Charger Check-In
November 19, 2020
A Note from Ms. Owens
As we prepare for Thanksgiving, I encourage you to pause - to take a few moments to reflect in gratitude for some of the small things we can easily overlook in the hecticness of life and the stressfulness of living during a global pandemic. I did this on my drive to work on Wednesday morning. I noticed the beautiful sunlight and I told myself I was going to look for the positive that day, and it was a good Wednesday - lunchtime with kindergartners, hearing about the hidden turkeys in first grade, checking in with kiddos who have returned to in-person learning, working with our teachers to prep for our virtual parent-teacher conferences. Rather than feeling tired, I felt energized! So I am going to make an extra effort to look for the positives in my life each and every day. I challenge you to do the same.
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. Per IDPH guidelines issued on October 27, this Covid test must be a PCR test. (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
- Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held the afternoon and evening of Tuesday, November 24. Parents and guardians will be able to make appointments via Sign Up Genius. Scroll down for the sign up. Please be aware the sign up will close on Saturday, 11.21.
- Our Annual Book Fair is up and running. Like so many things, this year it is virtual. Please scroll down for more info.
- An updated school calendar is available at the button below.
- Last week, the Archdiocese sent a communication to school families regarding the factors considered when deciding if an entire school needs to move to quarantine. That letter is available below.
- FSA's Annual Christmas Wreath Sale is up and running. Scroll down for the button to order. There is no hard deadline. Orders will be accepted until supplies are gone.
- Remember that TRIP Cash & Carry is available in the church vestibule Thursday nights from 6:30-8PM. Families of K-8 students can earn credit toward their $75 fundraising fee by purchasing TRIP cards. Scroll down for more details.
- 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 pray for our nation, for our communities, for our brothers and sisters who are tired and broken, for our brothers and sisters working to keep us safe, and for own sorrows. We are all - each and every one of us - beloved children of God.
Peace,
Kristine Owens
Updated Emergency Travel Order
Effective Friday, November 13, 2020, the Chicago's Emergency Travel Order has been modified. Under the new system, states will be placed in three categories – red, orange and yellow – based on the status of the outbreak in the states and how the data compares to the situation in Chicago. There are currently 44 states in either the orange or red categories.
The following language is taken directly from the Chicago Department of Public Health's Emergency Travel Order webpage, "Anyone traveling from a state on the Orange list is directed to obtain a negative COVID-19 test result no more than 72 hours prior to arrival in Chicago or quarantine for a 14-day period (or the duration of their time in Chicago, whichever is shorter). Anyone traveling from a state on the Red list must quarantine for a 14-day period or the duration of their time in Chicago, whichever is shorter."
To see the full language of and additional information about the modified Emergency Travel Order, click on the button below.
For our Archdiocesan schools, any travel outside of the United States will also require a 14-day quarantine for students and employees upon their return.
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.
Parent-Teacher Conference Sign Ups
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Tuesday, November 24. On that day, students will be dismissed at 11AM. After care will NOT be available that day. Please make arrangements for your child to be picked up in a timely manner.
- This year, conferences will be held virtually via Zoom. Prior to conferences, parents/guardians will receive a link to use. More detailed directions will come with the link.
- As in previous years, parents should sign up for one 10-minute time slot with their child's homeroom teacher.
- These conferences are intended to be an opportunity for a brief check between parent and teacher. If there are significant concerns that deserve a longer time frame, please contact the teacher to set up an alternate date and time.
The link to sign up for conferences is below. Two days before conferences, a reminder notification will be sent to the email address you enter. The sign up will be open through Saturday, November 21. If you need assistance in deleting or changing your conference time, please contact Mrs. Omiecinski.
SCA Will Go Blue to Support Type 1 Diabetes Awareness - Monday, 11/23
On Monday November 23, St. Catherine will be going BLUE for World Diabetes Day. Each student is asked to bring $1 to donate to JDRF and to wear BLUE to support and promote Type 1 Diabetes Awareness.
- Ellie Buczko is in 6th grade at St. Catherine. She was diagnosed with Type 1 at the age of 5.
- Shannon Ferriter is in 5th grade at St. Catherine. She was diagnosed with Type 1 at the age of 7.
- Scarlett Larmon is in 4th grade at St. Catherine. She was diagnosed with Type 1 four days before her fourth birthday.
TYPE 1 DIABETES (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. It occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, called beta cells. While its causes are not yet entirely understood, scientists believe that both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved. Its onset has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle.
There is nothing you can do to prevent T1D, and, at present, nothing you can do to get rid of it.
TYPE 1 DIABETES strikes both children and adults at any age. It comes on suddenly, causes dependence on injected or pumped insulin for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. While insulin injections or infusion allow a person with T1D to stay alive, they do not cure the disease, nor do they necessarily prevent the possibility of the disease’s serious effects.
KNOW THE SIGNS:
Warning signs of T1D may occur suddenly and can include:
*Extreme thirst *Frequent urination
*Drowsiness or lethargy *Increased appetite
*Sudden weight loss *Sudden vision changes
*Sugar in the urine *Fruity odor on the breath
*Heavy or labored breathing
*Stupor or unconsciousness
Our Church is Open!
- Saturdays - Mass at 4PM
- Sundays - Mass at 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, November 20
- All-School Liturgy (streamed)
- School-wide Spirit Day
Sunday, November 22
- Blood Drive in Gym from 9:30AM-1:30PM
Monday, November 23
- All-School Dress Down for World Diabetes Awareness ($1 donation requested)
- Cap & Gown Measurements for 8th Grade
- Songs of Thankfulness & Praise at 7:30PM via Facebook Live (church page)
Tuesday, November 24
- Early Dismissal at 11AM
- Parent-Teacher Conferences via Zoom
Wednesday, November 25
- Thanksgiving Break - No School
Thursday, November 26
- Thanksgiving Break - No School
Friday, November 27
- Thanksgiving Break - No School
Monday, November 30
- School resumes
Thursday, December 2
- Advent Taize Prayer Service at 7:30PM via Facebook Live (church page)
About us
Website: www.scaoaklawn.org
Location: 10621 South Kedvale Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL, USA
Phone: 708-425-5547
Facebook: facebook.com/scaoaklawn/