Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update & Reminders – April 1, 2021

Happy Aloha Thursday Saint Mark Parents!

I hope and pray you all are doing well and that the spring break gave you a chance to rest and recharge your batteries. I am writing with the latest updates as we conclude the first week of the final quarter of the school year.

COMMUNITY CONDITIONS 
The current `Oahu numbers (which are available on the Hawaii Data Collaborative) have unfortunately seen a substantial uptick in the past couple of weeks.  In fact, current numbers are twice as high as they were on March 12.  Let’s all please do our part to keep ourselves safe and to keep these numbers from getting any higher.   

Current Numbers
The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is 98 (56 on O`ahu) and the 7-day state average of the positivity rate is 1.9% (2.1% on O`ahu). 

March 12 Numbers
The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is 51 (26 on O`ahu) and the 7-day state average of the positivity rate is 1.2% (1.0% on O`ahu). 

February 26 Numbers
The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is 47 (25 on O`ahu) and the 7-day state average of the positivity rate is 1.2% (1.0% on O`ahu). 

February 12 Numbers
The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is 43 (31 on O`ahu) and the 7-day state average of the positivity rate is 0.9% (1.0% on O`ahu). 

IMPACT/ALERT LEVELS
The state of Hawai`i is at impact level YELLOW (Act with Care – Minor Disruption) of its Reopening Navigator; the City and County of Honolulu is now in TIER 3 (YELLOW) of its Honolulu Reopening Strategy; and Saint Mark is at level GREEN in its Reopening Campus Plan.

REMAINING VIGILANT – DON’T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!

It’s understandable that many of us may be experiencing a little bit of COVID fatigue. We have worked hard and done very well as a school to keep everyone safe (with no known COVID cases or transmissions on campus), and with that success it becomes human nature to let our guard down. Additionally, we see news stories about the vaccine distribution and the changing city tiers. All of this is great news; however, this pandemic is not yet over. The trajectory of cases can still quickly change if we grow complacent.

In fact, there are stories across the state and country of increased case counts in the past few weeks, and the possibility of having COVID positive people on Hawai`i campuses remains a very real threat.  As such, we must continue our steadfast commitment to all of the safety protocols (daily health screenings, PPE, hand hygiene & sanitation, distancing, ventilation, cohorting, etc.) that have kept our campus safe to this point.

So while we are starting to see the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, our vigilance in the coming weeks will be critical to our ability to complete the year safely.  I implore everyone to fight the fatigue and please reinforce at home the importance of these safety measures as we move into the home stretch of this school year.  Mahalo!

PFIZER VACCINE SAFE & EFFECTIVE for YOUNG TEENS
Pfizer just announced the results of a recent study showing that it’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe and extremely effective on adolescents as young as 12.  With this wonderful news, Pfizer is now testing their vaccine on children aged 5 to 11 and will soon expand to ages 2 to 5 and eventually 6 months to 2 years.

Saint Mark continues to strongly encourage all those eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine to please do so.  We understand that getting vaccinated and establishing community (herd) immunity is our best chance of getting Hawai`i’s kids and teachers fully back-to-school and resuming more normal/traditional school activities.

In the meantime, we will all continue to wear face masks and face shields during the school day and follow other guidelines according to our policies.  As I am sure you understand, we don’t want to create an environment where the virus is more easily spread within the student body and then potentially taken home to families. 

DAVE’S ICE CREAM FUNDRAISER 
The deadline for the all new Dave’s Ice Cream Fundraiser is next Wednesday, April 7.  You should have received an informational parent letter and order form earlier before the break with the details. With the forced cancellation of our all school annual fundraiser (Benefit Gala/Family Fun Fair), we are excited to have partnered with Hawaii’s own Dave’s Ice Cream in support of our important Financial Aid and technology programs.

We are selling two pints of Dave’s Ice Cream for $10 with each family being asked to sell 10 orders (20 pints) for a total of $100.  Pints can be mixed or matched (five delicious flavors to choose from) but must be sold in pairs. The sale runs to April 7 with pickup on April 24.  Thank you for your support!

READY TO PIVOT BACK to DISTANCE LEARNING
Saint Mark Lutheran School continues to remain very attentive to the fluidity of this pandemic and will continue to carefully monitor the daily data.  While we will not be overly reactive to expected variance in community conditions, we need to be ready to quickly pivot back (cohorts or larger groups) to distance learning should a student or staff member test positive or community conditions dramatically worsen again.  

MAHALO / HAPPY EASTER / NO SCHOOL MONDAY
Mahalo for your continued patience, commitment and compliance in these challenging times.
I wish you all a wonderful Easter weekend in celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and please remember that there is no school on Monday.  Classes resume on Tuesday, April 6.

Mahalo, Blessings and Stay Safe this Weekend,

David Gaudi
Head of School