Pandemic Updates from Principal Hurley

Dear Saint John's Families,

Last May, we closed out the school year proud that we provided high-quality, continuous, in-person education while keeping your children and our staff safe. We are committed to doing the same in the 2021–2022 school year. This communication will inform you of what we will do to achieve that objective. 

The State of Minnesota no longer legally mandates specific COVID-19 mitigation strategies for schools. Saint John’s will continue to adhere to a health and safety plan to mitigate the spread of all infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Our Pandemic Preparedness and Readiness Planning committee will again meet regularly this year, and will continually evaluate all public health recommendations and implement those that will best serve our students, staff and the entire community. Below are some of the mitigation actions you can expect this upcoming school year. 
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Stay Home When Sick
We continue to require all individuals to stay home when they are sick. We ask all parents to do a health check before sending your child to school. Students can return to school when they are feeling better and their symptoms have substantially improved, including being fever-free for 24 hours with no fever-reducing medication. At this time, we do not require students to be tested for COVID-19 before returning to school. 
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Reinforce Good Handwashing and Respiratory Etiquette
Our staff will be regularly checking and reminding students about good, healthy hand washing techniques and coughing best practices to ensure the safety of others. We appreciate parents doing the same!
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Lab-Confirmed Cases of COVID-19
State law requires us to report to the Minnesota Department of Health any cases of COVID-19 that occur among students or staff in our building. If your child has tested positive for COVID-19, please contact our school office immediately at 651-484-3038. We will require that they not return to school or school-sponsored activities until they are no longer contagious. This means:

• Cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms are substantially improved, and

• 10 days since symptoms began, or received a positive COVID-19 test, and

• No fever for at least 24 hours, without using medicine that lowers fevers.

Like other infectious diseases, we will notify impacted families of a lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 in the classroom. To respect individual privacy and encourage open communication, the individuals who test positive will not be named. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has trained staff to conduct contact tracing. We will assist MDH as needed in this endeavor. 
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Quarantine Updates
The Minnesota Department of Health no longer requires individuals who have been potentially exposed to COVID-19 to quarantine. In general, Saint John’s will not exclude any healthy individual from the learning environment, unless we are specifically counseled to do so in the particular circumstances by public health officials. 
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Face Coverings in the School Building
The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis does not have a policy requiring face coverings in Catholic schools. As of now, we are putting the decision for a child to wear a face covering in the hands of each parent or guardian. Parents and guardians are well positioned to determine if their child should wear a face covering while outside of the home. Our school faculty and staff will support parents’ decisions and will work diligently to eliminate any bullying or stigmatization for wearing or not wearing a face covering. We ask that parents again help us in this effort.
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Face Coverings on the Bus
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires all people to wear face coverings while in public transportation hubs and on all public transportation conveyances (airplanes, public buses, etc.), including school buses (both public and private). If your child rides a bus for any reason (including field trips), they will be expected to have their own mask to wear.
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Vaccination
We encourage, yet do not require, COVID-19 vaccination by all eligible parties (staff and students). We do not require any individuals to provide documentation of vaccination; we support your personal choices and privacy.

We are excited to welcome your child(ren) back to the classroom, and we are grateful for your trust and loyalty to educate with excellence. In conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Health and the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, we will be monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic closely and will promptly communicate any updates to this plan. Thank you for your continued support and for helping us make Saint John’s one of the best educational values in Minnesota.
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$100 Reward for New COVID-19 Vaccinations
With the Delta variant pushing cases up in Minnesota and across the country, the Governor joins the national effort outlined in the President's speech to fight COVID-19, as fall approaches, and kids go back to school.
Any Minnesotan 12 and older who gets their first COVID-19 shot July 30 through August 15 will receive $100 to spend however they choose.
How Minnesotans can get their Free Shot:

• Walk in or make an appointment through the Vaccine Connector: VaccineConnector.mn.gov.
  • Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Public Hotline
    • 1-833-431-2053
    • Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. & Sat, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Use the state’s Vaccine Locator Map to find a vaccine provider near you: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/locations/index.jsp.
• Check for vaccine appointments using the Vaccine Finder on https://www.vaccines.gov/   You can search for appointments by vaccine type (e.g., Pfizer).
• Contact your primary health care provider or a local pharmacy.

