Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Kindergarten Covid-19 Case

December 15, 2020

Dear Kindergarten Parents,

The health and safety of our students, staff and faculty at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs School as well as across the Archdiocese, is our top priority. We are committed to ensuring you have all the information you need on COVID-19 as we continue to navigate this public health emergency together.

As you know you have been informed that your child may have been exposed to COVID-19 as a member of the Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Academy community has tested positive for the virus. We are quickly taking all appropriate action and following rigorous protocols developed by the Centers for Disease Control, NYS Department of Health, and the NYC New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health). The CDC advises that any symptoms of COVID-19 appear between 2 and 14 days from the date of exposure.  

As a potential close contact of the individual who tested positive, NYC Department of Health has informed us that your child is required to quarantine for 14 days since the last date of contact on Friday, December 11, 2020 with the person who tested positive. The quarantine end date is Friday, December 25, 2020. In person learning will resume on Monday, January 4, 2021. You may have been or will be contacted by the Health Department about this quarantine, please answer their calls. Remote learning will be in place for those in quarantine and you will receive information from your child’s teacher.

Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. Quarantine helps prevent spread of disease that can occur before a person knows they are sick or if they are infected with the virus without feeling symptoms. People in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, monitor their health, and follow directions from their state or local health department.

Below is important safeguard the health of our school community: 

       The Health Department recommends you take your child for a COVID-19 test. Testing is important even if your child does not feel sick because some people with the infection have no symptoms. For information about testing, call your child’s medical provider, call 311 or visit nyc.gov/covidtest. Testing is free at many sites and available regardless of immigration status. Even if the result shows that your child was not infected with the virus on the day of the test, your child must stay home for 14 days while they remain at risk for developing infection. 

       Your child can leave home only to visit a medical provider, to get a COVID-19 test or in an emergency. It is important that your child stay home, even if your child does not feel sick, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

       If your child develops symptoms please contact your healthcare provider or in the event of a medical emergency always call 911. 

       In rare cases, some children have developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a new health condition associated with COVID-19 that can result in serious illness. Symptoms may include fever lasting several days, red or pink eyes, swollen hands and feet, rash, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, red cracked lips or red bumpy tongue that looks like a strawberry.  If your child develops any symptoms contact a medical provider immediately. 

       I would encourage you to visit the CDC website www.CDC.gov  and NYC DOHMH https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-main.page for additional factual information and resources. It is important to listen to facts and not respond to fear, rumor, innuendo, or social media. 

While we have all been diligent in fighting the spread of the virus, COVID-19 is still active in our communities. Monitoring for symptoms, staying home when sick, practicing social distancing, washing hands, and wearing a mask are the critical steps you can take to continue to protect yourself and our community.

We will continue to closely follow directions from public health experts and proactively update you on any measures we are taking.

Sincerely,

Andrew G. Woods, principal

 


 

Sunday, December 13, 2020

Week of December 14, 2020 Announcements

 


Friday 
December 18, 2020
2:00 PM
All Classes ---All Grades--Everybody

Christmas Recess

December 21, 2019- January 4, 2021
Last Day of School 
December 18th @ 2:00 PM 
dismissal for all students all grades.



Flu Vaccine Required for all students in PreK & Kindergarten

A reminder to parents that all students in PreK and Kindergarten classes are required under New York State Law to have an updated Flu Vaccine by December 31, 2020.

Students will not be able to return to school on January 4th unless they have the vaccine.  Please speak to Alba or Mr. Guzman if you have a question. 



Reminder that Chocolate Bars are  available in the school office to assist parents with their fund-raising.  Please speak to Mr. Guzman regarding the fund raising requirements on 
Smart Tuition. 
Parents in the PreK For All Program are invited to assist the school with this fund raising program but are not required.
Candy Bars may only be picked up during the morning drop off (7:45 AM - 8:00 AM) 


National Cupcake Day 
Tuesday ---December 15th 
Mr. Woods will be distributing cupcakes to students to celebrate this great day.

For all students entering Kindergarten.
Students in:
 Mrs. Rodriguez's Class
Mrs. Gonzalez's Class
Ms. McGarry's Class
Mrs. Schiller's Class
Scholarships are available for Kindergarten
Apply Now
www.ApplyCatholicSchoolsNY.org
for more information please see Alba or Mr. Guzman in the school office.


