1:45 pm (Students and staff only - Parents may join us virtually - Please see Halloween link in Reminders section below for complete information)
~ October 30: First Quarter ends
~ October 30: Students bring Pumpkin Contest pumpkins home at dismissal
~ November 1: Daylight Saving Time ends - set clocks back night before
~ November 3: Election Day
~ November 3: First Quarter Report Cards
~ November 5: Faculty Meeting at 3:30 pm
~ November 6: Scholastic Book Fair begins - through November 13
Help Wanted
Opportunities to help will be listed here as they arise.
Growing Together in Faith
NEXT SCHOOL MASS THIS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30
UPCOMING MASSES NOVEMBER 6, 20
Our next school Mass will be THIS FRIDAY, October 30 at 9:30 a.m. The school Mass will be planned by grade 3, and will be live streamed and available to view at http://sthilarychurch.org/live/. This year’s liturgy schedule can be found in the Forms and Documents section under the Red Folder on the school website. Masses are also posted on the school Google calendar, with the grade level planning the Mass listed. Upcoming Masses are November 6 planned by grade 8, and November 20 planned by grade 2.
We will continue to celebrate Mass together each week and on holy days. Each grade level (1-8) will plan several Masses as usual, but only the grade level planning the Mass will attend in person. Parents and grandparents of participants may attend but must sit in the back of the Church away from students. Masses will be live streamed and available for all to watch, and students not attending Mass in person will watch live streamed Mass from their classrooms. Eucharistic ministers will come to the classrooms to distribute Holy Communion. We will handle other religious services and events in a similar way.
SCHOOL YEAR THEME PRAYER AND SONG
Please click the images below for our prayer and song for this school year, exemplifying our school theme, "Answer God's Call...Change The World"! These will be handy as you join us virtually for school Masses.
Student Life
AKRON AREA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL NIGHTS
YOU'RE INVITED! Zoom High School Nights Featuring Archbishop Hoban, Our Lady of The Elms, St. Vincent-St. Mary, and Walsh Jesuit High Schools
Cleveland Diocesan seventh and eighth grade families are invited to learn more about four of Summit County's most prestigious Catholic High Schools through a one-hour webinar from 6 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 28 or Nov. 11. Learn more about the benefits of a Catholic high school education, including faith formation, academic rigor, support services, and student engagement. You will have opportunities to participate in breakout sessions with each school to learn more about taking the next steps to visit and apply for admission and financial assistance. To register for this event, please go to: Hoban.org/virtual-visits If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Admissions at 330.849.2149 and admissions@hoban.org.
VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING
Afterschool Enrichment Solutions, our Chess Club and Engineering Club provider, is offering some virtual programs for students, covering six subjects throughout the week. Students may benefit from the social, engaging and fun lessons. Please click the links below for more information.
Click for more information and to register for Virtual All Access Pass!
Reminders
RESPECT LIFE BABY SHOWER ENDS OCTOBER 26
The St. Hilary Respect Life Committee is sponsoring a Baby Shower Gift Collection for the Embrace Clinic and Care Center, recently renamed Community Pregnancy Center, a loving place for pregnant women and their families to receive help.
Please donate, if you are able, one of the following baby shower items...
Kindergarten-pack-n-play sheets
1st grade-onesies (newborn and 0-3 months)
2nd grade-footed sleeper (newborn and 0-3 months)
3rd grade-sleeper gowns (newborn and 0-3 months)
4th grade-outfits (newborn and 0-3 months)
5th grade-size 5 diapers
6th grade-size 6 diapers
7th grade-socks or underwear size 2T-4T
8th grade- Newborn-4T winter wear (coats/hats/mittens/socks)
Gently used baby clothing & maternity clothes are also appreciated. Items will be collected in the school hallway through October 26. Please place the gift in the hallway baby crib. Contact Stephanie Reese with questions at reesesteph@yahoo.com Thank you!
CONFERENCE SCHEDULING OPEN THROUGH OCTOBER 26
Parent-teacher conferences will be held the week of November 9. Conferences will be held via Zoom, and appointments will be scheduled online via SignUpGenius. Click here to schedule. Please schedule by October 26. Only conferences with homeroom teachers will be scheduled online at this time. If you need to conference with another teacher or staff member, please email that individual directly. Click here for the School Faculty & Staff Directory.
HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES WEEK OF OCTOBER 26
Please click here for our SaberSpeak Spooky Special Edition with all the details about this year's Halloween festivities!
In addition, please note the following new details:
Pumpkin Contest Drop-Off: October 27 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Please drop off decorated pumpkins and contest entry form (see below) by the Jesus Statue. Students entering pumpkins in the contest will receive a participation certificate and a Halloween-themed bracelet to wear on October 29 to show their participation in the contest.
