School Calendar Correction - There will be NO School on February 18th
A revised calendar is attached here.
IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS
Jan. 17th Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday- No School
Jan. 26th- 11:30 Dismissal- We do provide lunch for all students and aftercare
Jan. 29th- 4:30 School Mass/ Art Show at 5:30-7:00
Jan. 29th- Feb 6th Catholic Schools Week
MASK DONATIONS NEEDED
We are in need of mask donations, both adult and child size. Our supply is currently low! We are supplying about 20-30 masks per day. We really need EACH student to come to school prepared to wear their OWN mask and bring a couple back-ups as requested. Thank you for your continued support.
MAPS TESTING
K-3rd grade students started taking the NWEA- MAPS Testing this week. 4th-8th grade will start the week of January 17th. Testing will continue through Friday, January 28th. These tests are taken 3 times a year on the computer. These tests assist the teachers in planning instruction for individual students and to confer with parents. It also empowers our school staff as they continue to work to improve all educational outcomes. Please be sure your children get plenty of sleep, have a good breakfast, and are at school every day on time. Also, please be sure to avoid making any appointments during this time.
DID YOU SIGN UP FOR AN EMPOWER ILLINOIS APPLICATION?
It is not too late to still apply for an Empower Illinois Scholarship to SMS. Those that reserved a time Wednesday will receive an email to log into their EmpowerXChange portal to complete their application when it opens tomorrow, Friday, January 14th. If you haven’t yet reserved your time be sure to do that first step of the application process as soon as possible. The reservation order determines the order of the scholarships so it is important to go online as soon as possible to reserve your application time.
Any questions can be directed to the helpline at 800-616-7606 or schools@empowerillinois.org for more information, visit www.EmpowerIllinois.org/apply
ATHLETIC NEWS: WE NEED YOUR HELP!
SVdP is hosting boys’ 7th and 8th grade regionals at SVdP. In order for this to be successful we need all hands on deck. If you are available to work concessions, book or clock during the following times please email Ms. Carew at mcarew@svdpvikings.com.
Saturday, January 22nd and Saturday January 29th:
Concession times: 9:30-10:30am, 10:30-11:30, 11:30-12:30, 12:30-1:30, 1:30-2:30, 2:30-3:30
Book and clock times: 9:30-11:00am, 11:15-12:30pm, 12:45-2:00pm, 2:15-3:30pm
Monday, January 24th v and Monday, January 31:
Concessions times: 4:30- 6:00pm, 6:00-7:30pm
Book and clock times: 4:30- 6:00pm, 6:15-7:30pm
Wednesday January 26 and February 2:
Concession times: 5:30-7:00pm
Book and clock times: 5:30-7:00pm
2021 TAX DOCUMENTS
2021 Tax Documents for Tuition and Before/After Care are ready to be printed off in your FACTS Account. Hard copies of these documents are not sent home with your students. In order to print your tax documents please follow the instructions below. If you are looking for 2021 Church contributions, you will need to contact the parish office to receive that information. Login to FACTS SIS Parentsweb (formerly called Renweb Parentsweb)
2. Click on “Financial” on the left-hand side
3. Click on “Financial Home” on the right-hand side in the Financial Links box
4. Click on “View Details”
5. Click on “View Payment Summary” (please make sure that “2021” is the year selected) 6. To print off the tax information, click on the print icon at the top right corner
YEARBOOK PICTURES
If you have taken pictures at any events involving our students and would like to share them with Mrs. Gilbert for use in the yearbook please email them to lgilbert@saint-mark.net. Please send them anytime throughout the school year until February 25, 2022. Thank you.
EPIPHANY CLASSROOM BLESSING
As we begin the New Year, each of our classrooms will be blessed with an ancient Epiphany blessing in the Catholic tradition: 20 + C + M + B + 22. Legend holds that the letters correspond to the initials for the names of the Three Magi: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. More importantly, these letters abbreviate the Latin phrase “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” – “May Christ bless this house/dwelling place”. The year “2022” is divided by this phrase as a reminder to keep Jesus at the center of our lives and our relationships, wherever we go. As we enter and exit our classrooms, this chalking will be a reminder to love God, each other, to do His will, and to lead others to Him just as the wise men did so long ago.
WEATHER
Weather permitting, our students will have outdoor recess daily. Assuming other relevant conditions are conducive to outdoor recess, students will go outside when temperatures with wind-chill are 20 degrees or above.
Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for outdoor recess daily. In addition, the school can be a bit chilly when the temperatures are much lower. Also, we are opening windows in the rooms from time to time for air circulation.
ILLNESS & COVID PROCEDURES - updated January 11, 2022
The newest guidance moves quarantine and isolation periods from 10 days to 5 days, in line with guidance issued earlier for the general population. Below is an outline of the updates with the links to further details from the CDC.
CDC Recommended Isolation Period for Those Testing Positive for COVID-19
Staff or students who test positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, should isolate for 5 days after onset of symptoms, or 5 days from specimen collection date if no symptoms are present.
Staff or students who test positive for COVID-19 and have no symptoms or their symptoms are resolving can be released from isolation after 5 days. To calculate the 5-day isolation period, day 0 is the first day of symptoms or specimen collection date if asymptomatic. If they continue to have fever or other symptoms have not improved after 5 days of isolation, they should wait to end isolation until they are fever-free for 24 hours and their other symptoms have improved.
Schools should ensure that staff or students who test positive for COVID-19 should continue to wear a well-fitted mask around others (including at home) for 5 additional days after release from isolation.
CDC Recommended Quarantine Period for Close Contacts to Someone with COVID-19
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IF you are NOT vaccinated and you have symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID, you must STAY HOME and get tested by a licensed provider. AT HOME tests will NOT be accepted.
If you do an AT HOME test and it shows to be positive, then we will follow the guidelines of 10 days from that test date to determine the return to school.
STUDENTS MAY RETURN TO SCHOOL WHEN ALL of the following requirements are met:
1. COVID results are received by the school in writing. This includes both Point of Care (rapid) and PCR (lab) tests if both are performed at the student’s healthcare provider.
2. Symptoms have improved (loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks).
3. Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.
4. Vomiting and diarrhea free for 48 hours.
If a student tests positive for Covid and has completed the 5 day quarantine, he/she will need to isolate while eating around others until a full 10 days after the first day of symptoms. It is imperative that students who participate in athletics or extracurriculars be mindful that PROPER masking is required at all times.
Here is more information from the CDC:
Overview of COVID-19 Quarantine for K-12 Schools
*Note: We are NOT participating in the Test-to-Stay Protocols.
If your child is waiting for test results, he/she positive, or he/she must quarantine, we can provide your child with his/her chrome book and have your child go to online learning.
ONLINE LEARNING
As a reminder remote instruction is only available for students that test positive for Covid or are exposed to a positive case and are unable to attend school. Last minute notice of absence does not guarantee that remote learning will be available. Remote instruction may be available only if other classmates are quarantining.
Please note that we do not issue Chromebooks for general absences. Students will need to use a personal device if completing work while not in attendance.
AUCTION NEWS
Save the date for March 12th at the Itoo Hall. More details to come. Here is a sneak peek at our logo:
If you have any questions or want to get involved, give us a call at 309-676-7131.
PND IRISH LENS MAGAZINE - FOR 5th-8th GRADERS
Your child was sent home with The Irish Lens magazine for 5th-8th graders. This magazine is published twice a year by Peoria Notre Dame's Advancement department to provide feature articles, announcements, updates, and event information about PND. We hope that by reading the magazine, you will have a better idea about the unique opportunities that Peoria Notre Dame can offer your son or daughter---a wonderful high school experience in a Catholic environment.
You will also be receiving an invite by mail to our 39th Annual Blue and Green Gala: “Heart of PND County Fair” on Saturday, March 19th. We encourage you to attend. Not only will you get the opportunity to meet our PND faculty and staff, but you will also have the chance
to socialize with PND parents of current students, while having some fun, eating some fair- themed food, and bidding on some outstanding prizes! At this event, we will celebrate the families and faculty that comprise our PND community. A county fair is an event that draws people together to celebrate local people, food, businesses and entertainment. This exciting event will include food, fun, and fundraising in an effort to support all that an authentic Catholic education at Peoria Notre Dame offers.
PND SHADOW VISITS
Eighth grade students are invited to experience a day in the life of a PND student by scheduling a shadow visit. Shadow visitors will have a chance to explore the PND campus, attend classes and lunch, and learn more about the activities that PND offers. Please visit https://my.peorianotredame.com... to schedule your visit.