Week of January 18, 2022
DATES TO REMEMBER
THURSDAY 1/20
PTO Meeting at 8am-9:30am

SUNDAY 1/23
Open House

MONDAY 1/24
NO SCHOOL

TUESDAY 1/25
Catholic Schools Week Begins

WEDNESDAY 1/26
Jr. High Mass at 7:45am

MONDAY 1/31
Progress Reports

WEDNESDAY 2/2
4th and 5th Grade Mass at 7:45am

Connect with us on Social Media and use the hashtags!
#spasfalconssoar
#loveourspasfalcons


Principal Notes
Dear Parents,
Currently, we are at what we hope is the peak of the winter surge in covid cases. Thank you for your support as we navigate this process of exposure, positive cases, and quarantine that is required to keep us all safe. We are continually examining our exposure management plan and we would like your feedback. Our plan is under the direction of the Pasadena Health Department and any changes we make must be approved by them.  

Currently, this is our practice:

  1. Anyone with symptoms must stay home and monitor the symptoms. They may return to school with a negative PCR test taken in a clinical setting and be symptom-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
  2. Anyone who tests positive must stay home and monitor for symptoms for ten days. They may return to school on the 11th day if the symptoms have been gone for 24 hours.
  3. Any vaccinated person who is exposed to covid must monitor for symptoms but may continue to attend school. They must take a PCR test in a clinical setting on Day 5 and must wear a surgical or KN95 mask.
  4. Any unvaccinated person who is exposed to covid must stay home and monitor for symptoms. They may return to school on Day 8 with a negative PCR test taken in a clinical setting on Day 5 or later and must wear a surgical or KN95 mask through Day 10. Without testing they may return on Day 11.
  5. Any person who previously had covid follows the pathways for unvaccinated or vaccinated persons unless they were positive for covid in the last 90 days and can show the positive case with a PCR test taken in a clinical setting. In this case, they are exempt from quarantine for 90 days from the date of the positive test. 

The change that we are contemplating is to number 4. Instead of the above, it would change to:

4. Any unvaccinated person who is exposed to covid must stay home and monitor for symptoms. They may return to school with a negative PCR test taken in a clinical setting on Day 5 or later. Upon return to school, they must wear a surgical or KN95 mask inside and outside until Day 10.

We are not looking to change any of the other practices right now. It is only number 4 that we are re-evaluating. We are doing so because we want to safely keep students in school and we want to reduce the pressure on teachers that having students out for long periods causes.

The Pasadena Health Department allows for the 5-day quarantine for the same reasons but also cautions that there are some risks with it. You can read more about it here.


And you can read here about the CDC quarantine guidelines.


Please complete the attached survey and let us know your thoughts.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SPASquarantine

Thank you so much. We value and appreciate your feedback and will continue to evaluate and update our protocol based on the health department guidelines, the safest policies, and what serves our community best.

Sincerely,
Jennifer
To view all of this newsletter's documents, click here.
Announcements and Events
Re-registration
Please click here to re-register for the 2022-23 school year.
Open House
This year's Open House will be this Sunday, January 23, 2022. Please look below for Open House times. Come visit your children's classrooms to see what they have been up to. Also, tell your friends to come to learn more about St. Philip the Apostle School!

9-10am Dedicated to prospective families
10-11am Current Families A to M
11am-12pm Current Families N to Z
Catholic Schools Week
Next week is Catholic Schools Week! Below are the themes for each day.

Tuesday: Miss Match/Crazy Hair Day

Wednesday: Patron Saint Day - Each class will pick a saint to be their patron saint for their class. On this day the classes can wear the colors of their saint.

Thursday: High School/ College Day- Wear clothes supporting your favorite high school or college.

Friday: Pajama Day- Students may wear their pajamas, to celebrate the end of Catholic Schools week. *** Pajama bottoms or sweats may be worn. No nightgowns or shorts are allowed. Please follow dress code guidelines***
Hot Lunch
Ordering is open for February. Go to www.boonli.com and use the school password falcon174 to create an account. 
Procare
Please remember to check your child(ren) into Procare every morning.
Falcon Fun Thursday
Falcon Fun Thursday is back for our second session!

Falcon Fun Thursdays are after school enrichment classes for students in grades K through 5. The session will be seven classes beginning Thursday, Feb 24 and running to Thu April 7. Classes are from 3:20 to 4:10 and are free for our students!
Volunteer Requirement Update Effective 1/19/22
All volunteer requirements must be up to date in order to volunteer on campus:

  • Virtus
  • TB
  • LiveScan Fingerprinting
  • Fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (14 days after second dose of a 2-dose regimen, and boosted if booster-eligible)

You will not be allowed to volunteer on campus for school or PTO events if anything is missing. If you are not sure, contact Estela Deocampo at (626)795-9691.

