Good afternoon CTKCS families, 

As we leave today for the Thanksgiving holiday, we would like to take this opportunity first of all to thank you for your trust. We are grateful to have been able to have our students on campus this semester and have loved being able to see your children everyday in the classroom and on the playground. As teachers and educators this is what we love about our jobs! We sincerely hope to remain on campus for the remainder of the year.

We also want to take this opportunity to ask for your help in continuing to make our school safe for on campus learning. We have indeed been very fortunate to have had minimal isolation/quarantine issues. In September we had two positive cases in our school community and on November 18 we received notification that two more positive cases have been reported. Anyone identified as a close contact has been notified. 

The definition of close contact:  

• Being within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more starting 2 days before the symptoms appeared or the test collection date.  These minutes are cumulative, not consecutive.   
• The following do not change the definition of a close contact:
  • Wearing a mask/face guard
  •  Use of a Plexiglas shield
  • Location of activity – inside vs. outside

Please remember that family actions not only impact your family, but the school community at large. Depending on the circumstances of a positive COVID case, a few students, many students and staff, or our entire school may be impacted.  There are known risks associated with carpools, sports, weekend and holiday activities.  

The Archdiocese of Mobile Department of Catholic Education and the Alabama Public Health Department have provided some great resources. We have posted them on our website for your convenience. Please click the links below:
 

https://4.files.edl.io/0648/11/17/20/195435-fd561372-212c-469f-bb88-b7353a04e739.pdf

https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19/prevention.html

https://4.files.edl.io/cbbf/11/17/20/195557-4c627884-6bff-4d3e-8c56-cd3c747816c8.pdf

Following best practices in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas will be crucial. The Distance Learning week January 4 - 8 announced by the Office of Catholic Schools on Wednesday, is a cautionary measure to help us maintain a healthy campus environment when we return from the holidays.  We do not want our students, our families or ourselves to be ill or under quarantine. We certainly do not wish to return to Distance Learning for an extended period of time. Our goal is to keep our school open and our students in the classroom until May.

We are asking for your continued help and support to make the holidays as safe as possible - foremost for your families and secondly for our campus community. We wish you all a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!