Certain immunizations are required for school attendance. If your child is not up to date on immunizations or we do not have proof of your child's immunizations, the school nurse will contact you. Students out of compliance on the 15th day of school are subject to school exclusion.
*COVID-19 Vaccinations: Ages 12 and up: Please send a copy of your child's vaccination card to me ASAP as it will be used to determine if quarantine is necessary.
Kindergarten students: All kindergarteners must have current health forms on file, including those who attended St. Ignatius preschool last year. The deadline for these health forms is August 13. If you have not turned in the packet of health forms, please do so ASAP.  Contact me for any concerns.

Prescription Medication
Prescription medication administration at school requires the Medication Administration form completed and signed by both the parent and prescribing physician. Prescription medication cannot be given without this consent form.  A new form is required each school year, so I cannot use forms from last year. A new form is also required in the event of a change in the original consent form such as a dosage change. This form is available online at saintischool.org under For Parents, then Health and School Nurse. Medication must be brought to school by the parent and in the original prescription labeled container which matches the Administration form.
Over the Counter 

Over the Counter medication consent is available again this school year. A new consent is required each school year. The OTC consent link will be sent to all families in the near future. This consent includes the following medications:
Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, Anti-itch cream, and cough drops.

If your child has had any changes to their health that may impact their school day, please let me know. You can contact me via email or phone.
Please take the time to review the Family Handbook Accidents, Health and Wellness section, which is found on pages 10-14.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.  
Kathy Reder RN BSN
St. Ignatius Loyola School
Ph  513-389-3242 ext 4
Fax 513-389-3251
kreder@saintischool.org

RETURN TO SCHOOL AND COVID 19 FAQ'S
Q:  What should I do if someone in my family is positive for COVID-19 or has been exposed to COVID-19?
A:  Call or email Kathy Reder, school nurse, right away if anyone in your family/household is ill with probable or confirmed COVID-19 or if your student has been in contact with anyone with COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status. We will follow the local health department's guidance on isolation/quarantine. We are asking for complete transparency in these situations to ensure the health and well-being of our school community and to do our best to remain open.

Q:  Can my child come to school if we are waiting on COVID-19 test results?
A:  No. If your child is tested for COVID, they must stay home until the results come in. Similarly, siblings must stay home until test results come back. Exception: If your child is tested for routine pre-op reasons, not for symptoms, they can remain in school. 

Q:  What if someone in my child's classroom has COVID-19?
A:  If someone in your child's classroom is confirmed to have COVID-19 or is a probable case of COVID-19 (the health department definition of a probable cases means they have symptoms and are known to have been exposed to COVID-19), that child will be isolated at home for the appropriate amount of time. In addition, any classmates who are considered a close contact (within 6 feet of the person with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more), and who were not masked at the time of exposure, will have to quarantine. Exception: If close contact is immunized against COVID-19, they do not have to quarantine. If a probable case ends up testing negative, then the case and the close contacts can end their quarantine and can return to school. Parents will be informed if there is a case of COVID-19 in their child's classroom.

If your child is sent home as considered a probable case or is highly suspicious for COVID-19, then their siblings will also be sent home until test results are available.

There are quite a few variables to the rules pertaining to quarantine and isolation so each case will be handled individually with the guidance of Hamilton County health officials.  Our goal, of course, is to keep students at school and work with families closely as these situations arrive.

Q:  If my student wears a mask consistently, will they need to quarantine?
A:  No. Per the health department, in the school setting, students that are wearing their mask at the time of an exposure do not need to quarantine unless they become symptomatic.

Q:   What if a student just has a runny nose, sore throat, or other minor symptom. Will they be sent home?
A:  We have guidelines to follow based on type of symptoms, number of symptoms, etc. The symptoms of COVID-19 look a lot like other childhood illnesses so we will look at each case individually and advise parents to seek medical care as appropriate. There may be times where we will suggest a COVID-19 test before the child can return to school.

Q:  How will my student get their schoolwork while quarantined?
A:  Students who are quarantined will keep up with their schoolwork while at home. Students in Kindergarten and first grade will check Alma for a daily bulletin outlining the topics and assignments for the day. Children in grades 2-8 will check Google Classroom.

Q:  What about lunch?
A:  We are going to start the year assigning seats in the cafeteria. This way we are limiting the numbers of close contacts for each student should someone become infected.

Q:  Are the water fountains being used?
A:  The water fountains will be off, but the bottle filling stations are open. Students may use a water bottle.

Q: What time can I drop off my child?
A:  We ask that if you are not part of our morning care program to wait until 8:15am to arrive on campus. When students arrive on campus they will go directly to their homeroom.

Q: How can I help?
A:  Please do a daily quick assessment of your child before they come to school. Make sure they are feeling well and looking healthy. Check for a fever. If a child is ill, please do not send them to school.

Q:  How will dismissal be different this year to promote social distancing?
A:  We feel that dismissal for bus riders will continue as in the past. Once the bus arrives, the students will be released from their classrooms to board the bus. Car rider dismissal will be staggered beginning at 3:30pm. We will dismiss students by the first letter of their last name, for example, students with the last name beginning with A-F will be dismissed. We will wait a few minutes for those students to clear the halls and then release then next group. This will allow for fewer students crowding the halls at the same time.

