Dear Parents-
Celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. gives us the opportunity to reflect on the similarities between Dr. King’s vision for social justice, and that of the Catholic Church. We are united in our belief that individual self-worth is not dependent on race, gender, occupation or family background. In Dr. King’s vision, “Anybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t need to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” Powerful words to live by!
We are in Scantron week 2. For “in-person” learners, please make sure your children are in school during this time to ensure adequate opportunity to complete the tests. If you have specific scheduling questions or conflicts, please contact your child’s teacher.
Our COVID update this week starts with the report of more than 6,757 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Virginia in the last 24 hours, with 1,523 of those cases in Fairfax County. The current positivity rate in Fairfax is 16.5%; neighboring Loudoun County has a positivity rate of 14.2%, and Prince William County is at 19.2% positivity rate. The actual case count in Fairfax County for residents ages 0-17 has topped 6,662.
With the increase in the number of COVID cases in Fairfax County, it is imperative that you keep your children home if ANY family member is feeling unwell, or is undergoing a test for COVID-19. Thank you for your partnership with us to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
COVID cases in SJS families continue to rise. If the current trend continues, all in-person families should be prepared to switch to distance learning on short-notice. The expectation would be to switch to distance learning for a two week period so that families can quarantine and we can slow the spread. I will keep you informed.
If a household family member is identified as a "close contact", and "complete separation" cannot be maintained during the quarantine period, SJS requires that our student remains at home until the family member has completed their quarantine period. SJS adds this extra layer of caution to prevent unintentional exposure to classmates and teachers during the family member(s) quarantine period since the incubation period is from 2 to 14 days. VDH defines complete separation as "no contact, no time together in the same room, no sharing of any spaces, such as same bathroom or bedroom."
Mrs. Carson and I invite you to join our parent book club. The first book we will read and discuss is recommended by the Intentional Catholic Parent community and is titled The Power of Showing Up by Daniel Siegel, M.D., and Tina Bryson, Ph.D. See below for additional information.
Tomorrow, we celebrate the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States. No matter your politics, we know that truth matters, integrity matters, and the children are always watching.
Please let me know if you have any questions, or if I can be of any assistance.
Go to Joseph
(Gen 41:55)
Denise Rutledge
Principal
Building Wisdom and Faith Through Service to God
