3/31 Weekly Newsletter - Boletín Semanal

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March 31, 2021

Dear Holy Cross Families,

I have a small display of international flags in my office. Every once in a while, visitors ask about it and I proudly tell them that each flag represents a country of origin for our staff members or a country in which our staff members have previously lived: USA, Mexico, Paraguay, Chile, Honduras, Venezuela, Spain. I love any chance I can get to add an extra flag to the growing collection and feel blessed to lead a school in which celebrating and understanding a variety of cultures is seen as a foundational pillar. Our teachers in all grade levels and in both the traditional and immersion track purposefully highlight this pillar on a regular basis. They choose books with diverse characters and settings to read aloud and to assign to students, they spend time talking about various countries and cultures during morning meetings, and they love to share with one another and with their students the various cultures they call their own.

As I reflect on Holy Cross’ pillar of Culture, I also realize that our school culture, the environment we strive to create here at Holy Cross, is just as important as the diverse cultures we celebrate within our school community. One aspect of our school culture that I have been especially proud of this year is our ability to adapt to necessary changes and our willingness to try whatever is best for our school.

The pandemic forced us to think outside the box and to reinvent so much of what we do in order to allow for strict adherence to the CDC’s recommendation of 6 feet of social distancing at the beginning of the year. Not every school around us had the luxury to be able to do this. With the help of our school nurse who works at a variety of other Catholic schools in our area, we have been comparing our COVID-related data with these other schools and have discovered that schools that consistently ensure correct mask usage and that practice proper hygiene have had similar results, whether their social distancing was 3 feet or 6 feet. At the same time, the CDC has published new recommendations confirming this. Because of these insights, we have been in discussions with teachers and staff about how this data could change what we currently do at Holy Cross. Some grade levels could easily combine groups while still allowing for 3 ft. of social distancing and, by doing so, we would have the potential to once again offer opportunities such as in-person Music lessons, time in the gym, and extra small-group attention for students who need additional support or enrichment. The benefits of combining a few of our groups are many and, because we know we are capable of adapting when necessary, we are considering this option for after Spring Break. Please know that if you have any questions or concerns related to this, you are welcome to contact me directly at aborjas@holycrosscrusaders.org.

In the meantime, I wish you a very blessed Holy Week and Easter and I thank you for your continued support.

Annie Borjas
Principal

*****Please scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for more important information. ****

-------Versión en español-------

31 de marzo de 2021

Queridos padres y guardianes,

Tengo varias banderas internacionales en mi oficina. De vez en cuando, me preguntan sobre las banderas y les digo con orgullo que cada bandera representa un país de origen para los miembros de nuestro personal o un país en el que los miembros de nuestro personal han vivido anteriormente: EE. UU., México, Paraguay, Chile, Honduras, Venezuela, España. Ansiosamente espero la oportunidad de agregar otra bandera a la colección y me siento bendecida de ser líder en una escuela en la que celebrar y comprender culturas se considera un pilar fundamental. Nuestros maestros en todos los grados y tanto en el programa tradicional como en el de inmersión destacan intencionalmente este pilar de forma regular. Eligen libros con diversos personajes y escenarios para leer en voz alta y asignarlos a los estudiantes, pasan tiempo hablando sobre varios países y culturas durante las reuniones matutinas, y les encanta compartir entre ellos y con sus estudiantes las diversas culturas que consideran propias.

Al reflexionar sobre el pilar cultural de Holy Cross, también me doy cuenta de que la cultura de nuestra escuela, el entorno que nos esforzamos por crear aquí en Holy Cross, es tan importante como las diversas culturas que celebramos dentro de nuestra comunidad escolar. Un aspecto de nuestra cultura escolar del que me he sentido especialmente orgullosa este año es nuestra capacidad de adaptarnos a los cambios necesarios y nuestra voluntad de intentar lo mejor para nuestra escuela.

La pandemia nos obligó a pensar y a reinventar gran parte de lo que hacemos para permitir un estricto cumplimiento de la recomendación del CDC de 6 pies de distanciamiento social al comienzo del año. No todas las escuelas que nos rodean tuvieron el lujo de poder hacer esto. Con la ayuda de nuestra enfermera escolar que trabaja en una variedad de otras escuelas católicas en nuestra área, hemos comparado nuestros datos relacionados con COVID con estas otras escuelas y hemos descubierto que las escuelas que constantemente aseguran el uso correcto de mascarillas y que practican una higiene adecuada tienen resultados similares, ya sea que su distanciamiento social fuera de 3 pies o 6 pies. Al mismo tiempo, el CDC ha publicado nuevas recomendaciones que lo confirman.

