Weekly Newsletter from Ms. McAllister

Weekly Rocket Newsletter
Friday, January 22nd, 2021

Rocket Families,

Happy Friday! It is hard to believe, but we only have one more week of January! It is COLD out, so please make sure all students have warm coats, hats, and gloves/mittens. We will continue to go out for recess when we can, and we want everyone to be as warm as possible.

Catholic Schools Week is the first week of February. Stay tuned for our list of activities coming out next week. We will have activities for all of our in-person and e-learners.

Finally, when we began the year, the Archdiocese, recognizing that there would be greater expectations of teachers this year than in past years, told principals to add 5 extra PD days throughout the year as teachers/staff needed them. We will be using one of those additional PD days on Monday, March 8^th. There will be no classes that day. Thank you for your flexibility in ensuring that teachers and staff have the time to plan best for our students.

Have a Blessed Weekend,

Gerit McAllister

A HUGE thank you to the AACA community “We Love our Teachers” group for the thoughtful gifts to our staff upon their return to the building! It was much appreciated.

If you'd like to donate to fund "We Love our Teachers" initiatives please go here. 19 families have donated $2,390 toward our $7,000 goal! THANK YOU!

Check out these BRAND NEW, rigorous, complex texts our third and fourth graders are about to dig into as part of the ELA curriculum they are piloting. Wow!

Updates and Announcements

We are looking for parent/relative volunteers to record a 5-10 minute video presentation about their job/career for our 4^th-8^th graders to watch during Catholic Schools Week for the Thursday “Vocation” themed day. I know it is short notice, but if you are open to helping out, please email akladis@aaca.school or gmcallister@aaca.school.
As you know, the Archdiocese canceled all winter sports. We will have information as to spring and summer sports shortly. I will communicate this to you when we are told.
While some people in our school and in our community have received vaccinations, it is important to note that there are no exceptions to our Covid protocols, even if you have gotten the vaccination.
Reregistration is open! Reach out to mbodlak@aaca.com with any questions you may have. The registration deadline is January 27^th.
As always, if you have any questions regarding Covid or any Covid procedures, please reach out to nurse@aaca.school or gmcallister@aaca.school.
We were told we would be receiving our calendar grids for the 21-22 school year soon. When we do, we will begin working on our tentative school calendar for next year. I will share that with you as soon as I am able.
The Archdiocese is determining whether or not we will be switching to e-learning following spring break. I will communicate any information regarding this as soon as I receive it.
The winner of the last Box top contest was Room 203! Congratulations! Room 203 will have the opportunity to choose something as a class reward (Covid friendly). Keep collecting Box tops until Feb 20th and your class could have a chance to win! Don't forget about digital submission, an easy way to turn in box tops.
SEEK 21 Parish Mission, Feb 4-7, 2021
We are excited to bring to St. Alphonsus FOCUS’ SEEK21 as our parish mission for 2021! The SEEK21 conference is a unique opportunity to experience a faith-filled, immersive four-day conference right here, virtually. FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) typically ministers to young adults on college campuses throughout the United States, but this year’s conference is open to parish communities, and all age groups from young adults to seniors.
You can register on St. Alphonsus' website here!

We are in need of small group leaders for this conference. For those willing to lead a small group, SEEK will provide training materials. Be sure to mark on the registration that you are willing to lead a small group! Questions? Please contact Associate Pastor, Fr. Patrick Gorman or Brooks Robinson, Pastoral Associate.

A Message about Testing from Ms. Strome

Parents,

Students will be taking their Winter Benchmarking Assessments the weeks of January 25th and February 1st. In-person learners and e-Learners will be taking the test at the same time. In-person learners will be monitored by the classroom teachers and e-Learners will be monitored by the classroom teacher, Ms. Strome, or another SST member. Login information for e-Learners will be emailed to parents the day before the scheduled test session. Please watch for more communication from your student's teacher regarding the day and time your student will be taking their assessments.

Similarly, to in the fall, students in grades K-2 will be taking iReady, and students in grades 3-8 will be taking the NWEA MAP test. Both tests will assess students' current progress in reading and math. The following links provide more information about each test.

Parent-Guide.pdf (nwea.org)
Parent Guide.pdf (i-ready.com)

Some reminders for both tests.

The tests are adaptive. Students begin with a question that is either below or at grade level. Then the test will either give them a harder or easier question depending on whether they got the question correct. The test will continue to respond to student response until a "just right" question and level has been found.
There is no time limit. Typical test time is 45 minutes to an hour. However, students have as much time as they need to finish these tests. K-2 will be taking each test in two sessions, lasting about 30 minutes each. Grades 3-8 will be taking the test in one session, lasting an hour. If students need time outside the scheduled sessions, the classroom teacher will work with Ms. Strome to determine a time for the test to be completed.
The test is only a quick snapshot of student ability. AACA gives students this assessment as a school-wide screener to help us flag any potential problems. It is also not the only piece of data that we look at to determine if a student is performing at grade level. Classroom performance, report card grades and teacher observations are also valuable pieces of information that we take into consideration when determining if a student needs academic support. If there is concern over your students' score, then you will be contacted by your student's homeroom teacher and a member of the Student Support Team.

Students do not need to study for these tests. The purpose of these tests is to measure what students currently know. Therefore, there is no way to prepare for the test besides getting a good night's sleep and encouraging your student to do their very best!

Travel

From the Archdiocese:

QUARANTINE CLARIFICATIONS – Jan. 20, 2021

A quarantine of 10 days is required for any/all domestic travel (i.e. travel outside of the state of Illinois)
- Quarantine is required regardless of whether or not there is a negative test result, and no matter how much time is spent in another state.
- Quarantine starts the day after return home.
International travel quarantine remains 14 days.
Close exposure quarantines remain 14-days at the recommendation of all departments of public health in those jurisdictions in which the Archdiocese operates and our own medical advisors.

Important Dates

January 27th - Deadline for current student reregistration
January 29th - 8th grade pizza lunch fundraiser
January 31st - Start of Catholic Schools Week
February 12^{th -}Professional Development Day: No Class
February 15^{th -}No School: President’s Day
February 16^{th -}Hot Dog Day
March 8^{th -}PD Day, no classes
March 12^{th -}Confirmation