Monday December 14, 2020  
Feast of St. John of the Cross

                 Tuesday December 15, 2020                   National Cupcake Day 

    Wednesday December 16, 2020

Instructional Coach will work with students and teachers regarding Edgenuity

    Thursday December 17, 2020

    Lessons & Carols - Grades PK-8 in classrooms 

    Friday December 18, 2020 

    Early Dismissal Day -- 2:00 PM 


Students return to school January 4, 2021








 


            



 





Sunday, December 6, 2020

Week of December 7, 2020 Announcements

 



Early Dismissal Day 
Monday December 7, 2020
12:00 Noon - Faculty Meeting
PreK For All Program - Dismissal at 3:00 PM 

PreK For All Parents 

Thank you for making sure that the NYS BEDS data was collected in a very organized manner last week.

                       We are back to regular entrance doors beginning                     Monday December 7, 2020


Monday December 7, 2020

Mr. Woods will be distributing candy canes on Monday      December 7th in honor of the feast of St. Nicholas.


Tuesday December 8, 2020 

Mr. Woods will be distributing Brownies to all students on      Tuesday, December 8th after Mass. Mr. Woods would like to thank              Ms. Garcia, the after school art teacher, for baking the cookies last week and the brownies. 

Christmas Recess

December 21, 2019- January 4, 2021
Last Day of School 
December 18th @ 2:00 PM 
dismissal for all students all grades.


Flu Vaccine Required for all students in PreK & Kindergarten

A reminder to parents that all students in PreK and Kindergarten classes are required under New York State Law to have an updated Flu Vaccine by December 31, 2020.

Students will not be able to return to school on January 4th unless they have the vaccine.  Please speak to Alba or Mr. Guzman if you have a question. 


Reminder that Chocolate Bars will be available Tuesday December 8, 2020 in the school office to assist parents with their fund-raising.  Please speak to Mr. Guzman regarding the fund raising requirements on Smart Tuition. 
Parents in the PreK For All Program are invited to assist the school with this fund raising program but are not required.
Candy Bars may only be picked up during the morning drop off (7:45 AM - 8:00 AM) beginning Tuesday morning.

Monday December 7, 2020  Early Dismissal Day 12:00 noon
PreK For All Dismissal - 3:00 PM 
Celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas

Tuesday December 8, 2020
Feast of the Immaculate Conception Mass at 9:00 AM  Parents invited
National Brownie Day 
Candy Bars available from 7:45 AM - 8:00 AM 

Wednesday December 9, 2020 - National Llama Day 
Coach will work with teachers on moving forward with Edgenuity.
Candy Bars available from                        7:45 AM - 8:00 AM 

Thursday December 10, 2020
Candy Bars available from 7:45 - 8:00 AM 

Friday December 11, 2020 
Candy Bars available from 7:45 AM - 8:00 AM 







Sunday, November 29, 2020

Week of November 30, 2020 Announcements

 


PreK For All 

Parent Verification Week

November 30th -December 4th 

Parents of students who are in the PreK For All Program are requested to sign in and sign out each day this week.          Ms. McGarry will be at the entrance of the Church with         Mr. Woods with sign in sheets. Please take a moment to sign your child in for this week only and then sign out at the end of the day.

All students will enter through the Church doors this week so that this information may be collected.

If grandparents etc. are dropping off/picking students they can sign in for the parent. This is only for this week as data must be collected for the annual BEDS (Basic Education Data System). 

PreK For All Students that are remote are asked to be present each day this week.  The teacher will be taking attendance at the remote classes that are held daily.



Exhaust Fan Installation in Classrooms

On Sunday November 30th exhaust fans were installed in all the classrooms. These fans were installed at the recommendation of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) for complete air exchange in school classrooms. Reminder sweaters are a must this year as doors and windows must be open a little to have complete air exchange. Please make sure if your child loses things that their names are in the sweaters.


Catapult Learning Extended Day  

This a free resource for students who are experiencing Academic difficulties in grades K-8 or who wish to have an added push.

As you see from the information below there are only            31 students enrolled. 

If you need more information please contact either Alba or    Mr. Guzman and we will have Catapult Learning contact you. 

