PARENT MEMO 18: January 4, 2022
Dear St. Patrick Catholic School Families,
HAPPY NEW YEAR
I pray that everyone had an enjoyable break and feels refreshed as we enter back into the
school year.
COVID CASES
We have several families that have tested positive for COVID over break. Since there has not
been any exposure at school due to the break, we are not sending out any notices.
Please be extra careful and diligent about hand washing, mask wearing and social distancing to
help us keep the spread of COVID out of our school.
There are new guidelines about isolation and quarantine. Please see below. However, we will
always call the health department and go over each individual exposure to get specific guidance
per each case.
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. We would greatly appreciate your assistance in getting this out to the field.
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).
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
• Do not have symptoms – should isolate from others for 5 days, then wear a mask for 5
additional days.
• Have symptoms – should isolate from others until fever-free and symptoms are improving.
Individuals should isolate for at least 5 days since symptoms began and then wear a mask
for 5 additional days.
3. Quarantine: Staff and students who are exposed to someone with COVID-19, and
• Not vaccinated – stay away from others for 5 days, get tested on day 5 after exposure, and
if they test negative, return to school while wearing a mask for 5 additional days.
• Vaccinated and eligible for a booster, but not yet been boosted – stay away from others
for 5 days, get tested on day 5 after exposure, and if they test negative, return to school
while wearing a mask for 5 additional days.
• Vaccinated, and have either received a booster or are not yet eligible for a booster –
individuals do not need to stay away from others, but should wear a mask for 10 days.
4. 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.
JOB OPENING
Saint Patrick Catholic School is seeking a full-time instructional teaching assistant. The full job
posting can be found here. If you are interested in applying for the position, please email
Christa Larkin at [email protected]
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. Please see this link for examples of acceptable shoes.
Leggings: Girls may wear plain, solid black leggings under their school uniform jumper, skirt, or
skort in place of tights.
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
January 4th Students return to school
January 17th NO SCHOOL, MLK Day
January 28th Spirit Day
SCHOOL DIRECTORY
Our school directory is ready. You can find it on the school website or via this link:
The directory is password protected: 4SPfamilies2Vie