From the Office
Dear Parents,
Spring Break is getting closer, and we know parents and families are planning for travel in the upcoming weeks. We are asking our families to follow the CDC guidelines for quarantining after travel. Please remember that if you plan on your students being virtual, you need to alert their teachers AT LEAST two days ahead, the more lead time they have, the better:
- Get tested with a viral test 3-5 days after travel AND stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel. Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days.
- If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
- If you don’t get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
- Avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness for 14 days, whether you get tested or not.
- Watch your health: Look for symptoms of COVID-19.
Getting tested after travel is especially important if you did any of these activities that put you at higher risk for COVID-19:
- Going to a large social gathering like a wedding, funeral, or party.
- Attending a mass gathering like a sporting event, concert, or parade.
- Being in crowds like in restaurants, bars, fitness centers, or movie theaters.
- Taking public transportation like planes, trains or buses or being in transportation hubs like airports.
- Traveling on a cruise ship or riverboat.
Thank you for following these guidelines and working together to keep IHM healthy and in-person!
To our Spanish-speaking parents: We wanted to let you know that if you call the school office, it will not always be possible to speak to someone who speaks Spanish. I am learning Spanish but am not totally proficient, and Mrs. Winter does not speak Spanish. If you need to communicate with us in the office (for example, if your child will not be at school and you need to let us know by 8:30 AM), there are a few options:
- Email is easiest on a daily basis, as we can Google Translate what you have written and our reply.
- Call on Wednesday or Friday between 9-11 AM, when Monica Connolly sits at the desk. Monica does speak Spanish.
- Communicate with another Spanish-speaking family who can then relay a message to us.
- Send in a message with your English-speaking child.
Last Chance to help Save Lives! We are having a blast practicing our jumping skills and raising money to help kids with sick hearts. We are extremely proud of our families for supporting this service-learning program. Thank you all! Our Kids Heart Challenge event is March 11 and our final week of donations is NEXT WEEK. If you haven’t had the opportunity to take the challenge or raise donations, there’s still time! We’re getting closer to our goal of 50% of our students taking the heart healthy challenge. Here’s how you can help:
- Register and choose a challenge online at http://www2.heart.org/goto/IHOM or search, “Kids Heart Challenge” in your app store. (Get free wristband)
- Complete Finn’s mission. (Get Limited Edition Agent KHC)
Have fun while saving lives!
After March 1st, students in Kindergarten through 8th grade will be going to the Music Room and to the Computer Lab for class, instead of the teacher coming to their classroom. They will contiue to be cohorted with their own class, and rooms will be cleaned between groups. The Middle School will also begin to switch classrooms, as in a typical year. Middle School parents should have received an email with a more detailed explanation last week.
Spring Conferences are scheduled for Thursday March 25th, and in a typical year they would be student-led conferences. We need to adjust for this year, like so many other things, so this year Spring Conferences will be by Teacher Request only for all levels. Watch for an email from your child’s teacher if they would like to request a conference for that day. Conferences will be virtual on Zoom. If your child’s teacher did not request a conference with you but you would like one, please feel free to email them and they will schedule with you!
I would like to encourage you, if your child forgets something in the morning, to refrain from delivering it to school unless it truly is a need (eyeglasses, for example). Rest assured that we have extra gloves, hats, hot lunch, etc. to provide for students. We also want to work with our parents to provide logical and appropriate consequences for forgetting items at home. A day that you need to eat hot lunch at school even if it’s not your favorite, or play on the black top because you forgot your snow pants, is often all that is needed to remember in the future! Thanks for your support!
Catholic Schools provide a firm foundation for the growth and development of your child. Pray for a year filled with faith and learning. Let us be a community of service to one another and to our world.
God Bless,
Callie Meiller, Principal
