Please be sure to read the email that was sent from Dr. Dillon today with updates about our calendar.
A revised calendar is attached here.
IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS
Jan. 29th 4:30p All School Mass for Catholic School Week
Jan. 29th- Feb 6th Catholic Schools Week
Feb. 3rd Early Dismissal/Spirit Day
Feb. 18th No School
Feb. 21st No School - Presidents Day
Feb. 24th Vision and Hearing Screening
Feb. 28th No School
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK IS NEXT WEEK!
We will be celebrating Catholic Schools Week starting tomorrow Saturday, January 28th - February 6th. Please see the attached fliers for more information. We are looking forward to celebrating our school community! Our students and staff will not only be dressing up in fun themes, but they will also be hosting multiple service projects to support our local community organizations. Be sure to check all the ways that you can be a part of making a difference for others! Our Art Show Open House is postponed until April 30th.
You can help spread the good news about SMS too! Be sure to share our social media posts or pictures of your own kiddos participating in the fun of our CSW celebration. This is a great way to kick off our registration for next school year which will be coming soon! Tag it with #CSW22.
CALLING ALL SINGERS!
St Mark's Youth Choir is open to all students grades 3rd-8th. We will be singing at Mass this Saturday the 29th. Meet at 4:00pm in the choir loft to practice before Mass starts. You're welcome to join us even if you weren't able to make it to rehearsal earlier in the 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
Make-up testing will continue through Friday, February 4th.
HELP CHILDREN PRAY AND FOLLOW SUNDAY MASS WITH MAGNIFIKID!
MagnifiKid is for children between the ages of 6 and 12. What your children will find in its pages:
Readings and prayers of the Sunday Mass with difficult words and rituals explained
Suggested prayer for Morning and evening
Suggestions on how to live the entire week with the Lord
Various games, a comic, and activities to help children learn about Christian life and culture
Page for parents with suggestions for family prayers
Subscribers receive issues on a monthly basis. Each packet includes a 16-page color booklet for each Sunday and special issues for Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Holy week, Ascension, Assumption and All Saints Day)
Subscription Rate for St. Mark: $13/year
DID YOU SIGN UP FOR AN EMPOWER ILLINOIS APPLICATION?
It is not too late to still apply for an Empower Illinois Scholarship to SMS. 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 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 31:
Concessions times: 4:30- 6:00pm, 6:00-7:30pm
Book and clock times: 4:30- 6:00pm, 6:15-7:30pm
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
