Head of School COVID-19 Update & Reminders – January 14, 2022

Happy Aloha Friday Saint Mark Parents,

I hope and pray you all are doing well.  I am writing with some updates and reminders.

COMMUNITY CONDITIONS – Greener Grass Ahead
After dramatically increasing for several weeks, the current COVID-19 numbers appear to have plateaued (and slightly decreased) in the past few days.  As you can see below, the 7-day averages have decreased slightly from January 9 to now.
Current Numbers – The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is 3,425 (2,545 on O`ahu)
January 9 Numbers – The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases was 3,774 (2,735 on O`ahu)
December 30 Numbers – The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases was 1,752 (1,460 on O`ahu)
December 17 Numbers – The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases was 297 (251 on O`ahu)
December 1 Numbers – The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases was 98 (51 on O`ahu)

While the graph above shows a 54% increase in number of daily average cases for the past 14 days, there has actually been a 10% decrease in the number of daily average cases in the past 5 days (January 9 to January 12).  Let’s hope and pray that the worst is behind us and this decreasing trend continues in the coming days/weeks.  In the meantime, let’s all do our part to stay safe and help control the spread.

COVID-19 TESTING at SAINT MARK
This past week, Saint Mark administered 83 COVID-19 tests (using the Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test) to various Saint Mark students. Out of the 83 tests administered, 4 positive COVID-19 results were detected.  This brings our two week total to 123 tests administered with 6 positive results for a positivity rate of  4.8%.

With the high number of omicron cases currently pervading our community, 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.

If you have not already done so, we strongly encourage you to sign up to participate in our COVID-19 testing program.  Only students whose parents have signed and submitted a Student Consent, Waiver & Release Form for COVID-19 Rapid Testing to the school office are eligible and included in this important testing program.  Students who are not boosted/fully vaccinated and who are not enrolled in this program are required to quarantine from school in the event of an on-campus exposure.  Please download, read, sign/date and return the form to the school. Once we receive your completed consent form, your child(ren) will be considered enrolled.

STAY HOME WHEN SICK
We implore our families to please continually monitor their children for signs of illness and keep their children 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. 

PROPER MASKING A MUST
We will continue to proactively enforce the consistent and proper usage of all masks (and face shields while eating). It is imperative that all students come to school with a properly fitting mask and wear it consistently throughout the entire school day.  Any student not complying with this policy will be removed from the classroom and if the situation is not satisfactorily remedied, the parents will be called.

SCHOOL ACCREDITATION
On a totally different note, I want to quickly announce that Saint Mark Lutheran School has recently embarked on a very important and meaningful journey.  We have begun our self-study as part of the re-accreditation process. We are currently accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC),  Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (HAIS), and the National Lutheran Schools Accreditation (NLSA), and we are working to renew all three in the near future. The self-study is a crucial exercise whereby the school, with valuable input from its various constituencies, evaluates itself and tries to assess its overall health and efficacy.

To help measure the effectiveness of our programs and to also better understand how parents regard various aspects of the school, we will be asking all current school families to kindly complete a parent survey in the coming weeks.  The survey should hopefully take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete.  More information coming soon!

MAHALO FOR YOU 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 3-Day Weekend,

David Gaudi
Head of School