It’s that time of year again. It is time to begin preparations for next year. This year you may complete the Pre-Registration by completing the online form and send in your fee to the office or you can fill out a paper copy and return it to the office with your fee. The Pre-Registration fee is $50 for each student. It is very important that you return your Pre-Registration as soon as possible. This helps us to plan for next year and it also saves a spot for your child. Registration Form: https://forms.gle/3UndrxfbNCCKjkeN9 (English) https://forms.gle/57wGRcZdcAYxSRgr6 (Spanish)

Class Composites are now available to order! Get yours today at inter-state.com/order. Use Order Code 56358DQ. These are available until 2/17/2021 at 11:59 pm.

We still have St. Anthony Mask available if you would like to purchase. The mask are $5. Please send in your money in a envelope marked with the number of mask you would like and your name.

Please make sure your child is dressed accordingly for the colder weather. We will try to go outside for recess if at all possible, even if it is colder outside. It is very difficult to have indoor recess and be able to social distance. Please make sure your child wears a coat each day.

2nd Quarter report cards are posted in Jupiter today. Please access Jupiter and review the report card. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher. Principal’s List and Honor Roll Certificates will be sent home with students on Friday.

There is an isolation and quarantine calculator on the Indiana State Health Department that may be beneficial to use to help with finding the length of an isolation or quarantine period. Here is a link to the website: https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/2400.htm.

If a member of the household has tested positive then the quarantine guidelines may change. If the positive case is not able to isolate from members of the household, then the quarantine period may not begin until the positive case has completed the 10 days of isolation. This could mean a child would quarantine for at least 20 days. Isolation means that the positive case stays separated from household members, does not share items with household members, and uses a different bathroom.

I wanted to give families clarification on the new shortened quarantine guidelines that the CDC has issued. The quarantine guidelines are for those individuals who have been considered close contacts. The CDC continues to recommend the 14-day quarantine, but they do offer a 10 day option that may be used in schools. Certain criteria must be met if individuals would like to use this option. The individual has shown no symptoms of COVID-19 at any point during the 10 day period; AND Daily symptom monitoring continues though quarantine day 14; AND All recommended preventive measures continue through Day 14: Practice good hygiene Stay at least 6 feet from other people Wear a mask at all times Athletes cannot go back to full participation until 14 days after exposure if they cannot meet the social distancing and face covering requirements. An athlete may participate in practice as long as they wear their face covering and remain at least 6 feet away from others until the 14 days is up. I understand that a shortened quarantine sounds wonderful, but if the criteria cannot be met then the CDC recommends the 14-day quarantine. As a school, I will work with families on an individual basis to see if the 10-day quarantine is an option. I want to ensure that all criteria is met and that we do everything we can to stop the spread of the virus. The Indiana State Health Department does not allow schools to utilize the 7-day quarantine for students or staff.

I hope that everyone had a restful and enjoyable Holiday Break. I was so excited to welcome the students back into the building today and see their beautiful, smiling faces. As we return to school, it is so important that we don’t let our guard down and become lazy with our safety and health protocols. We need everyone to continue to do their part in stopping the spread of COVID and other illnesses. We will continue to follow our COVID-19 re-entry plan and continue to educate our students on the importance of following the protocol. Facial coverings will be required. Social distancing guidelines will be in place. Students will continue to wash hands and use hand sanitizer on a regular basis. Temp check will be done before lunch for every student. Don’t forget to health check your student(s) each morning before coming to school. Please keep students home if they have a temperature, are not feeling well or show any symptoms of illness. Also remember if anyone in the household is awaiting test results, do not send children in the family to school until a negative test result has been received.

I want to give a shout out to the Clark County Health Department. They have done a wonderful job of keeping the school informed about what is happening in the local community, answering the many questions that we have regarding COVID, and collaborating with us on making decisions. I wanted to share information that Dr. Eric Yazel shared regarding the decision to return to in-person instruction. “Why are we going back to school? The simple answer is because it’s the best thing for our kids. This is from so many different aspects. Education, social development, and for some it’s as simple as it being the only place some children can get a solid meal or escape from a bad home environment. Our local schools did an amazing job first semester with their policies and procedures to prevent in-school spread. The rates were actually significantly less than community spread.”