Pumpkin Contest Pick-Up: October 30 as students are dismissed. An area will be set up near the junior high doors so students can pick up their pumpkins as they go to the car line for dismissal. For your child's safety, if he or she will be bringing home a pumpkin, please plan for a car ride on October 30 or ask a friend to bring the pumpkin home to avoid pumpkins being carried onto buses.
BOOK FAIR COMING NOVEMBER 6 -13
This year, our book fair will be online only, from November 6 through November 13.
There are two ways to access for parents and students to access our Follett Book Fair:
Direct link: https://efairs.follettbookfairs.com/guest/home?classCode=Z4655
or
Go to https://efairs.follettbookfairs.com/
and enter our school code: Z4655
Mrs. Slanina and Mrs. Weber will be visiting classrooms to make Wish Lists with students prior to the fair. Our school will receive 25% of the proceeds to buy books to replace our school library's aging nonfiction collection. Thank you for supporting our book fair! Please contact Mrs. Slanina at eslanina@st-hilary.org or Mrs. Weber at lweber@st-hilary.org with questions.
GRADE 7 SAVE THE DATES
Please click the attachment below for important Save the Date information for grade 7 Confirmation preparation.
HELP US WITH HEALTH AND SAFETY
We have successfully completed 8 weeks of school during the COVID-19 pandemic! How smoothly things have gone has been a testament to the joint effort between school and home, and with that in mind, we continue to need your help with ensuring the health and safety of our school community.
First, please be sure your child has a clean mask each day when coming to school. We do have some spare masks for students to use, but we hope to keep these instances to a minimum. It is a good idea to keep an extra mask in the backpack at all times.
Second, please be sure your child has a fresh water bottle each day when coming to school. Because our drinking fountains are closed due to COVID-19, the only way for students to have water during the day is to bring it from home or bring a bottle to fill from our bottle fillers. As with masks, we do have some spare water bottles for students to use, but we need your help with remembering to send water from home.
Third, students are asked to sanitize their hands whenever they enter or leave a space in our building. This includes entering the building each morning. Please help us by reminding your child of this quick additional precaution on arrival each day so that it becomes routine. Most students are doing a great job with this, and we are grateful for that!
Finally, Halloween and neighborhood trick-or-treat events are just around the corner. As you plan for these rituals with your family, please keep in mind the practices we have all been following for months now with social distancing, masks, and hand sanitizing. As the weather turns colder and we spend more time together indoors, please remember that the decisions you make about gathering with others impact our entire school community each day. It takes all of us following the COVID-19 protocols to keep our students and staff safe, healthy, and learning together in the building each day.
Thank you for your cooperation!
DON'T FORGET TO SUPPORT OUR SISTER SCHOOL, ST. HILARY OF THE CONGO!
Click here for our special edition SaberSpeak with all the details about this amazing project!
SHS CAR WINDOW STICKERS FOR SALE
Help us celebrate St. Hilary School during this 60th anniversary year and beyond by displaying one of our new SHS window stickers on your car window! The 4" x 5" stickers feature a white background with red SHS lettering and 3 crossed sabers. (See photo below.) To purchase a sticker, please send $5 (cash or check payable to St. Hilary School) to the office in an envelope marked "Window Sticker" with your child's name and room number. Your sticker will be sent home to you in the same envelope.
VISION AND HEARING SCREENINGS
The Ohio Department of Health requires that vision and hearing screenings be completed for all students currently in kindergarten and first grade and for every odd year thereafter, as well as for any students who are new to the school in other grades. Screening takes place September through December. Parents wishing to opt out of screening may do so by emailing Mrs. Hammersmith at chammersmith@st-hilary.org or Mrs. Laughlin at alaughlin@st-hilary.org to request an opt-out form to complete. Opting out must be done in writing using this form. If a student does not pass the screening, a referral letter will be sent home for follow-up. Parents may also request screening for their children if there is a concern. To request screening, please email Mrs. Hammersmith at chammersmith@st-hilary.org or Mrs. Laughlin at alaughlin@st-hilary.org.
MORNING DROP OFF SAFETY
We have noticed multiple occasions when parents have dropped off students, continued looking back at their children, but continued to pull forward. Please be sure that if you are not looking ahead, your car is not moving. If your car is moving, please be observant of everything around you. Especially on the parking lot side, we have parents and students using the crosswalk to walk from cars to the building, and safety is imperative. Thank you!
AFTERNOON PICK-UP REMINDER
Please continue to help us keep our pick-up line moving efficiently by displaying your family last name in the passenger side window of your vehicle. This helps us to quickly identify which students need to go to which cars.