Debido a estas ideas, hemos conversado con los maestros y el personal sobre cómo estos datos podrían cambiar lo que hacemos actualmente en Holy Cross. Algunos grados podrían combinar grupos fácilmente y mantener 3 pies de distanciamiento social y, al hacerlo, tendríamos el potencial de ofrecer una vez más oportunidades como clases de música en persona, tiempo en el gimnasio y otras actividades, al igual que darle atención a estudiantes que necesitan apoyo o enriquecimiento adicional. Los beneficios de combinar algunos de nuestros grupos son muchos y, como sabemos que somos capaces de adaptarnos cuando sea necesario, estamos considerando esta opción para después de las vacaciones de primavera. Como siempre, si tiene alguna pregunta o inquietud relacionada con esto, puede comunicarse conmigo directamente en aborjas@holycrosscrusaders.org.

Mientras tanto, les deseo una Semana Santa y Pascua muy bendecidas y les agradezco su continuo apoyo.

Annie Borjas
Directora

The diocese recently published revised guidelines for the celebration of Mass and sacraments in response to the improving conditions in the state regarding Covid-19. The diocesan directives have been updated in consultation with Catholic infectious disease specialists who participate in the Thomistic Institute’s Working Group on Infectious Disease Protocols for Sacraments & Pastoral Care and who are members of the Catholic Medical Association.
Normal singing by the congregation and the use of hymnals are now permitted. We can resume using the holy water fonts, and parishioners can again bring up the gifts of bread and wine at the preparation of the gifts. We can also resume having communion ministers distribute the Body of Christ and altar servers serve at the masses. Like our lectors and cantors, they will wear facemasks as they fulfill their ministries. The parish pastoral team met last week to discuss how to implement these and other revised guidelines between Holy Week and the Easter season… It is exciting to be able to resume many of these liturgical practices and ministries…

The Parish Pastoral Council would like your help as we prepare to return to some sort of normalcy and begin to have the opportunity to have larger events in person. Please help us by filling out the survey which can be found in multiple places.
Either directly with this link https://forms.gle/g3TEcAMuPaeMwGTu7 , through the parish website, on paper in the bulletin, or by picking up a copy at the parish office.
Thank you for helping us focus our efforts.

Important Dates/ Fechas Importantes

4/1 - Dress Down Day for a donation
4/2 - NO SCHOOL, Good Friday
4/5-4/9 Spring Break
4/12 - Classes Resume

LAST CHANCE!
Order your yearbook today! $23 Only online orders are accepted if you need help ordering, please call the school office.
Solamente ordenes en línea, si necesitan ayuda, por favor de hablar a la oficina.
Yearbook ID Code:
1013721
CLICK HERE TO ORDER

Please make sure to read through these ICCL guidelines before participating or attending sporting events this Spring.

National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 3-7 and preparations are underway to celebrate our AMAZING teachers. We would like to give both students and families the opportunity to send a note of appreciation to any teacher or staff here at Holy Cross. Simply click the button below and submit as many notes as you wish by Friday, April 16. HASA has big plans for these notes and can’t wait to share! Email hasa@holycrosscrusaders.org with any questions.

Teacher Notes of Appreciation

https://www.lentreflections.com/

https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/lent/best-lent-ever.html

https://www.morningoffering.com/

Barnaby’s Coupon Sales
Coupons are $12 each and good at the Grape Rd. location for a large (up to three topping) pizza. Anyone interested in purchasing can buy from the school or parish office. Please send in your payment to the school office or contact Annie Priebe at apriebe@holycrosscrusaders.org with questions.

St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joseph County Needs Your Help

We are asking those who can donate to please send any dollar donation to the Holy Cross St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. They will be assisting us in making sure we get the necessary resources to our needy families. You can make your donation here. Sign Up for Online Giving, a one-time donation, specifying for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Or you can send a check made out to St. Vincent de Paul Society to Holy Cross Parish, 920 Wilber St., South Bend, IN 46628.

Copyright © 2017 Holy Cross School All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
1020 Wilber St
South Bend, IN 46628

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Holy Cross School · 1020 Wilber St · South Bend, IN 46628-2637 · USA