Week of January 10, 2022
DATES TO REMEMBER
MONDAY 1/17
Martin Luther King Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL

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


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


Principal Notes
Dear Parents,

We received the new guidelines from the Pasadena Department of Public Health. It is important that you understand that we are under their jurisdiction. LA County and the CDC also have guidelines but we work with Pasadena. Their guidelines include alternatives that are considered less stringent and therefore less safe. In some cases, we have decided to follow the more stringent guidelines. We are doing this so that we can keep students safe and in school. We know that students need to be here learning, not doing remote learning at home and by choosing the more stringent guidelines we are doing all we can to keep our students here.

Here is a highlight of the new guidelines per the PDPH.
 

  • Added strong recommendation for all eligible staff and students to receive a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine in addition to the primary series.
  • COVID-19 testing requirement added for all close contacts permitted to remain in school immediately after exposure, regardless of vaccination or booster status.
  • Masking now required for all outdoor activities where physical distancing is not possible, except while eating or drinking.
  • Staff are required to wear upgraded masks (surgical mask or higher-level PPE).
  • Students are strongly recommended to wear well-fitting non-cloth masks of multiple layers of non-woven material with a nose wire.
 

  • Updated quarantine, testing, and masking guidance for persons exposed to COVID-19 in TK-12 schools to align with new California Department of Public Health isolation and quarantine guidance for the general public.
  • Clarified that schools have the option to maintain a lower-risk exposure management plan (EMP) with stricter isolation and quarantine requirements than this PPHD EMP guidance, which should be considered a minimum.
  • Added a requirement for close contacts who are exempt from quarantine to test on Day 5 after the last exposure date, in order to remain in school.
  • Clarified that exposed students under modified quarantine at school must continue to monitor their health and mask at all times (indoors, outdoors, and on school buses/transports) for 10 days from the date of last exposure, even if released from quarantine after a negative test on Day 5.  
  • Added strong recommendation for all eligible staff and students to receive a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine in addition to the primary series.
 
 
I know that quarantine is difficult and I appreciate that so many of you have worked with us to keep everyone safe. We have fully vaccinated staff who are quarantined right now and they are doing the full ten days. Although the CDC put the five day option into effect mostly for essential workers, it is not the safest route and Pasadena has given schools the ten day option and actually recommends it. For the person in quarantine it is a long time, but for the rest of the class it is the best way to be certain the person is no longer contagious before they return.  
 
Thank you for hanging in there with us. We appreciate our families and all you do to support the school.  
 
Please stay safe and may God bless you and your families.
 
Sincerely,
Jennifer
 
PS Attached are two documents; The first is a letter from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Escala, and the second is a flow chart to help you better understand our protocols
 
 
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.
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!
Open House
Save the date! This year's Open House will be on 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
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.
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.
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.

Address Update:
Luna Bravo & Family
3225 Stockbridge Ave.
Los Angeles, Ca 90032
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. 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.
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
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!
Sports
B Basketball (5th and 6th) - Save the Date
B Basketball tryouts are coming!

B Boys Basketball - Tue 1/11 3:30 to 5:00
B Girls Basketball - Wed 1/12 3:30 to 5:00

* All athletes must wear the Falcon Athletic Shorts for practice. These are sold by our uniform company, CKW.
PTO
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
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
"The Lord will stay with you! Whenever you seek Him, you will find Him." - 2 Chron. 15:2
CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA