Cyclone Chatter February 26th, 2021

Dear STM Families, 
So, what does Lenten sacrifice look like in your home?  It’s true that the pandemic has forced us to “give up” so much of what we took to be normal life, and it has stretched on with an indefinite ending.  Last year’s Lent began without really any idea of how our lives were going to change-- suddenly having to change our patterns of behavior and deal with a scarcity of certain resources (even toilet paper, right?) were very difficult. 
It might help us to consider the differences between these involuntary struggles, such as not being able to hug or kiss our distant loves ones and consider our chosen Lenten penance.  It’s possible that we could embrace and offer these involuntary sacrifices to bring us closer to God as much as our voluntary Lenten resolutions will.  
We can use these sacred days of Lent to deepen our relationship with Jesus, who first called us to journey with him through faith.  In his 2021 Lenten message to the Church, Pope Francis spoke of these pandemic times.  He said, “In these times of trouble, when everything seems fragile and uncertain, it may appear challenging to speak of hope. Yet, Lent is precisely the season of hope, when we turn back to the God who patiently continues to care for his creation.” 
I pray that our STM community may find the hope that Pope Francis speaks of by embracing the crosses we are given and that we take on during Lent. 


STM SCHOOL UPCOMING EVENTS: 
TOMORROW, Friday, Feb. 26 
February Health Screening Cards DUE (attached) 

Monday, March 1 
2021-22 STM School Registration DUE for current families 

Wednesday, March 3 
STM Dine-Out Night at Papa John’s 

Monday, March 8 
Yearbook orders and money DUE 

Monday, March 8 
St. Patrick’s Day Candy Gram Orders are DUE 

Monday, March 15-Friday, March 19 
Spring Break; NO SCHOOL 

Sunday, April 18 
2nd Grade First Holy Communion 


IF YOU PLAN TO TRAVEL OVER SPRING BREAK: 
Please inform your child(ren)’s teachers and the Absence line if they will need to quarantine after Spring Break (or other) travel.  We request that you let us know by March 1 so teachers can prepare for your child’s absence.  Please look at the STM Travel Policy with the COVID information below. 


REGISTRATION PACKETS SENT HOME LAST THURSDAY: 
Registration packets for the 2021-22 school year were sent home with students last Thursday.  Please check your child’s backpack for this important information.  Connected Learners’ packets can be picked up in the STM School lobby.  Current Student Registration is due by Monday, March 1.   
A completed packet includes: 

1. A completed Verification Form for each student:  in order to keep our records and contact information current, we need your help to check, complete, and confirm or change information for each child. 
2. Complete and return the Registration/Activity/Spanish Free Sheet for K-8 students and enclose payment or payment information. 

IMPORTANT NOTE:  The deadline for the reduced rate (this year’s rate) is Monday, March 1.  After March 1, the 2021-22 rate will apply.  
Because of limited class sizes due to social distancing standards, we will only be able to accommodate the following numbers of students: 
CURRENT CLASS SIZES DUE TO SOCIAL DISTANCING STANDARDS: 
Kindergarten = 41 
1st Grade = 51 
2nd Grade = 46 
3rd Grade = 51 
4th Grade = 45 
5th Grade = 45 
6th Grade = 52 
7th Grade = 48 
8th Grade = 50 
We will make sure that the appropriate number of seats are available for all returning students in the next grade level.  It may mean that we need to shift classrooms to accommodate the social distancing standards, but we certainly want to ensure that our current students will return.   
After March 1, though, we will open registration to new families for any unreserved seats.  To secure your child’s spot in his/her grade level, please be sure to return registration paperwork by March 1. 


PATRICK’S DAY CANDY GRAM SALE:
Share the Luck of the Irish with your LUCKY CHARM at STM! 
Please help support Dan Tanner and his efforts in the 2021 BMA Foundation Dine and Dance with Stars to raise funds for STM for All! 
STM for All will be selling Candy Grams to be delivered on March 12th. 
“When you support STM for All you are helping to ensure that all aspects of STM are committed to welcoming all of God’s children by providing the resources, acceptance, compassion, and love necessary to support the development of their true potential.” 

• Candy Grams are $3 each.  Please print form, fill out and return with payment to school no later than March 8th. Questions, please contact Maeghan Miller at 913-626-9690.   
• Cash, Checks made out to BMA Foundation  

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED FLYER TO PURCHASE YOUR CANDY GRAMS! 


2ND GRADE FIRST COMMUNION: 
Our 2nd grade students will make their First Holy Communion on Sunday, April 18.  There will be three individual Masses for each of the classrooms: 
2:00 p.m.--Mrs. Anwander’s class 
3:30 p.m.--Mrs. Corkins’ class 
5:00 p.m.--Mrs. Spiller’s class 
More details will follow.  Please watch for additional information from your child’s homeroom teacher and/or in upcoming Cyclone Chatter newsletters. 


SPRING PLKC SPORTS INFORMATION:  
Boys’ volleyball registration for grades 4-8 is now open on the PLKC website.  The session will run from March 8 through May 7.  Games will be Friday nights.   I am looking for coaches for teams as well so please let me know if you are interested.   Rules for season will be same as girls COVID rules which are posted on the website.  If you have any questions please feel free to email Jenny Smith at jkalbsmith@gmail.com.   
Registration for boys and girls track for 4th through 8th grades is also open.  We are looking for a head track coach.  If you are interested in the head track coach position or to register your child for the track team, please contact Tim Waris at 816-942-2492.   


