Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update – September 23, 2020

Aloha Saint Mark Parents!

I hope and pray you are doing well.  I am writing with the latest Saint Mark updates.

Improving Community Conditions 
​​​​​We are happy to report that the numbers of new daily COVID-19 cases continue to trend in the positive direction.  The 7-day state average of reported new cases is 107 per day (down from over 110 per day last week) and the 7-day state average for the positivity rate remains below 5%.

Stay-At-Home Order Due to Expire Tonight
The current Stay-at-Home Order (Emergency Order No. 2020-26) for the island of O‘ahu is due to expire at mid-night tonight, September 23, 2020.  In its place the City and County of Honolulu has created Honolulu’s COVID-19 Recovery Framework which is still awaiting Governor Ige’s signature.  The C & C of Honolulu has also created a new website to help communicate this Reopening Strategy.

Grades 4 & 5 and Middle School Students Returning to Campus
Just as we had hoped and planned, Saint Mark is opening the campus to grades 4 & 5 this Friday, September 25 and opening the campus to grades 6 to 8 on Monday, September 28.  With the case count numbers continuing to trend in a favorable direction and the lower positivity rate, Saint Mark is confident that this is the right time to transition the rest of our students back to campus. And we are excited that they will have the opportunity to join their classmates in-person for a few days prior to pausing for the fall break. Before and after care will also resume for these students on the days they return.

Case Specific Distance Learners
The assumption is that those students who were distance learning before the school officially moved the classes to remote learning are going to continue distance learning for the remainder of the quarter.  If, however, this is not the case and you would like your child(ren) to return with their classmates before the end of the quarter, please let their teacher(s) know as soon as possible.

Ready to Pivot Back to Distance Learning 
As was shared last week, 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 variances 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.

Safety Protocols In Effect
It’s important to reiterate that the faculty, staff and administration remain steadfast in their adherence to all of the safety protocols and preventative strategies as detailed in the Reopening Campus Plan – Policy and Procedures and respectfully requests its students and parents to do the same.  Everyone must do their part to remain safe.

Early Dismissal on Friday, October 2
All grades (PK to Gr 8) will dismiss early with After School Care available on Friday, October 2.  We would normally have a general dismissal time of 11:30 a.m. but due to COVID, we will use the following staggered pick-up times:
11:15 to 11:30 a.m. for K-2 students
11:30 to 11:45 a.m. for 3-5 students
11:45 to 12:00 p.m. for 6-8 students
12:00 to 12:15 p.m. for PK students

Mahalo for your continued patience and commitment to seeing us through these extremely challenging times and please do not hesitate to contact the school office should you have any questions.

Thank you for your time and support!

Mahalo, Blessings, and Stay Safe,

David Gaudi