ELD Registration 

As of today, there are 31 students registered from your school. Registration remains open and students are grouped as they enroll. A summary sheet is attached containing each student with their registration status and Title I eligibility   


Parent Workshops 

Our Parent Workshop Series has been very successful so far and is continuing through the next couple of weeks. Parents can sign up for upcoming workshops at this link. Please feel free to forward it to your parents. 


Parent Program Orientations  

We held parent orientations in each borough over the past two weeks with great parent participation and excitement. 


The menu for December is available for parents. Please        e-mail Mr. Woods at olqm1@aol.com and the menu will be scanned and forwarded to you.


Updates

As you may know Washington Heights (below 190th Street) and the Fordham Road area of the Bronx were declared Yellow zones by the New York State Health Department.

What does this mean for Catholic Schools? 

As per Governor Cuomo schools would be mandated to have 20% of the staff/children tested once a week who are             in - person learners. This will all be arranged to be done in school.

The test is only administered to children/staff who are 6 years old and above and is a modified test wherein a Q-tip is used to swab the nose.

Should we become a yellow zone we will need to have this done and more information will be sent home along with permission slips. If a parent refuses to have their child tested then the child will have to go on remote learning module for the remainder of the school year.  

Mr. Woods will have a general Zoom parent meeting should this occur to speak to the parents directly.

As for now continued diligence of mask wearing, spacing yourself 6 feet away from each other and constant hand washing along with good nutrition.

Christmas Recess

December 21, 2019- January 4, 2020

Last Day of School 

December 18th @ 2:00 PM 

dismissal for all students all grades.


Friday December 4th - National Cookie Day 

Monday December 7th - Celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas- students will be receiving candy canes in celebration of the feast.

Monday December 7th - Faculty Meeting Dismissal at 12:00 noon

PreK For All Dismissal at 3:00 PM 

Tuesday December 8th - National Brownie Day 

Tuesday December 15th - National Cupcake Day 

The Edgenuity on-line program has begun for students in
Kindergarten through 8th grade.
The recommended time is 1/2 hour daily for each. 
The program has components for ELA (English Language Arts), Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.
Should your child have "lost" their login and password please contact the teacher through their school based e-mail which was posted on this blog 2 weeks ago or call the school office and leave a message with Alba.
Teacher's e-mail Addresses

The teacher's e-mail address are listed below so that  parents may e-mail their child's teacher regarding concerns about their child's progress.

As a reminder Mr. Woods is available in the school office for parents to meet with him on Sundays from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. No appointment necessary. 
Teacher's e-mails
Mrs. Fundora - mrsfundora@olqmnyc.org
Mrs. Rodriguez- mrsrodriguez@olqmnyc.org
Mrs. Gonzalez - mrs.gonzalez@olqmnyc.org
Ms. McGarry - missmcgarry@olqmnyc.org
Mrs. Schiller- mrsschiller@olqmnyc.org
Ms. Sanchez-misssanchez@olqmnyc.org
Mr. Taraza-mrtaraza@olqmnyc.org
Ms. Ocasio- msocasio@olqmnyc.org
Ms. Saville-mssaville@olqmnyc.org
Mr. Mattsson-mrmattsson@olqmnyc.org
Ms. Wong-mswong@olqmnyc.org
Mr. Bonilla- rbonilla02@olqmnyc.org
Ms. Alma- missalma@olqmnyc.org
Mr. Montas-mrmontas@olqmnyc.org
Mrs. Toscano- mstoscano@olqmnyc.org
Mr. Placido- mrplacido@olqmnyc.org

Monday November 30, 2020 - Feast of St. Andrew, the apostle
PreK For All BEDS Week

Tuesday December 1, 2020 - World AIDS Day
PreK For All BEDS Week

Wednesday December 2, 2020
PreK For All BEDS Week.
Instructional Coach will be working with teachers and students regarding Edgenuity.

Thursday December 3, 2020 - Feast of St. Francis Xavier
PreK For All BEDS Week.

Friday December 4, 2020- National Cookie Day 

PreK For All BEDS Week.