COVID-RELATED INFORMATION:  
STM COVID DASHBOARD:  See picture below
  
Meeting notes from today’s COVID Task Force: 
The COVID Task Force met this afternoon with 17 of the 21 members present on the Zoom call.  We were joined by two health experts from the Kansas City, MO Health Department who had agreed to answer questions and clarify concerns from our agenda.   
Discussed during the 45-minute meeting were: 

• A shortened quarantine period—from 14 days to 10 days 
• Quarantine requirements within a classroom—whole class or students in proximity of a positive student/teacher decided on a case-by-case basis. 
• Retention or not of current cohort classes  
• Mental health issues of children who are not able to be in the classroom setting in-person 
• Use of playground equipment to include grades other than PK and Kindergarten AND students bringing their own equipment from home 
• Video usage during lunchtime to avoid spread of aerosol particles while students are unmasked 
• Junior high students on the playground who drop their masks below the nose during intense play 

The KCMOHD health professionals shared that STM is ‘doing a good job’ at keeping students safe with our current protocols which is evidenced by our low numbers of infection and spread.  They told us that we must continue to limit the amount of potential transmission as much as possible by continuing our mask-wearing, sanitization processes, and social-distancing.  They stressed that our job is to keep all community members safe by keeping our students and teachers safe. 
Due to the 45-minute time limit, we tabled our own discussion of the above topics to be continued at next week’s meeting.  The following Action Items will be addressed next week with outcomes expected at the end of the meeting: 

1.  Playground equipment procedures 
2. Quarantine period continued at 14 days or changed to 10 days (per KCMOHD and diocesan approval) 
3. Videos during lunchtime 

Any additional agenda items for next week’s meeting can be shared with Mrs. Crosthwait or any COVID Task Force member.  Following are the parents who serve on this team:  Ben Lizak, Stephanie Rogge, Layne Griffith, Natalie Rellihan, Matt Pomianek, McCall Creswell, and Courtney Fitzgerald. 


STM PROTOCOL FOR TRAVEL: 
With Spring Break only two weeks away, we have received questions regarding student & family travel guidelines.  Attached below is a letter from Dr. Dan Peters, Superintendent of Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese schools.  Here is an excerpt from his letter: 
“As we approach spring break, some parents may consider taking their family on a trip. While taking a family trip is not inherently “unsafe”, meaning it does not necessarily expose those on the trip to the virus any more than traveling to the grocery store, it can unnecessarily expose our school community depending on the circumstances of the trip. For instance, if a family travels by plane to Florida, where few precautions are required by the local civil authorities, and then spends time in Disney World with hundreds of other persons enjoying the rides and exhibits, there is a much higher chance of exposure to the virus then driving to Colorado and spending time in a cabin where there is little or no exposure to others. 
I highly encourage parents to wait on taking any trips for the rest of this year where exposure to the virus is potentially high. If a family decides to take a trip which has a moderate to high chance of exposing the children to the virus, parents should expect the school may require the children to be placed in quarantine after returning from the trip and attend school virtually. This minimizes the exposure to the rest of the school community.” 


With this information in mind, STM will enforce the following protocols regarding travel: 
The St. Thomas More School Travel Policy 
Travel Information 
Days in Quarantine 

By plane OUT of the U.S. 
14 days AFTER your return 

By plane IN the U.S. 
7 days AFTER your return 

Being in crowds of 11 people or more 
7 days AFTER not being in crowds of 11 people or more 


STM HEALTH SCREENING CARDS ARE DUE: 
Your child’s individual Health Screening Card is due the last Friday of each month.  The sheet for February should be returned TOMORROW.  Please find the Health Screening Card attached to this email. 
We appreciate your partnering with us to verify that every child is fever-free and not experiencing: 

• New cough 
• Difficult breathing 

• Loss of taste/smell 
• Fever (equal to or greater than 100 degrees) or chills 
• Sore throat 
• Congestion/runny nose 

• Headache 
• Muscle or body aches 
• Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea 

If your child has any of these symptoms, they should not attend school.  Notify Amy Hokanson, RN of any symptoms or exposure to COVID-19 by calling 816-942-5581 or email health@stmcyclones.org 


STM YEARBOOK ORDERS:  
Order envelopes were sent home with your child for the 2020-21 STM School Yearbook.  All orders are due on March 8—no extensions available.  If you did not receive an envelope, you can order at ybpay.lifetouch.com and use the Yearbook ID code:  12113021 


ROOM/TEACHER REQUESTS: 
The STM office will review requests for room assignments based upon a written request submitted to Mrs. Crosthwait.  All requests must be submitted before May 1.  Only requests having a firm educational basis will be accepted for review. 


MORE IDEAS FOR LENTEN ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES: 

1. Make a Prayer Chain. Write a person or situation on each of 40 strips of paper (or 33 since we are one week into Lent). Assemble them into a paper chain. Remove one link per day and pray for that thing with your family.   You could also write your prayer offerings on a calendar (but the paper chain is more fun!). 
2. Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary together--daily, weekly, or whatever works for you. If this feels overwhelming with little kids, try just 1 decade. 
3. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet together--this is also a faster option than a rosary for those with littles. 

Have a meaningful and blessed 2nd Week of Lent! 
Peace and Blessings, 
Linda Crosthwait, STM Principal