BSS Weekly

Dear Parents,

We are incredibly excited to welcome the children back next week! The teachers have been working hard to prepare for what is sure to be an adventurous school year. We wanted to provide you with some reminders and updates about the first week of school.

The first day of school for students in grades 1-8 is Tuesday, August 31st. This will be a half day which means students will be dismissed at 12:30 pm. Please be reminded, when dropping off the first day of school, students should remain in the car until a staff member comes to collect your signed Covid form. Please have one signed form per student.

All bags and boxes of school supplies should be labeled with your child’s first and last name and their homeroom/advisory. We will have extra tables available for students who have more items than they can comfortably carry.

Each day arrival will begin at 7:45 am. Students can be dropped off via a carpool line on either Chevy Chase Parkway on the curb next to the school or the Blacktop. (For the first week Kindergarten drop off should be at the Kindergarten courtyard entrance). We will have staff members present to check for green screening cards and to assist students with directions. Students arriving between 7:45 and 8:00 am will proceed to the gym or auditorium. At 8:00 am all students will report directly to their classrooms. Arrival ends at 8:15 at which point all students should be present in their classrooms. If your child arrives late to school, please be prepared to escort them to the main office (regardless of his/her grade level).

On a full day of school, dismissal will occur at 3:05 for all walkers (sibling and non-sibling). Walkers will be dismissed onto Chevy Chase Parkway. Parents should plan to park on Patterson or Nevada. Please avoid parking in front of the school, in the crosswalks, at stop signs, or in the middle of the street as this further complicates traffic. If you or your child need to cross the street, please cross at a crosswalk. At 3:10, carpool will be dismissed onto the blacktop. Please avoid arriving for carpool before 3:00 pm as you will not be able to enter the parking lot causing a traffic jam on Western Avenue. If parents arrive after the barrier has been pulled, please wait until the parking lot has been cleared and the barrier has been removed.

There will be no After Care during the first week of school. If you are interested in After Care for students in grades K-5, please complete this survey

Please be advised that Friday, September 3rd is also a half day (12:30pm dismissal). The following Monday, September 6th there is no school in observance of Labor Day.

We hope everyone has a relaxing weekend as they finalize their preparations for the new school year. We are looking forward to welcoming your family back next week!

Faithfully,

Chris Kelly

The lunch program will begin Tuesday, September 7.

All 1st-8th graders will need to bring lunch from home next Wednesday and Thursday (there is no lunch period on early dismissal days - next Tues & Fri).

If you would like to order lunch beginning September 7, please click here.

Please be sure your child(ren) has up to date health forms on file with the school health room. All forms should be emailed to healthroom@blessedsacramentdc.org.

Forms can be found online at bsstoday.org/healthroom.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope this letter finds you well and that you and your family are excited for the upcoming school year. The way we envisioned this joyous day has changed in the last month. As the Delta variant has quickly spread throughout the country and in the Washington DC Metro area, we have worked with our partners and school leaders to incorporate strategies to allow our students to return to school, in person, five days per week. We will continue to monitor protocols and keep you informed throughout the school year.

Due to the rise of COVID-19 cases both locally and across the country, including the increasing number of cases from the Delta variant breakthrough cases in the fully vaccinated, we must require that all adults and children wear masks inside all Archdiocese of Washington (ADW) school buildings, regardless of vaccination status, until further notice. This is certainly disappointing, but it is an important strategy to keep students and staff safe. Our decision is based upon the prevailing guidance from health experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), state and local health officials, and our consulting experts, all of which have recommended universal indoor masking in schools, regardless of vaccination status.

Our mask protocols are listed below:

Universal masking indoors for everyone age 2 and over, regardless of vaccination status
Masks are not required outdoors
Masks will not be worn while actively eating or drinking
Eating lunch outdoors is encouraged whenever possible
Keeping a distance of 6 feet apart is recommended when eating indoors
If 6 feet cannot be maintained, the greatest distance possible will be maintained with a minimum of 3 feet
Schools will consider other spaces for lunch to create distance (outdoors, cafeteria, vacant classrooms, hallways) or stagger lunch times so other spaces can be utilized
Ventilation will be increased throughout school buildings as much as possible

We are happy to report that the vast majority of our teachers and staff are fully vaccinated, and our school staff are vaccinated at a higher rate than the general population in Maryland and the District. We encourage everyone in our school communities to consider COVID-19 vaccines as a way of protecting yourselves and others. Please reach out to your health care provider to discuss a vaccine for your children as they become eligible. Please also know that our schools will continue to work closely with local health departments in the event of a COVID exposure, and our schools will continue to follow health department guidance and directives for quarantine and isolation. Our schools will also continue to communicate with you in a timely manner.

Last year, as we approached summer, we anticipated fewer restrictions. It is tempting to meet these protocols with disappointment and frustration, but we must look ahead and remain optimistic. God has once again given us the gift of a new school year. It’s another opportunity to serve His children and bring them closer to Christ. Let us celebrate this gift with joy. Let us give thanks and praise to our almighty God. Onward Together in Faith!

Please click here to review the parent health and safety updates.

Prayerfully,

Kelly Branaman

Secretary for Catholic Schools

Superintendent of Schools

Please be sure to review the Uniform Code before arriving to school next week.

School Supply Lists are available at SchoolToolbox.com.

Supplies should be brought to school on the first day. Kindergarten students should bring supplies to the teacher conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday.

For younger students unable to carry the supplies, there will be tables set up during morning drop off where labeled supplies can be left and will be delivered to classrooms.

Support Blessed Sacrament!

It's shopping season and one of the easiest ways to support the HSA and our school is by shopping through Amazon Smile!

Click here to shop Amazon and be sure to bookmark the link. Amazon will donate a percentage of all purchases to Blessed Sacrament.

If you use the Amazon Shopping app on your phone or tablet, go to the Settings menu and under Programs and Features click 'See all Programs' and click 'AmazonSmile'. Search "Shrine Most Blessed Sacrament" to add BSS to your rewards program. Then every time you shop Amazon on your phone/tablet, BSS will receive a percentage of your purchases, including orders from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods! Just remember to shop through the Amazon Smile Link! You can ask friends and family to consider registering as well!

bsstoday.org