Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update & Reminders – February 26, 2021

Happy Aloha Friday Saint Mark Parents!

I hope and pray you all are doing well. With so much happening this past week and spring break rapidly approaching, I have elected to write another update.

COMMUNITY CONDITIONS 
I am very happy to report that the current `Oahu numbers (which are available on the Hawaii Data Collaborative) have continued to trend lower this past week.  And as I’m sure you have heard, the numbers have been low enough that `Oahu has been moved into Tier 3.  This is great news after spending the past four months in Tier 2.  Let’s all please do our part to keep ourselves safe and continue this positive trend. 

Current 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). 

February 4 Numbers
The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is 85 (60 on O`ahu) and the 7-day state average of the positivity rate is 2.0% (2.4% on O`ahu). 

January 15 Numbers
The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is 154 (111 on O`ahu) and the 7-day state average of the positivity rate is 2.8% (3.4% 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 (up from TIER 2 Orange); and Saint Mark is at level GREEN in its Reopening Campus Plan.

SPRING BREAK OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL
I realize that some of our families may be considering whether or not to travel during the spring break.  I also know that we are all increasingly eager to try and return to some sense of normalcy by resuming mainland travel.  That being said, I want to take this opportunity (as I did with the Christmas break) to respectfully urge our families to carefully consider the pros and cons of mainland travel and decide if it is truly necessary.

As you should all be aware, our school travel policy requires a negative result from an additional test taken a minimum of 5 days after landing in Hawai`i.  If you must travel, please consider doing so in the first week of our spring break and returning to Hawai`i no later than March 22nd.  This will hopefully give you enough time to take and receive test results before school resumes on Monday, March 29th.  We had a number of students who had to miss multiple days in January due to mainland travel, and as we are quickly nearing the end of the school year, we would prefer that the students not miss any class time.

We do certainly understand that some travel is necessary.  So if you are committed to travel, we kindly request that all parents complete the Travel Form to notify us of your travel plans and return dates.  Mahalo for your consideration and understanding as we work to maintain a safe environment on our campus.

LET’S VACCINATE
Saint Mark continues to encourage all those eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine to please do so.  We understand that getting vaccinated 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.

HNN reported earlier this week that 14.3% of residents on `Oahu have received at least one dose and 6.6% have received two doses.  And with the Johnson & Johnson (single shot) COVID vaccine due to receive final emergency approval by the FDA’s acting commissioner as soon as this weekend, we should have additional choices.

DAVE’S ICE CREAM FUNDRAISER 
With the forced cancellation of our all school annual fundraiser (Benefit Gala/Family Fun Fair), we have been working hard to find a suitable alternative allowing us to raise important funds for Financial Aid and technology support.  The great news is that the PTC worked hard to establish a unique partnership with Hawaii’s own Dave’s Ice Cream where we’ll be selling some of their delicious – Hawai`i made – flavors.  More details coming very soon!

GET ACTIVE & KONA ICE – HUGE SUCCESS!
Congratulations and mahalo to our three top Get Active money raisers: Ely-Reygn Doi (PK3); Keehu Dickson-Uyeoka (Gr 1); and Nyla Shae Kurihara (Gr 4)!  Each of them raised over $300!  And together, we all raised well over $7,000 for the purchase of new P.E. equipment, recess balls, athletic equipment and travel, etc.

After the top sellers were announced on Wednesday, the exercising began and the entire student body (PK to Gr 8) enjoyed an exciting and tiring Get Active Day.  Please check out the photos and videos (50 in all) posted on the Saint Mark Instagram page.

Mahalo to Angie Kaonohi for leading the dance classes and to the Parent Teacher Committee (PTC) for sponsoring the extremely popular Kona Ice treats!

CONGRATULATIONS TO MRS. SANBORN
As some of you may have heard, our middle school science teacher, Mrs. Melissa Sanborn, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Raya Sanborn, this past Wednesday, February 24 at 1:51pm.  She arrived at a healthy 8 lbs. 4 oz.!  We send our congratulations to the entire Sanborn `ohana and welcome Ms. Rochelle Chang who is covering for Mrs. Sanborn while she is out on maternity leave.

READY TO PIVOT BACK to DISTANCE LEARNING
Despite the lower COVID numbers and the growing numbers of those who have been vaccinated, Saint Mark Lutheran School remains 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 for your continued patience, commitment and compliance in these challenging times and please do not hesitate to let us know should you have any questions.

Mahalo, Blessings and Stay Safe this Weekend,

David Gaudi
Head of School