OUTERWEAR REMINDER
As the weather gets cooler, please remember that only approved school uniform sweaters, sweatshirts and quarter-zip pullovers may be worn in classrooms during the school day.
MASKS AVAILABLE THROUGH ONLINE STORE
Is your child in need of additional masks for this school year? Don't forget that you can order our very own SABERS spirit masks through our online school uniform store!
PLAYGROUND ETIQUETTE
If you allow your children to play on our school playground after school hours, please supervise them carefully and be mindful that they should not venture past the tree border behind the playset or into the trees to hide or play. There are private residences behind our school property and we want to be respectful of our neighbors and their property at all times.
CHILDREN'S LITURGY OF THE WORD - New reflections added weekly!
We invite all families with children Pre-K through third grade to join us for Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) VIRTUALLY every Sunday! New Gospel reflections are added each weekend to the Children’s Liturgy of the Word page on our website: sthilarychurch.org/clow. Interested in volunteering for this wonderful ministry? Please email Meghan Tuck, CLOW Coordinator, at sthilaryparishclow@gmail.com.
FUNDRAISERS
The Acme Community Cash Back program and Box Tops for Education benefit our school every time you shop or purchase qualifying products. Please see below and click here for more information.
ACME RECEIPTS
We are collecting Acme receipts again this year! Please save your Acme receipts from August 6 through December 26, 2020. Send them to school at anytime to Attn: Jamie Malick; c/o Caleb Malick Room 113. Or if you prefer, take a picture of your receipts (be sure to include the bottom portion of the receipt that includes the cash back amount) and email to jamiemalick@hotmail.com.
VERIFY & UPDATE ONE CALL NOW INFORMATION VIA SELF-UPDATE PORTAL
As the new year begins, please make sure we have your current telephone number(s) and email address(es) in our One Call Now database. Doing so will ensure you receive the latest mass email updates, as well as phone calls in the event of snow days or school emergencies.
New families: Please make sure you have returned the yellow One Call Now form contained in your child’s acceptance packet so your One Call Now account can be set up.
Returning families and new families who have returned yellow One Call Now forms: Please click the My School button at the top right corner of the school website, login, and click the One Call Now link to be directed to our new One Call Now Self-Update Portal. Click the green SIGN UP button as a first-time user to create your login for the secure portal. Users will be able to view only their own information. Follow the prompts to verify and update your information as needed. Please retain your login information so you can return to the portal and simply login to make any necessary future updates.
Please contact Mrs. Smith at msmith@st-hilary.org with questions.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT MEDIA RELEASE FORM
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, we will be using live streaming as a tool to gather together as a school community in situations where we will not be able to have large in-person events: when we want to gather our community for prayer, for events where parents would normally be invited, and as a way to connect our community. When a student appears in a live stream, we will not identify the student by his or her full name so as to protect his or her identity. Any live stream with students on camera will only be viewable live and will not be recorded or available after the live stream is over. This will be to more readily ensure that the live image does not stay as something that can be downloaded. A live stream will simply be a way to “attend” as the event occurs, not to view it later.
For our weekly school Masses and any other live streamed events, only students whose parents have given consent on the Media Release form on Gradelink will be able to participate and appear on camera. To be clear, that means that if you do not give us permission to have your child participate as part of live streamed events, he or she will be unable to participate as a singer or reader at school Masses and other religious services, and unable to participate in school assemblies and academic contests, parades, and any other events we may choose to live stream. This would be done not to exclude any student, but to respect parents’ wishes. Similarly, if you have consented on this form, you now need to understand the additional implications of your consent for your child if he or she participates in an event that is live streamed.
IMPORTANT! Whatever choice of consent or lack of consent you have indicated on the Media Release form on Gradelink will apply to live streamed events as indicated above, unless we hear otherwise from you. You may change your consent at any time, even during the school year and even for only a particular event, by emailing Mrs. Smith at msmith@st-hilary.org.
Archives
Click here for 2020-2021 Back-to-School Forms to be completed now, with special attention to the Student COVID-19 Policy Acknowledgement and Assumption of Risk Form
Click here and here for important Back-to-School information, including new arrival and dismissal procedures, the Kindergarten opening schedule, and more
Click here for important information for families considering distance learning, and here for the agreement that must be signed and returned in order to participate in distance learning
Click here for information about our drop-off and pick-up procedures (note exception for Kindergarteners as shown on opening schedule)
About Us
The Admission Policy of St. Hilary School is in accordance with the student acceptance regulations of the Diocese of Cleveland. St. Hilary School admits qualified students of any gender, race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Email: dsinopoli@st-hilary.org
Website: www.st-hilaryschool.org
Location: 645 Moorfield Road, Fairlawn, OH, USA
Phone: 330-867-8720
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StHilarySchoolFairlawnOhio/