We hope you enjoy the Irish Insider. For consideration in future editions, please email info@stcathschool.com by 12pm Monday for the Wednesday edition.

Thoughts with Mr. Watts

First and foremost, I wanted to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have have a safe, healthy, and relaxing holiday.

This pandemic has forced us to make sacrifices and lose the much needed connection with family and friends we all need. No matter how many (or how few) people are sitting at your Thanksgiving table, please keep in mind those who may be sitting at a table for one during this holiday weekend.

Ultimately, the holidays we miss this year will help us appreciate the holidays in the past and the future. Gratitude for what we still have, will get us through these challenging times.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to make the SPICE Drive-Thru Dinner a success. A special thank you to the Santorsola family for organizing such a meaningful event, Bob & Mary Ginn Ryan, and all of the staff, parents, and alumni that made it possible. It was great to see so many families participate on Saturday which directly assists our students at St. Catharine School.

Mark your calendars, the 2021 SPICE Dinner will be Saturday, March 13th in the Parish Hall.

A special thank you to SPICE for organizing such a beautiful and meaningful mass this past Sunday.

You can re-watch the livestream of the Mass of Inclusion, including the beautiful hymns, the amazing job of our student lectors, Bishop Brennan's powerful homily, and Deacon Augustine's farewell message.

Click here for more information about SPICE and the Mass of Inclusion Liturgy

This has been an very unique school year to say the least. Families have made many sacrifices, adjusted schedules on the fly, and have been forced to quarantine without much notice to keep all of our school children healthy.

At the same time, I would argue to say this has been one of, if not, the most challenging calendar year for teachers in the history of K-12 education. Teachers have also been forced to pivot without much notice to the ever-changing environments and requirements, have worked longer and harder than any year prior, and have had to accept even more responsibilities to best serve our students.

Teachers and Parents alike have been accommodating and understanding when it comes to the simultaneous (and often conflicting) role of keeping students safe and academically engaged.

One specific policy that we have kept consistent with past years is sending school assignments home with students due to an illness or family vacation. Assignments will NOT be sent home ahead of time for the previous two instances.

If a student is sick, it is important that student has the opportunity to get healthy in order to return to school.

If a student is on vacation during scheduled school days, that student should enjoy their vacation with their family.

In either scenario, assignments will not be sent with the student or a sibling while the student is sick or prior to vacation. Our teachers will work diligently to address any standards that may need taught and assessed that a student missed.

This policy is still relevant and important this school year. Although we are all more familiar with remote learning, the added stress of students transitioning between learning models is something we are trying to minimize. Teachers have been working extremely hard to best instruct, assess, and support multiple groups of students simultaneously. Lines of communication should stay open and enrichment is encouraged, but all assignments will be postponed until the student returns.

This year, there are four distinct attendance designations for students.

Present In-Person includes:

Present Remote includes:

Absent Excused includes any student that has a medical excuse from the doctor or teacher for missing school .

Absent Unexcused - Student does not have an excuse for missing school. This would also include a family vacation, tournaments, or any other reasons for traveling out of town.

Assignments will not be sent home with students prior to going on vacation. Please encourage your child to relax, recharge, pray, and read during the time off. School assignments can be made up at the teacher's discretion upon the family's return.

If a student must quarantine for any reason after traveling, the student will receive their coursework once they return from vacation and start their quarantine.

Any days missed while on vacation will be marked as an unexcused absence.

Any days a student is not in school due to quarantine, those days will be marked “present remote”.

 

Students will need to quarantine if…

Their family travels to a state with a 15% or more positive COVID-19 rate. Please refer to this website for an updated list of states that fit in this category and for more information.  

If anyone in the household has tested positive for COVID-19.

If anyone in the household has knowingly been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and they are showing symptoms of COVID-19.  

If anyone in the household is waiting on the results of a COVID-19 Test

If anyone in your household would have a Positive COVID-19 test result, you must notify Mr. Watts by calling (614) 949-7713 as soon as possible, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

We are required to post positive cases of students and staff on our website weekly. This data, along with other COVID-19 updates can be found at http://stcatharineschool.com/parents/covid-19/. Currently, we have 0 active cases and 3 cumulative cases with students and staff. (As of 11.23)

When to Keep Your Child Home (Updated 10.9)- This is a great reference for you to print and keep handy. You can also find a copy in Backpack Express

Document created by Columbus Public Health to answer commonly asked questions about COVID-19.

Please click on this link to read a letter from Adam Dufault supporting the message to school communities about gatherings over Thanksgiving.

Please click on this link for guidance from ODE on operating schools and districts in "Purple" counties.

rhazel@cdeducation.org

614-725-1977 school cafeteria phone line

614-477-3000 cell  

*this government program could end sooner

Formerly The Caller

This year, Home & School has decided to make the transition from the paper version of the Caller to a digital platform. We have selected DirectorySpot as the provider of this due to their commitment to security, integration into schools, churches and other organizations with great reviews and customizable platform. In the next couple of days, you will receive an email with an invitation to set up an account with DirectorySpot to access the St. Catharine directory. These will be sent to the email addresses that parents entered into Digital Academy. Please follow the instructions included in the email.

