Head of School COVID-19 Update & Reminders – January 28, 2022

Happy Aloha Friday Saint Mark Parents,

I hope and pray you all are doing well.  I am writing with a few quick COVID updates and reminders.

IMPROVING COMMUNITY CONDITIONS
After dramatically increasing for several weeks and peaking on January 19 with a 7-day state average of 4,301 (3,190 on O’ahu), the current COVID-19 numbers are on the way down.  As you can see below, the 7-day averages have decreased over 50% in just the last week alone.
Current Numbers –       The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is    2,241 (1,584 on O`ahu)
January 21 Numbers – The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases was 4,301 (2,982 on O`ahu)
January 19 Numbers – The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases was 4,663 (3,190 on O`ahu)
January 14 Numbers – The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases was 3,425 (2,545 on O`ahu)

I’m happy to say that it looks as if the worst of omicron is behind us, but let’s continue to do our part to stay safe and continue this decreasing trend.

COVID-19 TESTING CONTINUES at SAINT MARK
In the past two weeks, Saint Mark administered 254 COVID-19 tests to various Saint Mark students.  Out of the 254 tests administered, 2 positive COVID-19 results were detected for a positivity rate of 0.8%.

This brings our four week total to 367 tests administered with 8 positive results for a positivity rate of  2.2%.  This rate is down from a positivity of nearly 5% on January 14.

With the community case count still high, Saint Mark will continue to actively test students/cohorts in the coming days and weeks.  When positive cases are detected on campus, the COVID-19 protocols as detailed in the recently revised COVID-19 Campus Plan will be followed.

THANK YOU FOR STAYING HOME WHEN SICK
We thank and applaud our families for their continued vigilance in monitoring their children for signs of illness and keeping them home if they show any symptoms. Symptoms of illness include but are not limited to Cough, Runny or Stuffy Nose, Fatigue, Sore Throat, Body Aches, Headache, Shortness of Breath/Difficulty Breathing, Decreased Sense of Smell and/or Taste, Diarrhea, Nausea, Vomiting, and Chills/Sweats or Fever of 100.4° F (or higher) in the past 24 hours.  Any student arriving to school with COVID-like symptoms (or developing symptoms while at school) will be removed from the classroom and parents will be called.

SCHOOL ACCREDITATION SURVEY
If you haven’t already done so, we are asking all current school families to please complete the parent survey (one survey per family) that was sent home last week.  The survey was emailed to school families and should take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete. We thank you for your participation as parent perception is a vital part of our accreditation self-study and is instrumental in helping us determine how well we are accomplishing our mission and how to most effectively further student learning in the future.

BASKETBALL BEGINNING SOON
In light of the recent decrease in the COVID numbers, I am happy to share that Mr. Markillie is working with the LSSL (Lutheran Schools Sports League) and moving forward with plans to start our JV (5th and 6th grade students) basketball season. We hope to get things underway within the next couple of weeks. Kids will be masked and ready for fun.  Assuming all goes well, the varsity season will begin at the start of the fourth quarter!

STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS
Please remember that there will be NO SCHOOL next week Thursday, February 3 and Friday, February 4 as they are Staff Professional Development Days for the faculty and staff.  School will resume on Monday, February 7.

MAHALO FOR YOUR CONTINUED COOPERATION and TRUST
Thank you for your cooperation, trust and the shared priority we place on safety and the importance of in-person learning.  As always, please reach out to Mrs. Jenkins with any questions.

Mahalo, Blessings and Stay Safe this Weekend,

David Gaudi
Head of School