November 19, 2020

Dear SPC Families,

We are officially wrapping up our first trimester! I know many of us did not think we would be in school this long. I am grateful for each day of in person instruction. Please know that in the near future, we will continue to look at our local situation day by day. I pray you all have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. 

This letter includes the following:

  • Thanksgiving Travel-what to do when you return to school.
  • Current Covid Dashboard
  • Adopt a Family 2020--it will look a little different this year.
  • Re-enrollment for 2020-2021 --COMING SOON!

THANKSGIVING TRAVEL:

If you will be traveling ANYWHERE over Thanksgiving vacation (except for Hawaii, Maine and Vermont)--the information below applies to your family:

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/emergency-travel-order.html

THIS COULD CHANGE WHILE YOU ARE TRAVELING--PLEASE CHECK THE STATUS  IF YOU ARE TRAVELING.

I TRAVELED TO A RED STATE WHAT DO I NEED TO DO? 

Your child MUST STAY home and quarantine for 14 days prior to returning to school. EVEN IF YOU RECEIVE A NEGATIVE TEST, you will be required to quarantine. 

I TRAVELED TO AN ORANGE STATE, WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO RETURN TO SCHOOL?

If you will be traveling to an Orange list state, travelers must receive a negative test result no longer than 72 hours prior to arrival in Chicago. 
After the test you must avoid large social gatherings, practice social distancing and wear a mask. 

If you cannot take a test prior to arrival, you have the option to take a post-arrival test under two conditions:

  1. You quarantine at home until you receive a negative test result
  2. The test must come from a private test provider (you cannot use a CDPH community-based testing site to fulfill the travel order requirement due to limited testing capacity at these locations).

If you cannot be tested for COVID-19 prior to arriving in Chicago and do not take a post-arrival test, you must quarantine for 14 days (or the duration of your stay, whichever is shorter).

What does my child need to do to return to school?
IF YOU HAVE TRAVELED, YOU MUST SUBMIT EVIDENCE OF THE NEGATIVE TEST TO Mrs. Foy, Mrs. Fletcher and Dr. M prior to returning to school on November 30, 2020. Do not send your child to school if you have not submitted this test result. We will only accept a copy of the results.

I TRAVELED TO A YELLOW SATE ( HAWAII, VERMONT AND MAINE)
If you are traveling to a Yellow list state, you do not need to have a test or quarantine.

COVID DASHBOARD

Pages from THURSDAY MAILING November 19


Adopt A Family Christmas Donations -It will look a little different this year
SPC has a long standing tradition of partnering with the parish social service ministry to ensure that needy families in our community have a wonderful Christmas. This year, given Covid protocols, we are unable to collect actual gifts. The Adopt A Family program will collect funds and purchase gift cards so families can purchase their own gifts. Given the timeline, we are asking that funds are collected by November 30, 2020. 

Please consider making a donation to the adopt a family program so that our school can continue this beloved tradition this Advent. Please click below to make the donation.
100% of these proceeds will go towards the adopt a family program in the Social Service Ministry.

Adopt-A-Family


COMING SOON--- RE-Enrollment for the 2021-2022 School Year:
Yes, we have already begun planning for next year! Re-enrollment will open for all our current families on December 1, 2020. Please look for an email from me on December 1st for directions on how to re-enroll your child for next school year. The letter will include next year's tentative calendar, 2021-22 tuition and fees, and directions on how to re-enroll your child. We have considerable interest in enrollment across all grades for next year and already have many applications. If you plan on returning to SPC, it will be important to complete the re-enrollment by January 20th.  All re-enrollment will be processed through FACTS (the same platform you used this summer).

Re-enrollment Fees: 
December 1, 2020-December 31, 2020

Complete your Early Bird registration and fee of $75 per student.  

January 1, 2021-January 20, 2021 
The re-enrollment fee increases to $125 per student. 

After January 20th:
The re-enrollment fee increases to $175 per student.


School Board Election
Please see the important election details directly below my letter. 

Finally, please read the rest of this week's newsletter so you don't miss out on upcoming events and programs!

Peace,

Dr. Erika Mickelburgh
Principal


SPC School Board Election
The SPC School Board is holding an election to fill 2 vacancies for terms that run through May 2023. We are fortunate to have 11 candidates interested in serving on the Board.

- Online Voting will be open from today, Thursday, November 19th through Monday, November 30th.
- School parents & registered parishioners are eligible to vote.
- To review the candidates' personal statements then cast your vote, click here for the online ballot: https://forms.gle/SfwX8zmSJPcQBFwz8

If you have any questions, feel free to contact SPC School Board President, Siobhán Haugh, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 773.791.0570.

Thank you for your participation.


Dear Current SPC Families,
We are excited to announce that enrollment for new students for the 2021-2022 school year is now open! If you will be enrolling a new student for the 2021-2022 school year, please click the application link below. A completed application is required for all new students. 

Re-registration for current SPC students will begin on December 1, 2020.  

To complete a new student application for the 2021-2022 school year, please click below:

New student application for 2021-2022 


Student Council Wear Blue for JDRF Tomorrow, November 20th!

Dear SPC Students,

Tomorrow, November 20th, students may wear a blue top (with out of uniform bottoms) if they bring in a donation of $1 or more for JDRF. All proceeds will be donated to JDRF! 
Also, students who have purchased Culver's ice cream will receive it tomorrow, November 20th.
Classes who are quarantined (until after break) will receive their ice creams the day they come back to school. People who are individually quarantined are asked to contact Student Council (Mrs. Schultz or myself) to determine when they can get their ice cream.  

Thank you for supporting JDRF! Please read our JDRF flyer for the details.
Caitlin Vengazo
Student Council President

Do You Want To Build A Snowman!?

