November 2020

Hello Parents,

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good: his love endures forever.”
(Psalm 118:1)

I pray that you are all doing well and staying healthy.

First, I would like to say a BIG thank you to members of our community. I am grateful to all of the many parents who answered the call to help at lunch and recess. Your extra help has the lunch/recess time frame running smoothly. Also, the Men’s Club, PTO and CWL have gone together to purchase microphones for the teachers. Speaking through the mask all day long can be taxing on the voice, and the microphones are a very thoughtful gift. In addition, several parents have purchased items on the teachers’ wish list. Thank you! Thank you! I feel blessed to be part of such a generous and kind community.

Attached to this letter is the Reminders of the Protocols and Procedures from our Reopening Plans. This one page document highlights the most important details from the reopening plan, for instance, when to keep your child home and how to access missed work. I suggest everyone prints this document and keeps it handy as a resource to answer your questions. Also, I want to remind you that you can access the complete Reopening Plans under Links in Fast Direct.

With the recent announcements from Governor Parson and Sam Page, I have had some questions about our plans moving forward. First, the Archdiocese had announced this summer that all schools should follow the guidelines of the CDC and the County Health Department in the county the school resides. As a school located in St. Louis County we are required to follow the guidelines put forth by Sam Page so we will not be loosening our guidelines on when to quarantine. If a person is near someone for an extended period of time that tests positive, they will need to quarantine too. This practice has served us well since we have not had any cases of transmission at school.

It is also our plan to continue to meet in person as long as we can safely do so. We have only had 4 positive cases, and those cases did not lead to a further spread within our building. With this being said, it is important that all of us follow the guidelines of wearing a mask, social distancing and avoiding large groups. The things we do outside of school can impact our ability to safely remain in school.

With several days off next week for the Thanksgiving holiday, I am asking families to be especially vigilant. When we return, if any family member is displaying symptoms which might be Covid, please keep your children home until you have consulted their healthcare provider. If you travel over the holiday, you may consider remaining home for a couple days to be certain that no one develops symptoms. We all have a big responsibility to keep our entire Holy Redeemer family safe. Thank you for all of your efforts to keep the rest of us safe!!

We have been blessed with beautiful weather this fall which has allowed us to eat lunch outside on most days. Please pray that the great weather continues so we can remain outdoors for lunch. As we all know, Missouri weather changes frequently, if we have warm days scattered throughout the winter, we will eat outside on those days. Also, please be sure your child is prepared for the weather and send them with coats, gloves, and hats, as needed. Even when it is too cold for eating outdoors, we will go outside for recess.

We are making a change to the reopening plans. Beginning on November 30, when it is too cold to eat outdoors, we will allow ONE class from Kindergarten through second grade to eat in the cafeteria. The teachers in these three classes have indicated that it is difficult for the students to be in their classroom all day. While eating in the cafeteria they will only sit on one side of the table with everyone facing the same direction. They will also be socially distanced since they need to unmask to eat. The older students will continue to eat in their classrooms when not outside.

Another question I have been asked by several students: what will we do when it snows? I have chosen to honor snow days. Yes, we could go virtual for the day, but 2020 has taken so many things away from children. I refuse to take away the simple joy of having a snow day. So we can continue wearing our PJs inside out and backwards, placing an orange in the freezer and a spoon under our pillows. If we have snow this winter, let’s plan on being outside building snowmen and riding our sleds.

This year when I gather with my immediate family for a simple Thanksgiving meal, I will be thinking and praying for all of you. I will be giving thanks for being part of such a wonderful parish family.

God bless you,

Pam Galluzzo