Please send a copy of vaccination cards including booster shot information for parents and students to vaccination@stphiliptheapostle.org

If you need school hours, but do not meet all requirements, please contact pto@stphiliptheapostle.org, and we will help to find off campus alternatives. 

You are required to complete service hours for Tuition Plans A/C regardless of vaccination status. 
Dine to Donate D.C. Fundraiser
Save the date! Join us at Los Tacos, February 6th, and 7th for Dine to Donate. A portion of all sales will be donated to the 8th Grade D.C. Trip. Click here for more information.
Financial Aid
Applications are available on our website now for the Catholic Education Foundation Tuition Assistance Program. Please review the parameters as they have expanded to include more income levels. Please apply if you qualify! 
Altar Server Training
Hello Parents,
We are trying to get altar serving started again! If your child is interested in altar serving and was not able to attend the trainings in December 2021 or January 2022 (which is very understandable especially considering different COVID issues), don’t worry!  Additional trainings are scheduled for Saturday (1/22) 9:30am-11am, Saturday (1/29) 10am-11:30am and Thursday (2/3) 6:00pm-7:30pm.

Click on the Sign up genius for the upcoming trainings in case you need to sign up or see the link below.

Also, please complete the form to choose your mass preferences and to register. For additional information refer to the flyer below. Click here for more information.

Please contact me at bleduff@sbcglobal.net or Carmen Partida at cpartida@stphiliptheapostle.org if you have any questions.
Covid Vaccination
Please send a copy of your child's covid vaccination card to the following email address once your child is fully vaccinated (14 days from last dose):
Directory Changes
We will publish corrections to the physical directory in this section. Please make a note of them in your directory. Changes are noted in bold.
Development
We are blessed! Getting closer to our goal!

Thank you to all those who have supported Blessed Are the Children (BATC)! We are grateful for all the donations and prayers!

BATC benefits all students during this school year. For more information, you can read our brochure.

If you have any questions, please contact Tricia Ortega at tortega@stphiliptheapostle.org
Health
Surveillance Testing
We encourage everyone to test this week. However, if tested positive for covid within the last 90 days, please do not test unless advised to do so by a healthcare professional. Recently positive person may continue testing positive for up to 90 days.

Make sure to send your child with the completed lab form and include your email address to receive results. Click here for the lab form.

Do not email your lab forms without first speaking with someone in the front office.

Testing Dates

  • Thursday: TK-5th Grade
  • Friday: Jr. High

Results are taking longer because of the current volume of cases in the county. Expect results within 24-48 hours.
Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests
Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of 4 free at-home rapid tests from USPS.com.

Here’s what you need to know about your order:
  • Limit of one order per residential address
  • One order includes 4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests
  • Orders will ship free starting in late January

Click here for more information
Covid Testing
Looking for a testing site? There is covid testing avaliable in Alhambra. Click here for more information.
Vaccine Information
CDC Information on COVID-19 Vaccination for Children 5-11 Years Old
CDC now recommends that children between the ages of 5 and 11 years receive the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine. Get more information and read CDC’s media statement at the link below. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/planning/children.html
 
Pasadena Public Health to Administer COVID-19 Vaccine to 5- to 11-year-olds
Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD) will begin administering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to children age 5-11 on Monday, Nov. 8. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation on Nov. 2 that children 5-11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Read the full news release at the link below.
Travel, Sick days, Covid-19 and Quarantine FAQ
  • Not sure when to stay home? Not sure when to come back? How about travel quarantine? Click here to review current protocols per the Pasadena Department of Public Health.
For your reference:

Decision Pathways for Students Screened for Symptoms and Exposures  


Travel Guidelines for Travel To and From California

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/COVID-19/CA-is-Open-Travel-Guidelines.pdf
Travel Plans

Thank you for helping keep our community safe!
Reminders
8th Grade See's Candies's Fundraiser
The Class of 2022 is very thankful for all of your support during their DC Trip fundraisers this year!  At this time, we have completed our Friday popsicle sales. Your support has been wonderful, and stay tuned for the Class of 2023 to restart sales this spring.
 
NEW ~ See’s Candies for Valentine’s Day!   Shop here anytime up to January 28th:


Gift cards do qualify for our fundraiser! 
 
Our 8th Graders all feel very blessed by your support, and look forward to a wonderful educational trip to DC later this spring.
Red Tie Bash News
Save the date for the Red Tie Bash! It will be Saturday, April 9, 2022 at Le Méridien Arcadia. Click here for more information.
Reporting Absences
When reporting your child out, please state the reason for the absence. Thank you for being a partner in keeping everyone safe!

You can report your attendance to Karen Conley at kcconley@stphiliptheapostle.org.
Amazon Smile
Need another reason to shop? Support St. Philip the Apostle School! Use Amazon Smile while shopping on Amazon. You will still get all the same prices, Prime deals, and free shipping, but through Amazon Smile, St. Philip can benefit from your purchases!! 