Snowman Flyer
Spreading SPC Cheer During This Year...click here!
We are so excited for our first annual snowman decorating contest! To get an understanding of how many families are interested in participating, please complete the form. The kit is $40 and each family will receive one 3ft wooden snowman and stake to decorate however they wish- have fun! A link to pay will be sent to all participating families prior to snowman pick-up day. All families must sign-up before December 18th. We will then reach out to all participating families to pick-up their kits outside of school in January and will send a google photo link to submit your finished creation! All photos must be submitted by February 5 and winner will be announced and given a fun prize! We will be sharing all the fun snowmen throughout January and February to spread cheer in the New Year!! Please email Meghan Waldeck any time with questions at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Home & School Association

Perrys Flyer 1 
It is simple! Take a night off from cooking and order from Perry's either night! Bring your Perry's receipt to school on Monday, November 30th, and students may come out of uniform. Thank you for supporting our local restaurants! 

Please click here to download the Perry's Pizza flyer. 


 

Book Fair FNL Image
Our Virtual Bookfair is starting on November 23rd and running through December 6th! 
Click here to open up the Virtual Scholastic Bookfair. You will be able to start purchasing on November 23rd. 
Holiday Gift Cards through TRIP & Distribution Update
We are re-opening Shop With Scrip for physical gift card orders during the month of November only. During November 1 - 30, you will have the option to order physical gift cards for the holidays. All gift cards will be available for pick up the week of December 7th. Orders must be placed through https://shop.shopwithscrip.com/, or if you would prefer to place your order with a manual check, you can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. After November 30th, only e-cards will be available until further notice.

For rebates from previous orders: all orders that were made through 9/30/20 will be credited by the end of November to your FACTS account. The next distribution of rebates will take place in February.


The yearbook committee has started working hard on this year's yearbook. We are looking for photos from the first day of school. Please feel free to add any photos to this shared folder. We will be asking for other photos throughout the school year to add to the yearbook.

First Day of School Photos for Yearbook



REGISTER NOW for the Winter Session 2020-2021 of Chess-Ed's Virtual Enrichment Program! Classes Begin November 30th!

Dear SPC School Families,

If you haven't already heard, Chess-Ed has gone virtual! Keep your chess skills and game playing sharp and register now for our 10-week Winter 2020-21 session. Classes begin on 11/30/20 and extend through 2/19/21.

Using Zoom, lichess.org, and other chess software, our instructors will deliver organized and interactive online lessons, thought-provoking puzzles, and time for student game playing and instructor oversight/feedback, similar to our in-person programming.

Our 55-minute virtual lessons are offered every weekday after school, at 4, 5, and 6 pm with Beginner, Novice, Continuing, and Advanced program levels to appeal to students with a wide variety of chess knowledge and skills. The program is open to all students in all grades.

To register, go to www.a-winter-virtual-chess-ed.eventbee.com. Spread the word!

Chess-Ed instructors look forward to seeing your chess enthusiast in class. JOIN TODAY!

Please click here to download the flyer.


FROM THE PARISH

We have an active and vibrant parish and encourage everyone to read the weekly bulletins for Fr. Britto's weekly letter and stay informed about all upcoming events and programs. 
Please click here for the latest bulletin.

Virtual Blood Drive
St. Paul of the Cross will be coordinating a virtual blood drive from Nov. 23 until Dec 23 (note that this blood drive has been extended to include an entire month) Anyone who would like to participate can make an appointment at one of the many Vitalant donor centers and use our code - RG08. You will receive a $5.00 Amazon gift card IF the donation is between Nov. 23rd and Dec. 1st.

Please use the link below to make your appointments since it is linked to St. Paul of the Cross blood drive:

https://learn.vitalant.org/LP=148?drive_code=RG08&division=NORTHEAST%26%region=CHI

Thanks for spreading the word!

St. Paul of the Cross-Holy Family Guild


Support our Fair Trade Vendors this Christmas Season!

Our annual Fair Trade Market is postponed until next year, but please enjoy a virtual cup of coffee and pastry as you browse the online selections of our local Fair Trade Vendors. Find unique and special gifts for everyone on your list and support global artists at the same time. Below are descriptions and websites of our vendors:

Global Handmade Hope: www.globalhandmadehope.com

Our mission is to promote social justice, help families provide food, shelter, education and gain access to health care. We accomplish our goal by offering artists a place and opportunity to sell their goods. We offer sustainably produced items from around the world. You will find a diverse array of Fair Trade home decor, accessories, apparel, kids’ items and more.

Loom: www.loomchicago.com

LOOM is a social enterprise of Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Agency. At LOOM we provide a studio space where refugee women can practice fiber arts, make beautiful products and cultivate community and friendship with their peers. LOOM provides a pathway to financial independence for refugee women and facilitates impactful connections between individuals from disparate cultural backgrounds.

Tree of Life Imports: https://www.thetreeoflifeimports.com

Tree of Life Imports was founded in 1989 during El Salvador's civil war as a means to bring the art of La Palma to the American market. Since then, we have focused our attention on several Latin American communities to help provide equal opportunity for all to work, including women and the rural poor. All of our products are handmade by artisans in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico.

Tulia's: www.tulias.com

Tulia’s Artisan Gallery offers finely crafted jewelry and home decor made by master artisans in Colombia. Collections include flying mobiles, butterfly ornaments, and statement earrings. Each purchase comes with a free friendship bracelet.


Hello School Families!                      

Our parish food pantry currently needs brown paper grocery bags, with handles, from Trader Joe's, Mariano's and Whole Foods.
Please repurpose your unwanted bags by putting them through the food pantry drop box anytime.
Please email Adrienne Timm with questions.    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  Thanks in advance for your help!   
 

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