Sunday December 6, 2020 - Second Sunday of Advent 

Monday December 7, 2020 - Celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas -students will be receiving candy canes in honor this feast.
Dismissal at 12:00 noon.
PreK For All Dismissal at 3:00 PM












Sunday, November 22, 2020

Week of November 23, 2020 Announcements

 


School will be Closed 

Thursday and Friday

  November 26th and 27th 


Wednesday November 25, 2020

Dismissal at 2:00 PM 

All students, all Classes 

The Edgenuity on-line program has begun for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade.
The recommended time is 1/2 hour daily for each. The program has components for ELA (English Language Arts), Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.
Should your child have "lost" their login and password please contact the teacher through their school based e-mail which was posted on this blog 2 weeks ago or call the school office and leave a message with Alba.

New York City Department of Health Nurse's Visit
On Friday November 20th a school nurse from the Department of Health was here to begin to check student records. A number of students were missing physicals for this year. Parents will be notified by Alba or Mr. Guzman if records are missing. All records must be in student files by December 31st so that the child may return to school after the Christmas break.

Monday November 23, 2020 Feast of St. Clement I, pope
Please check that your child's immunizations are up to date.

Tuesday November 24, 2020 Feast of St. Andrew Dung-Lac
Reminder that flu shot is required for all students in PreK and Kindergarten.

Wednesday November 25, 2020 Feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria
Mass at 9:00 AM led by the students of the 6th grade
Mrs. Gonzalez will work with students and teachers regarding Edgenuity 
Dismissal for all students 2:00 PM 

Sunday November 29, 2020 - First Sunday of Advent 






Sunday, November 15, 2020

Week of November 16, 2020 Announcements

 

Wednesday November 18th

Classroom Dress Up Contest


Friday November 20th

Visit will include a visit to the classrooms and a review of the records for all students covered under Article 43

All PreK Classes

Kindergarten Class

Immunization records must be up to date before the visit. Records that are not up to may result in your child not being able to attend school in person or remotely. Please see announcement from NYC Department of Heath on this blog on October 18th.

November 14, 2020

 Dear Catholic Schools Families, 

As you are aware, there have been recent spikes in cases of COVID-19 throughout New York City.

 Since September 9th, our Catholic schools have provided safe in-person learning. We will continue to remain faithful to all the health and safety protocols and procedures as laid out by federal, state and city health officials and the Catholic Schools Reopening Plan. 

We intend to keep our buildings open regardless of decisions made by Mayor de Blasio regarding NYC public schools. Our Catholic schools operate independently of New York City public schools. 

In the event of a closure of public schools by the mayor’s office, we will remain open until the Health and Safety Task Force of the Office of the Superintendent, working with officials from the New York State Department of Health and the governor’s office determines otherwise. 

Thank you for your partnership in maintaining a safe and healthy environment for in-person learning. 

We intend to keep our buildings open for as long as safety allows. Sincerely, 

Mr. Michael J. Deegan 

Superintendent of Schools Archdiocese of New York


Sacramental Program 
Parents have been inquiring with Miss Alma about the sacramental program for the school. As with all other programs-before school, after school, robotics, biology -- the sacramental program is also on pause.
Our school opening plan submitted to the New York State Education Department in August specifically mentioned the cancellation of all programs until certain phases come into place.
The fact that many students from different classes  would be part of the program does not enable us to bring them to church on Sundays or have after school classes.
IF and when different phases come into action then the program will reopen. Patience and a deep devotional prayer life does not mandate that a child MUST receive a sacrament at a certain grade or time in their life. 
Health and Safety protocols are paramount to keeping our school open and functioning like we have for the past two months.

In Person Learning
Wednesday November 18th
Wednesday is the last day to have your child return to in person learning for this quarter. 
Please e-mail Mr. Woods or call Alba if you would like your child to return to in person learning.


Wednesday 
November 25, 2020
Early Dismissal Day 2:00 PM 
All Classes, All Students 

Thursday & Friday 
November 26th and November 27th
School Closed 
Thanksgiving holiday

Monday November 16, 2020
Feast of St. Margaret of Scotland

Tuesday November 17, 2020
Feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary 

Wednesday November 18, 2020
Mickey & Minnie Mouse's Birthday Celebration 
Dress up contents in each classroom 
Instructional Coach will be working with teachers regarding Edgenuity Program.

Thursday November 19, 2020
Last day for parents in all PreK classes and Kindergarten to have immunization records in school for NYC Health Department review on Friday.

Friday November 20, 2020 
NYC Department of Health nurse will be in building to review classrooms and students records.
TADS Cornerstone will reopen for parents for Quarter 2.