Use the link below to get started!
PTO
PTO News
We want to give a big shout out to Natalie O’Connor and Joy Majich for setting up our Vroman’s Book Fair before Christmas, and a huge thank you to everyone who participated. The event was a wonderful success! We are so thankful for our St. Philip families- your participation in all of our events is the reason our efforts have been so successful this year.  
 
If you are looking for a way to earn your school service hours- our PTO Traffic team is out there every morning keeping our kids safe. They can always use additional volunteers. If interested, contact Matt Hartman at traffic@stphiliptheapostle.org.  
 
The Red Tie Bash chair is looking for someone to shadow for Greater Giving- the online site for donations and auction. Michelle Alfonso is here for one more year, and we would love to have someone (or two) learn the ropes. If interested, please contact Kimberly Delaney at ptoauction@stphiliptheapostle.org. Feel free to contact her if you are also interested in getting involved with the RTB.  It is a fun way to earn your service hours. 

The PTO a meeting on 1/20 will be at 8:30am on Zoom. Contact pto@stphiliptheapostle.org
if you want the link.  
Jog-A-Thon Save the Date: February 25, 2022
We are excited to welcome back our 8th Annual Jog-A-Thon on Friday, February 25, 2022! Jog-A-Thon is a fun and energizing fundraiser for our entire school. Students will collect pledges/sponsors, then participate in a day of jogging at St. Philip the Apostle parking lot, completing laps. All contributions are made online at our dedicated virtual Jog-A-Thon website www.getmovinfundhub.com.

We want to promote a healthy lifestyle to our students and community. Please help us reach our fundraising goal by supporting our Jog-A-Thon. We have teamed up with Get Movin’© to make this event fun and profitable with online mobile friendly technology!

More information to follow!
Cherlene Stones & Karen Fojas
Jog-A-Thon Co-Chairs
Used Uniforms Office Hours
The Used Uniform Committee will be holding office hours the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month. Stop by the PTO Closet, outside of the Ministry Center, on Friday 1/21, 2/4, 2/18 from 8 am to 9am if you are in need of used uniforms or would like to drop off donations. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Used Uniform Committee at uniforms@stphiliptheapostle.org.
After-school Activities
Golf Squad Winter Classes
Golf Squad at St Philip the Apostle is for both new and continuing students and provides weekly opportunities for your child to learn the technical swing mechanics (i.e. putting, chipping, full swing, etc.) as well as the social skills required to enjoy golf, the clubs, and golf course (i.e. vocabulary, etiquette, rules, history, etc.) all under the instruction of an LPGA or PGA Professional. Golf is a very challenging and fun sport that can lead to college scholarships. So start early and start now...boys and girls! Even if your child already plays, it is great to enjoy weekly, convenient lessons from the pro. (Click Here to read more on how and why your child can benefit from continuing professional, golf practice with Golf Squad at your school.)

Below is the St Philip the Apostle specific link with additional info and online registration:

We look forward to building the foundation to enjoy golf for a lifetime together!
Ballet Classes
Ballet is back and we have openings for students. Ballet is available to our students in Kinder - TK. It is on Wednesdays from 3:15 to 3:55 in the TK rooms. Students are picked up from the school building by our teacher and walked over to the TK. Parents pick up from the TK.
We will start on Wed 1/19/2022 and have our culminating performance on March 9, 2022.
Registration is first come first serve and spaces are limited!
Service Hours
Volunteers for Open House
Looking for weekend service hours? Volunteers are needed to help set-up and clean up after Open House on January 23. Set up would start at 8:00am, clean up would start at 11:30am. If interested, please contact Tricia Ortega at tortega@stphiliptheapostle.org
Join the Traffic Team
Traffic Team needs volunteers! A fun and easy way to earn your hours - help out with morning dropoff and help keep our students safe. You can work one morning a week or more days if your schedule permits- 7:25 am- 8:00 am.  Sign up today If interested contact Matt Hartman at traffic@stphiliptheapostle.org
Parish
St Philip the Apostle’s Next 100 Years Survey Results
There are three opportunities for parishioners to come hear the results of our recent parish wide survey and discuss how this and other parishioner input continues to shape the vision for the next 100 years of St Philip the Apostle Parish.

  • Tuesday January 25th at 7PM
  • Sunday January 30th – Rolling presentations will occur after each mass
  • Thursday February 3rd at 6PM

Please plan on joining Fr Tony and the steering committee as we work together to shape the next 100 years of our parish story. You don’t need to RSVP in advance – but we look forward to seeing you there!
Walking with Purpose
Join Walking with Purpose starting Thursday, February 10th at 7pm. Click here for more information.
Service Hour Parish Guidelines
Attached are the updated parish service hours guidelines as well as the contact information for the parish ministries. Click here for more information.
Reflection of the Week
"I pray that God will greatly bless you with kindness, peace, and love!" -Jude 2
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