Once your account is set up, you will be able to access the directory through the web interface or you can download their free mobile app for Apple and Android devices from the respective app stores. The digital directory allows you to search for contact information by name, class, teacher, etc. Use the links in the directory to email, text or call a contact without having to enter information – you can even print PDF versions of the class list or directory if you miss the paper version!

If you have any trouble setting up an account or accessing the directory, please contact Stephanie Weber at stephanieaweber@gmail.com or email info@stcathschool.com.

Our current families enrollment period will be begin on Wednesday, December 2 and all current family registration will be due by Wednesday, December 16. Registration priority goes to families with students already attending our K-8 program. You will receive a registration form(Statement of Intent on the back)in the book bag of your youngest or only child. You can also print a copy below:

The following forms and a $100 deposit ( will be deducted from 21-22 tuition) are due in the school office by Wednesday, December 16

On Monday, January 11 at 8am, we will be opening up registration to our parishioners without students in our school. We are expecting another amazing year(21-22) for our Kindergarten program and we will not be able to hold spots for families that did not register during our current families registration period. Please do not hesitate.

On Monday, January 25 at 8am we will begin accepting registration from Catholics from other parishes and non-Catholic families.

If you have any questions about registration priority, please visit our website

The Kanowksy-Ey Scholarship was established to assist practicing Catholic families with financial need.

The Kanowsky-Ey Scholarship is worth $1000 to be applied directly to the student's tuition.

Interested and qualified families should download, print, complete, and return the application no later than the extended deadline of Friday, December 4th.

Unfortunately, due to lack of participation, we will no longer be offering afternoon latchkey. We will continue morning and mid-day latchkey for the foreseeable future. 

Registration is available by clicking on this link: http://stcatharineschool.com/parents/latchkey/

Candidates must have current BCI and FBI background checks (less than one year old), which are sent electronically to the Diocese or on file at the Ohio Department of Education, attend a VIRTUS Protecting God’s Children training (they are available online), and complete the online substitute teaching application for the Diocese of Columbus.

Please contact me directly at mwatts1@columbuscatholic.org with questions or to express interest.

St. Catharine School is seeking a part-time cafeteria assistant to start immediately. Hours are flexible and up to 30 hours per week.

Candidates must have current BCI and FBI background checks (less than one year old), which are sent electronically to the Diocese or on file at the Ohio Department of Education and attend a VIRTUS Protecting God’s Children training (they are available online).

Please contact Mark Watts directly at mwatts1@cdeducation.org with questions or to express interest.

Available for immediate pickup or drop off in 43209 area code

E-gift cards and Reloads can be done at anytime through the website or app (RaiseRight).

Do you have questions about saving money on your 2021-22 tuition? Reach out to Alli Brinkmeyer at stcatharinetrip@yahoo.com or 614.214.5428 with all your SCRIP questions and to get started or check out our TRIP/SCRIP page on our website

November 18, 2020

After much discussion and consultation with Pastors, elementary school principals, coaches, parents and the DRA Board, the decision has been made to postpone the start of the DRA basketball season until January.

With the recent developments and the precautions that are being taken by the state, we believe we are acting out of the best interest and safety of the children, their classmates and their families.

As of today, all practices and games are to be postponed. This also includes open gyms. A new DRA basketball timeline will be coming later this week. We are hopeful that the start of the DRA basketball games will begin the weekend of Jan. 16/17. This also includes the CYO programs.

Remember, this is a postponement, not a cancellation. The hope and plan of the DRA is to have a season in January and February. We will continue to monitor the situation and make changes as needed. Please stay safe, wear those masks and socially distance.

God Bless You,

Marty Raines—Director Office of Recreation

Adam Dufault—Episcopal Moderator for Education; Superintendent of Catholic Schools

Julius Palazzo—Boys’ Commissioner

David Oddi—Assistant Boys’ Commissioner

Mike Matthews—Assistant Girls’ Commissioner

The DRA Board of Directors

Ray and Mandy DeWeese have given much time and talent to help lead our girls lacrosse program at St. Catharine. They have decided that it is time to pass on the torch. If you have an interest in being the commissioner of our girls lacrosse program , please contact Mandy at deweesefam6@gmail.com. Ray and Mandy would be an integral part of the transition this spring.

The Lindy Infante Scholarship Foundation helps families who need assistance paying for Diocesan athletic fees. Please fill out the application and send to:

Marty Raines

Diocesan Recreation Association

197 E. Gay St.

Columbus, Ohio 43215

Commissioners needed

Please contact PJ Keiffer with any questions at 614-668-0134 or email, pkeiffer@gmail.com