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ESSENTIAL PAPERWORK 
We ask that  every family fill out an Application for Educational Benefits (previously Free and Reduced Lunch form).  District funding for our school relies on the information from these applications.  Therefore, we need every parent to submit one asap, so we do not miss out on any funding available to us. See link below for the online application.  
More information on the Educational Benefits application:

• A new application must be completed EACH YEAR.
• These complete forms not only provide meal benefits but can help your school get crucial funding. 
• Applications can be completed online at https://frapp.isd623.org/ 
• Educational Benefits also impact your school’s funding and the district’s budget including state and federal dollars that may be used for administration, social workers, family liaisons, and more! The results of these applications are crucial to funding for things like Title 1.

Find more information about Roseville Nutrition Services at  RosevilleNutrition.com.
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REMINDERS

Vadnais Heights Heritage Days: Visit Our Booth Aug. 14-15
For the first time in recent memory, Saint John's School is participating in neighboring city Vadnais Heights' Heritage Days, and we'll have an information booth as a part of the Merchandise Mart from Noon to 8:00 P.M. Saturday, August 14, and 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Sunday, August 15, at Vadnais Heights Commons, 655 East County Road F, Vadnais Heights, MN 55127. If you're around for Heritage Days, please be sure to stop by! Interested in volunteering? There are snacks and a free T-shirt in it for you! Contact Laura Haraldson: [email protected].  

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Information Links:
School Calendar - click on this link for a calendar to view school start/end date as well as days off of school

K-8 Parent Handbook-Click Here

Preschool Handbook-Click Here

PreK-8 Supply List--Click Here

Uniform Sale at Revolution Sports-Click Here

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Used uniforms!
Need uniforms? Back by popular demand is the "Used Uniform Sale," which will be held after all Masses the weekend of August 14-15 in the Gathering Space, and again at Back to School Night on September 1. All items are priced to move, and there is even some brand-new Spirit Wear in the mix. Used uniform donations are still being accepted: Please drop off any used uniform donations in the marked box in the Gathering Space any weekday between 7:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M.
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BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT: Save the Date! 
Please save the date for Back-To-School Night on Wednesday, September 1st - 5:30 - 8:00.  September Movie Night will follow Back-to-School Night and feature Toy Story 4!  I will send out more information for this event closer to the start of school. This event is a great time to meet your student’s teachers and learn more about our extracurriculars, curriculum, and events.
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Volunteer This Year!
As our pandemic protocols shift to a more "normal" status this school year, we want to get ahead of the game on volunteering and how more parents can get involved firsthand in their child(ren)'s education. We anticipate having a variety of options that include one-up hours here and there, as well as regularly scheduled opportunities.

The first step is to ensure you are registered and up-to-date on your Safe Environment training, a prerequisite for all adults who work with kids in our Catholic School System here in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Please contact Laura Haraldson ([email protected]) to check your status and/or get the process started. Important: You will not be able to volunteer, even on a field trip, until you have completed the requisite online training, put forth by VIRTUS and McDowell Agency. Learn more on our website here: www.school.sjolc.org/virtus.
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Saint John's Musical for 2021-2022
Saint John’s Musical will be Annie!  We will work with Totino-Grace, who will produce the program. Totino-Grace Theater staff will be at Saint John’s at Back-To-School night for sign-ups. We are excited to add this offering to our students. In addition, they will be signing kids up for dance and band!
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CONTINUE TO SPREAD THE WORD
We are now offering a section of full year preschool.  Registration is open!  Returning parents, please contact Kathy LaCasse if you would like to change your registration for the fall of 2021. 
Please spread the word to your friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers and throughout the community.  New parents register HERE.
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New additions to summer athletics! 
Volleyball clinic for incoming fifth- through eighth-graders from 9:00 to 11:00 A.M. August 30-September 3. Cost is $30 and includes a T-shirt. Soccer (K-8) 9:00-11:00 A.M. Aug. 28.  Again, please fill out this form for each student interested. Registration required by August 15.

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Fall Festival & Marathon is set!:


We are proud of our school and look forward to more exciting things to come our way!  Check out the great that is happening daily on our school website and follow us on Facebook.
 
Tell a friend about Saint John’s School!

Dan J. Hurley, Principal