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Dear Community of Saints Families,

As mentioned yesterday, we measure safety by how things are going internally, as well as how things are going in our surrounding communities.  As a school community, our data shows that our safety procedures, measures and protocols have been impactful.  At this point, we have reports of one positive case in the school, and nine quarantines due to close contact outside of school.  However, looking at our surrounding community data-today's county COVID case numbers have spiked at a concerning rate, and are expected to continue growing at a rapid rate.  

To paint a picture of this more recent and anticipated spike, below is the threshold for recommendations to school models in response to cases per 10,000 in counties:
Yesterday's release of case information displays the average for the dates of 10/18-10/31.  You will see below that Dakota County jumped from 33.5 to 49.35, and Ramsey County from 34.26 to 49.95.  It is projected to spike more from these last two weeks, and expected to continue rising through the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season.

County Data

As we have stated from the beginning, safety of our students and staff is our number one priority.  With the numbers where they are, and projected to go, we have made the difficult decision to pivot to K-8 full distance learning beginning Monday, November 30th (after Thanksgiving).  From there, we plan to stay in distance learning until January 11th as already planned, but will be monitoring numbers to ensure that we feel we can properly manage a safe return to school.

What this means:

-We plan to continue Prek to some capacity.  Katie Hartz will email preschool families with details.  
-Extended Day will be offered.  Information about enrolling will go out early next week. 
-K-8 will continue in its current model until Thanksgiving break, unless unplanned circumstances or internal data speak otherwise.
-Our school has been ready for this shift-we are committed to continuing to provide our students with access to high quality education.
-K-1 teachers will be working to prepare our K-1 students for distance learning, as this is new territory for our in-person learners this school year.
-Grades 2-8 Zoom calls and class routines will stay as consistent as possible during distance learning.

What this does NOT mean:

-This does not mean we are not returning to the building for the remainder of the school year-we feel very confident that the preventative measures we are taking will allow us back in the building soon, and as long as our surrounding community spread reduces and stabilizes.  

Please be on the lookout for more information from the school, as well as from you student(s)' classroom teacher regarding classroom specific details over the next week.

Thank you again for your partnership, and please feel free to reach out any time with questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Bridget Kramer
Principal
IMPORTANT CALENDAR CHANGE!!

You may have noticed on the calendar that we originally planned for Group B to attend in-person school on Monday, November 23rd and Tuesday, November 24th, due to in-person day count. 

Now, due to the timing of our shift and plan to prepare students, we will resume with our normal schedule of Group A students attending Monday, November 23rd and Tuesday, November 24th.  This way, Group B will leave Friday, November 20th, with everything they need for full distance learning, and Group A will leave school Tuesday, November 24th, with everything they need for full distance learning. 
COS Response to COVID19
 
MDH Family Guidelines for Student School Attendance: HERE

Face Masks at COS: HERE

MDH Decision Tree for People in Schools, Youth, and Child Care Programs: HERE

MDH Screener to Complete at Home and at Entrance Into School: HERE

Our NEW Student Pick Up Procedures-ALSO, K-8 students with PreK siblings will go to Preschool pick-up zone at end of day: HERE

Our Cafeteria Layout for Safe Lunch Procedures: HERE

Frequently Asked Questions Page from Family Zoom Sessions: HERE

"Back to School Plan":
 

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OUR MISSION

We are committed to providing every one of our students a sense of belonging within a community rooted in faith, inclusivity, and love. Together with their families, we create a foundation to achieve excellence by developing each students' unique God-given talents.
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Community of Saints School · 335 Hurley St E · West St Paul, MN 55118-1605 · USA