Charger Check-In
April 1, 2021
A Note from Ms. Owens
By now, our students and staff have taken leave of the school building and Easter Break has begun. I hope you and your family are able to give some time to contemplation and conversation during these holy days of the Triduum and the Easter season. I also hope you have days with whatever your spirit needs for rejuvenation - happy family time, racous laughter, quiet time with a good book, good conversations, time in the sunshine...
On Wednesday, our 8th graders presented Living Stations to our 3rd and 4th graders. It was lovely and reverent and special. If you would like to view a video of our Living Stations, please scroll down. (It's below all the Covid stuff.)
While we are on break, I will continue to track instances of Covid in our school community. If your child is exposed to a person who is confirmed postiive for Covid-19 or if your child tests positive for Covid-19, please contact me via email as soon as you are able. Continue to stay safe!
If your family will be (or is) traveling for Easter Break, please fill out the Google Form below. I know we will have a number of families traveling out-of-state as we are all dealing with Covid-fatigue. Having this information in one place will help us know who is getting a test pre-arrival vs. post arrival, who is quarantining, when quarantining students will return to school, and who was in a state that "turned orange." (The next update to the travel map will be on April 6 which is smack-dab in the middle of our Easter Break. That update will go into effect April 9.)
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. As we are no longer seeing exceptionally long-wait times for PCR results, we will be resuming the guidance that a negative PCR test is required if the individuals who have Covid-like symptoms for two or more consecutive days. (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
- Yearbook orders will happen online this year. The ordering deadline has been extended to April 1. Scroll down for important information.
- On Wednesday, April 14, FSA is sponsoring an Eat & Earn at McDonald's (105th& Cicero) from 4-8PM.
- Please be sure your child brings a reusable water bottle to school each day. As the weather becomes warmer, our students are running around even more at recess and in gym. Their need to rehydrate is growing.
- We have an amazing opportunity mark Holy Week as a parish community with Neighborhood Stations of the Cross. Scroll down to learn about experiencing stations in our neighborhood.
- 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 our larger community.
Peace,
Kristine Owens
Arch Travel Guidelines and CDPH Travel Map - updated 3/23
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 protocols for travel. The following guidelines are in effect as of March 16 for all Archdiocesan-run schools (no matter their location). The updated information is in bold.
The City of Chicago updates it Emergency Travel Order web page every other Tuesday. The updated colors go into effect that Friday. (The next update will be April 6 and will go into effect on April 9.)
- Travel to a yellow state does not require a quarantine.
- Travel to an orange state requires a ten (10) day quarantine, a pre-arrival test or a post-arrival test.
- A pre-arrival test can be taken 72-hours prior to returning home. The test may not be a self-administered type test.
- A post-arrival test can be taken once the traveler has returned home. The traveler must quarantine until test results are received. The test may not be a self-administered type test. The traveler may return to school if the test is negative.
- Quarantine starts the day after return home.
- We know a state's status can change while you are there. If you are in a state and it moves to orange, the quarantine or testing options will apply. If you are in a state and it moves to yellow, the quarantine and testing requirements are removed the day of the posting. (updated 4.7.21)
- International travelers can quarantine for 10 days following their return home or they can obtain a Covid test 3-5 days after returning home. The test may not be a self-administered type test.
- 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 their 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.
Changes to ACT Aspire
This is primarily for our families with students in Grades 3-8. We will not be giving the ACT Aspire assessment this school year. The Archdiocese has lifted the requirement. The likelihood that a significant number of students would have to be rescheduled to take the test due to travel quarantines following Easter Break, the possibility of entire cohorts in quarantine, and individuals in quarantine due to exposure presented an overwhelming logistical challenge. In lieu of this summative assessment, in May, our 3rd-8th graders will join our students in Grades K-2 in taking the iReady diagnostic assessment in late April and May. (Our students in K-2 have been working with iReady since the fall). This diagnostic assessment will provide an immediate picture of your child's academic strengths as well as any gaps that may exist. This information will be useful as we begin school in the fall.
On a related note, ACT has also announced that they will be discontinuing their ACT Aspire program after Summer 2023 (i.e., next school year is the last year). They have no plans to develop a replacement assessment battery and will likely discontinue ACT 8 for 2021-2022. As you can imagine, the Archdiocese is investigating viable alternatives to replace ACT Aspire. This change may happen as early as next year.
No TRIP hours during Holy Week. Sales will resume April 8.
St. Baldricks
We are so excited to have our Annual St. Baldricks Event. As we have all learned over the last year, we can do basically anything virtually! So, let’s not stop now!
Cancer is the #1 disease killer of children in the US, and a child is now diagnosed worldwide every 2 minutes, yet there is SO little funding to find a cure! St. Baldrick's is crucial for these kids!
Date: Our event will close on April 30, 2021.
- ANYONE WHO DOESN’T WANT TO SHAVE BUT WANTS TO RAISE MONEY CAN SIGN UP AS A VOLUNTEER.
- THIS YEAR ALL OF OUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS WILL CONTINUE TO GO TO ST. BALDRICKS, BUT WE WILL BE FUNDING GRANTS FOR EMILYS HEROES - IN MEMORY OF EMILY BEAZLEY. EMILY’S HEROES ARE SPECIFICALLY WORKING TO FUND IMMUNOTHERAPY, RHABDOMYOSARCOMA , AND BLOOD CANCERS.
To Sign Up
- Click on the button below.
- Click on Join Us.
- You will be prompted to join even though it is a closed event – choose Yes.
- If this is your first time participating, you will choose – I need to create a new account. If you have participated in St. Baldricks in the past, you will need to sign in using those credentials.
- You will then be prompted to put in your personal information.
- Choose what role you will be doing at the event, shirt size, fundraising goal, and accept the waiver.
- You should see “Congratulations! You’re registered and ready to go.” You will also have the option to donate, upload a picture, honor a child with cancer, or personalize your website message.
- Then you will be sent to your member’s page. This is where you can share the page and get the fundraising started!
We are really looking forward to raising money and seeing videos of all the kids. This is such a wonderful event, and we appreciate all of the support we have already received!
If you have any suggestions or questions, please feel free to contact us using the information below.
Katie Lyons – kok78@hotmail.com
Colleen Lombardo - cclombardo3@gmail.com
“Sometimes, real SUPERHEROES live in the hearts of small children fighting big battles.”
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.
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, April 1
- Holy Thursday
- Early Dismissal at 11:30
- Easter Break begins
Monday, April 12
- Classes resume
Wednesday, April 14
- Eat & Earn at McDonald's (105th & Cicero) from 4-8PM
Thursday, April 15
- Third Trimester Progress Reports
Wednesday, April 21
- Tuition Exclusion Day
Saturday, April 24
- First Holy Communion Masses at 11:30 & 1:30
Friday, April 30
- Professional Development for Faculty - no school for students
Saturday, May 1
- First Holy Communion Masses at 11:30 & 1:30
About us
Website: www.scaoaklawn.org
Location: 10621 South Kedvale Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL, USA
Phone: 708-425-5547
Facebook: facebook.com/scaoaklawn/