PARENT MEMO 23: February 9, 2022
Dear St. Patrick Catholic School Families,
COVID UPDATE
We are still under the watch of the North Carolina Department of Public Health due to another
cluster of cases at the school. However, the number of cases at the school has significantly
slowed down.
Outdoor activities are no longer considered close contacts. Due to this change in the guidance
Saint Patrick Catholic School will move to masks being optional when outdoors. We will start
this on Monday, February 14th. Ms. Shea and I will continue to keep in contact with the
Cumberland County Health Department for updates on COVID guidelines.
REENROLLMENT
Please look for information on reenrollment that was emailed on Friday. I have also attached it
to this memo for your convenience. The reenrollment period for current students goes to the
end of the month.
AFTERCARE
The updated aftercare information for the 2022-2023 school year is attached.
GUEST SPEAKER
Middle school parents (5-8),
We will have a guest speaker from Catholic Charities on Monday, February 14th. Ms. Edith
Barton will be here to discuss various social issues concerning our students.
SYNOD 2021-2022
Earlier this year Pope Francis called on the entire Church to begin a synod process. Synod is a
Greek word meaning, “journeying together.”
Bishop Luis is inviting everyone in our diocese, including those no longer affiliated with the
Church, to provide feedback through an online questionnaire. Following the survey process,
which begins this week, in-person meetings will be held throughout the diocese to help the
Church hear the voices of the Holy Spirit and of its people.
Synod Survey
https://dioceseofraleigh.org/synodsurvey
English Prayer Card Spanish Prayer Card
SCHOOL OFFICE HOURS
The front office is open from 7:30am to 4:00pm. Please do not come or call the office during
afternoon carpool, which is from 3:00 to approximately 3:20.
NEW- UPDATED COVID GUIDELINES
NCDHHS has updated the StrongSchoolsNC Toolkit isolation and quarantine guidance to align
with updated guidance from Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, which outlines what
individuals should do if they contract or are exposed to COVID-19 to help slow the spread to
others.
The updated guidance changes how long and under what conditions staff and students need to
be excluded from school because they have tested for or been exposed to COVID-19 (isolation
and quarantine).
The StrongSchoolsNC Toolkit does NOT require students that are considered close contacts to
quarantine unless they develop symptoms.
1. Staff and students who have symptoms, regardless of vaccination status should – get tested
and isolate from others while waiting for a result. If testing is not possible, follow the guidance
below as if the person is positive.
2. Isolation: Staff and students who test positive, regardless of vaccination status, and
• Have symptoms – should isolate from others until fever-free and symptoms are improving.
Individuals should isolate for at least 5 days since the onset of symptoms and then wear a
mask for 5 additional days.
3. StrongSchoolsNC Toolkit guidance that remains unchanged includes:
• Individuals who are not fully vaccinated after a close contact in a classroom or other school
setting if masks were being worn appropriately and consistently by both the person with
COVID-19 and the potentially exposed person do NOT need to quarantine.
Schools are strongly encouraged to actively promote vaccination and boosters to staff and
families. Being up-to-date on vaccinations, including a booster, dramatically decreases the risk
of severe illness and hospitalization from the Omicron variant.
COVID TESTING
If you would like your child tested for covid at school, please click on the following link to
register.
https://home.color.com/covid/sign-up/start?partner=tf-stp-1272-students
UNIFORM POLICY CHANGES
There are some uniform policy changes that will occur over the remainder of the school year.
Sneakers: Students should wear sneakers to school daily, but they do not have to be solid black.
Moving forward sneakers should be “mostly black”. That means the sole may be white (or a
color other than white) and the sides may have an additional color. For example, the sneaker
may have a white Nike Swoosh, New Balance N, Adidas stripes, etc….on the sides of the
sneaker.
Leggings: students may wear plain, solid black leggings under their school uniform jumper,
skirt, or skort in place of tights.
Hair bows, headbands, and barrettes: Students may wear any color hair accessory to school.
VOLUNTEERING AT ST. PATRICK CATHOLIC SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS
We will be allowing limited volunteers in the school this year. If you want to volunteer at the
school, you must complete the volunteer application which includes attending a Safe
Environment Training (SET)class. There are some online training courses each month. Please
see below.
Safe Environment Training Calendar
In addition to attending the SET training, all volunteers need to complete an application with
the Diocese of Raleigh. You can turn your completed application into the front office.
Volunteer Application in English
Volunteer Application in Spanish
CALENDAR
February 21st- No School, President’s Day
February 25th – Spirit Day- wear your green and gold
March 2nd – Ash Wednesday; students will attend Mass
March 11th – Report Cards available online
SCHOOL DIRECTORY
Our school directory is ready. You can find it on the school website or via this link:
The directory is password protected: 4SPfamilies2View