Q:  What mitigation factors are being implemented by the school?
A:  Frequent hand washing and sanitizing, frequent cleaning of hard surfaces in classrooms, mask-wearing is highly recommended on campus, three feet of social distancing when possible,  and all classrooms have IWave Air Purifiers installed in the HVAC Systems.

Q: What is the IWave Air Purifier?
A: These devices were installed in the summer of 2020 to provide another level of coverage for students and staff. The IWave is an ionization device that kills bacteria, mold, and viruses in the HVAC system and in the air of each classroom.

Q: Will there be restrictions on meetings and visitors?
A:  Face to face adult meetings and the use of volunteers will be on hold for the immediate future. The school administration will inform parents and visitors when we will open up for classroom volunteers. At this time, all adult volunteers will need to be vaccinated to volunteer. This expectation is due to the difficulty of doing contact tracing of any adults in our building.  

Q:  Would we possibly go to remote learning again?
A:  Our goal is that students are in face-to-face learning for as many days as possible. It is possible due to multiple exposures in the building, staff illness, large numbers of students quarantining, growing level of positive cases, or from the recommendation of the Health Department. We want kids here and the staff wants to be in person.

Q: Will students change classes?
A: Students in grades 4-8 will change classes depending on their schedule. This is how we ended the 20-21 school year. As students enter a new room, they will wash or sanitize their hands.

Q: Are students participating in specials?
A:  Yes. They will participate in specials in their respective rooms and traveling together as a homeroom to each location. This pertains to art, music, gym, technology, Spanish, and the library.

Our school day begins at 8:55am for full day Pre-K children and half day morning preschool children AND 12:45pm for half day afternoon preschool children. For morning classes, children will be dropped off by way of a single-file carpool line in front of the Preschool which is located on the lower level at the back of the school. Staff will greet children and escort them through the north door, which will be clearly marked as the Preschool Door, to their individual classroom. For afternoon classes, the drop off location is the top of the preschool steps just past the cafeteria doors and the dumpsters. Teachers will greet children at the top of the steps and escort them to their classroom. Drop off may begin at 8:30am in the morning and 12:35pm in the afternoon. Bussed Pre-K children will be escorted to their classroom by one of our teacher aids.

Pick up for morning half day Preschool children will be at 11:45am. Pick up for afternoon Pre-K and preschool children will be at 3:30pm. Parents will park in spots located behind the church/school and walk over to pick up their child from the preschool entrance. Staff will only release children to individuals authorized to pick up your child. Bussed Pre-K children will be escorted to their appropriate bus. Pre-K children who have signed up for after-care will be brought to the cafeteria where parents will pick them up by 6:00pm. 

Aug. 17        Ice Cream Social for Kindergarten and new families

Aug. 20-22:  St. Ignatius Iggyfest 2021

Aug. 25:       First Day of the 2021-2022 school year! Welcome back!

Sept. 1         Teacher Introduction Night Grades 4-5, 7:00pm, gym

Sept. 6         No School/Labor Day

Sept. 7         Teacher Introduction Night Grades 6-8, 7:00pm, gym

Sept. 8         Teacher Introduction Night Grades 1-3, 7:00pm, gym

Sept. 16       School Pictures PreK-8

Sept. 17       School Pictures PreK-8

Sept. 22       2nd Grade Parent Meeting, 7:00pm

Sept. 27       Middle of 1st quarter/ Progress Reports go home

Oct. 1          No School/ School of Faith

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION                       

As part of statewide protocol, we would like to advise you of our policies concerning parents in regards to Emergency/Safety Procedures. This is not to alarm you, but to let you know that we are prepared with a plan if the need arises. We also practice these plans without prior notice and need your cooperation. Your child’s safety is our TOP priority. The following steps are in place for these emergencies.
CALAMITY DAYS

You can check the St. I’s website where we will post any change from the calendar as the first item under NEWS. We will also activate our notification system as soon as possible. Please make sure the school office has ALL current addresses and phone numbers on file. We use our system to send a recorded message to home phone numbers.                 If school is cancelled due to weather conditions, we follow Northwest’s plan. School will either be closed or we will operate on a two hour delay. This information may also be found on our website, TV, radio, or the TV station’s website. Listen or watch for Northwest Local Schools. In the media, you will NOT hear or see “St. Ignatius School” except in very rare circumstances. In the event that there needs to be an early dismissal, the oldest student enrolled in school will call a parent to determine how they will get home. We need to be sure arrangements have been made so no one arrives home unsupervised without the parent’s consent. Buses will run their routes as usual unless you are notified.   TORNADO/SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 

If there is a Watch issued for our area, we will dismiss as usual. If there is a Tornado Warning, we will not release students until it is cleared. (We will locate to a designated safe area in the building and no one will be released.) If there is a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, we will use our best judgment to decide if the schedule needs to be interrupted. When possible, we will post emergency and safety action on our website. 

LOCKDOWN                       

A lockdown is necessary if an internal or external threat is present. School is completely secured which means that no one will be allowed in or out, including parents. Signs will be posted on all outside doors, 911 will be called, and the Parish Office will be notified. If the lockdown lasts for more than 30 minutes, information will be posted on the saintischool.org website.