Dear Sts. Simon & Jude School Community,

Our school received instructions from the Diocese of Orange for completing the Waiver Application on Thursday, August 6, 2020. In order to maximize efficiencies in the review process and timeline, we submitted our specific SSJ application to Superintendent Barisano who compiled all waiver applications for our Diocese for group submission to the Orange County Health Department (OCHD). The OCHD has informed the Superintendent's Office that it could take up to two weeks to have the application approved or denied.

Please read the latest version of our SSJ Health and Safety Plan which has been posted on our website, and now includes more specific information as to the processes we will follow to reduce viral activity. It also includes steps (provided by the Diocese) we will take in the event of a known exposure to COVID-19.

As you are likely aware, Governor Newsom has not issued any waiver options for students above grade 6 because the transmission rate increases after the age of 12. If the current waiver for SSJ is approved, we will begin in-person instruction on September 8th for grades TYKE through 6, and Distance Learning for 7th and 8th grades. We remain hopeful that Orange County will soon meet required thresholds in county data monitoring for a period of 14 days, which would allow us to begin with in-person instruction for all grades.(For more information on the available waiver, please refer to the California Department of Health.) If new waiver opportunities arise, we will of course continue to pursue all available legal options that apply to our school. In the meantime, we are committed to delivering high-quality, robust, and comprehensive distance learning to our 7th and 8th graders until all students can join us on campus. We are also working diligently with the Diocese to explore other options as it relates to bringing our 7th and 8th graders here on campus. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you posted on any updates. 
 
For those of you who took the survey and provided comments, we will be carefully and thoughtfully reviewing all feedback as we work together to navigate the prospect of the new school year in the midst of a pandemic.
 
As always, thank you for your prayers and support.

Peace and health,
Mrs. Denise Grant,
Principal, Sts. Simon & Jude Catholic School