“I will sing of your mercy forever, Lord, proclaim your faithfulness through all ages." Psalm 89:2
Message from the Principal
Dear St. Michael-St. Gabriel Families and Friends,

Once again we want to thank you for your flexibility this week with both our virtual instruction and also our Parent-Teacher Conferences. While we would have preferred to have seen you and your student in person for conferences, we felt it was best to limit the number of people in the building at this time. Report cards were mailed home on Monday of this week, so you should have received that already. If you have not, please contact the main office so that you may receive a copy of your child’s report card. 

Next Tuesday, we will be distributing a parent survey for all families to complete. This survey will be available in both English and Spanish, and while we will be providing your student with a hard copy of this survey to take home, we will also make this available to you electronically. This survey will ask you questions about your family’s experience and perception of our Catholic identity, the administration, the teachers, the curriculum, and other aspects of the school as a whole. We ask that you return these surveys to the school by the end of this month. Please note that no family names are needed on these surveys. If at any time you have questions about the survey itself, please reach out to me directly. 

Also, please remember that in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Day, we will not be in school on Monday. We ask that you take a moment to reflect on Dr. King’s messages of equality and peace and pray for an end to injustices in our world. As a community we need to find ways to build up one another and solve our problems through meaningful dialogue rather than violence. 

May you have an enjoyable weekend. 

God Bless,
Mrs. Ramos
Faith & Service
Prayer for Students

Lord our God,
in your wisdom and love
you surround us with the mysteries of the universe.
Send your Spirit upon these students
and fill them with your wisdom and blessings.
Grant that they may
devote themselves to their studies
and draw ever closer to you,
the source of all knowledge. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

R/. Amen.
Announcements
COVID-19 Guidance

Over the holiday break, I’m sure you were made aware of the recent updates to the CDC guidelines as they pertain to quarantining students or staff members who become infected or who have been exposed to COVID-19. Any student or staff member who does in fact test positive will be required to quarantine for five days and may return to school on day six as long as he or she does not have a fever (without the use of medication), is asymptomatic, and/or whose symptoms are improving but must continue to wear a mask at all times around others. 

Any student or staff member who becomes exposed to another individual who tests positive for COVID-19 will have his or her quarantine time determined by the following vaccination status guidelines: 
 
*If vaccinated and boosted (if eligible), the student or staff member may continue to come to school, but must remain masked and monitor symptoms. We ask that on day five that the individual get tested, or if symptoms develop at any time during the ten days, the individual should get tested as well.  

*If the individual is not vaccinated, or vaccinated and not boosted, then the individual will need to quarantine for five days and may return on day six if asymptomatic. If at any time the individual develops COVID symptoms, we ask that the individual get tested. 

As always, if you have any questions about this guidance, please feel free to reach out to us. We will continue to monitor guidance from the state and Marion County health departments and will make any updates of changes as needed. Please know, too, that if at any time we see a spike in our own cases here at school, we may alter the current guidance and impose stricter rules if we see it is warranted. Our hope is to continue to keep our students learning in school where they belong, while continuing to keep everyone safe. 
8th Grade Trash Bag Sales

It’s that time of year when we know many of you are beginning to bag up your leaves and clean out your gardens. If you are interested in purchasing trash bags from the school office, we are selling rolls for $11 a piece. All proceeds go to fund the eighth grade class trip. An initial order form was sent home with all students this week, if you are interested in purchasing any.  We do sell these bags throughout the year as well, so you may consider purchasing some in the spring as well.
Your 8th grade student may be eligible for a college scholarship! Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars program offers income-eligible Hoosier students up to four years of paid tuition at an eligible Indiana college or university after they graduate from high school, dependent upon financial need. Click on this link to enroll: https://learnmoreindiana.org/scholars/enroll/

Quiza su estudiante de octavo grado sea elegible para una beca universitaria! El programa de 21st Century Scholarship (Estudiantes del siglo 21) de Indiana ofrece a los estudiantes elegibles (según el nivel de ingresos) hasta cuatro años de beca para asistir a una universidad autorizada de Indiana después de haberse graduado de la preparatoria. Haga clic en este enlace: https://learnmoreindiana.org/scholars/enroll/
TUTORING TIMES
Now Hiring
School Social Worker

The School Social Work Program of Catholic Charities Indianapolis has an immediate opening for a school social work position at St. Michael St. Gabriel School for the 2021-22 school year. Candidates must hold a master’s degree in social work or counseling and must have or be eligible for a social work license or a school counselor license in the state of Indiana. Bilingual preferred. Please send resumes or inquiries to puminski@archindy.org.
Box Tops for Education

In case you haven’t heard, the collection of Box Tops is now moving away from the traditional clipping of Box Tops to now scanning your receipt! The new and improved Box Tops mobile app uses technology to scan your store receipt to find participating products and then instantly adds the Box Tops to our school’s earnings online. Simply go to your app store and download the Box Tops for Education app. Then choose St. Michael School (3352 West 30th Street, Indianapolis). It’s easy and saves you time! For more information, click here.