The CDC continues to recommend a 14-day quarantine, but has recently given an alternate option of 10 days. Individuals can shorten the quarantine to 10 days if the following guidelines are met: The individual has shown no symptoms of COVID-19 at any point during the entirety of quarantine up to the time at which quarantine is discontinued; and, Daily symptom monitoring continues through Day 14; and, All recommended preventive measures continue: Practice good hygiene by washing hands Practice social distancing Wear a mask

The USDA has extended free lunches for all students through the end of the 20-21 school year. This is a wonderful opportunity for our school families. Remember the free lunch consist of a regular lunch and milk. There will be a charge for an extra entree, juice, or water.

Thank you for patience and flexibity as we have navigated these last weeks of the school year without parish and deanery athletics. We know that you want your child back on the court, or the mat, as soon as possible. In coordination with deanery pastors and principals, the New Albany Deanery Athletic Committee has prepared the following plans for the start of 2021: All winter athletic ministries may begin practices on or after January 4, 2021. Catalyst Catholic is currently reworking the schedule of games, with games beginning on the weekend of January 16/17, 2021 All schools must adhere to the Covid-19 standards in place. Spectators will be limited to only two parents per child. Should local Catholic schools go back to full-time virtual learning in the second semester the season will be cancelled.

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis recommends that families continue to report positive COVID cases to the school. I will share this data with the Archdiocese and the local health department. Please inform Mrs. Tucker of any student positive cases. Thank you for your help in this matter.

Our goal is to return to the school building on Monday, January 4. It is very important that we continue to do our part in practicing social distancing over the break so that we can return to school in a safe manor. Please continue to keep social gatherings small and wear a mask. If you are traveling over the Holidays, it is strongly recommended that you quarantine for 14 days before returning to school. So far we have done such a good job of keeping COVID from spreading in our school and I hope that we can continue to work together to stop the spread.

I want to give a shout to our teachers for their hard work and dedication during these past few weeks. They are working so hard to create meaningful lessons and keep the students engaged in learning. Even though students are not present in the building, I continue to witness wonderful things happening in the virtual classrooms. I know this is not what anyone signed up for, but our teachers are definitely stepping up to the challenge and I couldn’t be more proud.

The Faculty and Staff would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the wonderful school year that we have had so far. We know it has been a challenging year, but as a school community we have worked together and made the year a success. We want to thank each of you for the support and cooperation that you have given to St. Anthony School. St. Anthony’s is blessed in so many ways, and we are thankful and rejoice in our everyday blessings. The Faculty and Staff hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and a Blessed New Year. May your heart be filled with love and hope this holiday season for the wonderful gift of Jesus and the joy He brings to our lives. St. Anthony Faculty and Staff

Friday, December 18 is the last day of school before Christmas Break. Normally this is a ½ day and day of celebration for students and teachers. While this day will look different, we hope to still celebrate and make the day special for students. Teachers will have fun activities planned for this day. Students will finish by 12:00 on this day. Lunches will still be served from 11:00-12:00 for those taking part in our Drive-Through Lunch Program.

Christmas Break begins after school on Friday, December 18 and goes through January 1. School will resume on January 4th and we hope that we will all be returning to the school building.

First and foremost, I would like to say thank you to our students, parents, and teachers for all of your support and hard work during these challenging times. It is wonderful to be a part of a community that rallies together when times are tough. I am so thankful for everyone on this journey and I pray that you and your family are doing well. We definitely miss seeing the students in the building. We miss their smiling faces and the chatter and the laughter in the hallways, classrooms, and cafeteria. As I walk the halls, it is great to hear the teachers teaching and seeing students on the screen learning and interacting. Even though students are not physically in the building, I know learning is taking place and everyone is making sure it is a success. I am very impressed with our attendance during virtual learning. We have had very few absences during virtual learning. Students are checking in and attending Google Meets. This is key in ensuring that students continue to progress academically and stay on top of daily work. Currently, we are scheduled to return on January 4th and we are certainly looking forward to the time when we are together again. I feel confident that when we all return together, it will be with a greater sense of belonging and renewed perspective on being a part of St. Anthony School. I want to reiterate my gratitude for your continued support and wish you and your family good health and good spirits throughout the holiday season.