Head of School Update & Reminders – May 13, 2022

Happy Aloha Friday Saint Mark Parents,

I hope and pray you all are doing well on this Friday the 13th!  I am writing with the latest updates and reminders.

COMMUNITY CONDITIONS – Case Counts Continually Increasing
Hawai’i’s current COVID-19 numbers have continued to increase the past month.  As you can see below, the current 7-day state average was reported to be 722.  This is up from an average of 485 new cases last week.

Current Numbers –  The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is  722 (496 on O`ahu)
May 4  Numbers –   The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases was  485 (408 on O`ahu)
April 14 Numbers –  The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases was 163 (122 on O`ahu)
April 1 Numbers –    The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases was 118 (94 on O`ahu)

While the increasing case counts are definitely reason to take notice, they are still well below the numbers we experienced at the height of the Omicron surge back in January/February and are not a reason to panic. Please rest assured that Saint Mark remains thoughtful and vigilant in its approach to every COVID related decision.

COVID-19 TESTING – An Important Tool
Testing remains an integral component of Saint Mark’s overall COVID strategy as it allows us to quickly discern who needs to go home from those who can safely remain on campus. It’s difficult to precisely determine how many instructional hours have been preserved as a result of implementing our “Testing to Stay” program back in October, but it’s safe to say that it’s been a significant amount. Saint Mark will continue to test students/cohorts, athletes, etc. in the remaining three weeks of the school year.  When positive cases are detected on campus, the COVID-19 protocols as detailed in the recently revised COVID-19 Campus Plan will be followed.

In the past month, Saint Mark administered 318 COVID-19 tests with 3 positive results for a positivity rate of 0.9%.  This brings our 17 week total to 979 tests administered with 11 positive results for a positivity rate of  1.1%.

RELAXED INDOOR MASKING POLICY for K-8 – Going Well!
It has been six weeks since relaxing our indoor masking policy and it has thus far proven to have been a successful change.  Despite the increasing community case counts, Saint Mark feels comfortable with the current COVID policies/procedures and remains confident in our masking policy.  For those who may be growing a bit concerned with the higher community numbers, it’s important for me to share that while we have had a handful of students who have tested positive in the past few weeks, we are not seeing any evidence of widespread transmission at school. In fact, we are not certain that we’ve experienced any on-campus transmission.

When we do identify positive cases in certain classes/cohorts (as we have recently experienced), our current procedure is to simply ask those classes/cohorts (rather than the entire school) to wear their masks while indoors for a few days to help mitigate any possible spread.  We believe that this approach is a more measured and tactical strategy than simply requiring school-wide indoor masking (as most other Hawaii schools are doing) and is the correct course of action for Saint Mark at this time. However, as I have mentioned on numerous occasions, we must remain flexible and prepared to reinstate more restrictive measures should the need arise.  Below is a review of our current masking polices:

• Masking Optional for Grades K-8 –  Masking on the K-8 side of the Saint Mark campus is NOT required.  This means that all students, staff and visitors of the K-8 program will have the option to mask while on the Saint Mark campus (both outdoors and indoors).
• Students Will be Asked to Wear Masks on Occasion – Classes with COVID positive students will be asked to mask indoors for a few days while the threat of spread is a possibility.
• Indoor Masking Continues for PK Students – All of Saint Mark’s PK students and staff will continue to mask indoors for the remainder of the school year.  ELP students and staff are permitted to remove their masks when outdoors.
• Shields Optional for K-8 – Students in grades K-8 have the option whether or not they want to wear their shields when eating.
• Masking May Be Required for Large Gatherings – For large gatherings such as chapels, music concerts, graduation, etc. masking may be required.

STAYING HOME WHEN SICK
We continue to ardently emphasize the personal responsibility of not coming to school if you have symptoms of an illness. 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.

GRADE 4 BIG ISLAND TRIP
Saint Mark’s grade 4 class thoroughly enjoyed their Big Island Trip (Saint Mark’s first off-island trip since 2019).  Their three days in both Kona and Hilo included visits to the Kaloko-Honokohau fish pond, Pu’uhonua O Honaunau, Mauna Kea, Akaka Falls, the King Kamehameha statue, and volcano.  Mahalo to Ms. Chang and Mrs. Manu (and all of the parent chaperones Mr. Thomas Inouye, Dr. Richard Kynion, Mrs. Mehana Maka`ina`i, Mrs. Lisa Nagatoshi, Mrs. Julie Palmer, Mrs. Rachelle Rogan and Mr. Brett Tano) for making this important and educational trip a reality.

GRADE 7 & 8 CAMP ERDMAN TRIP
While grade 4 toured the Big Island, the grades 7 & 8 students enjoyed three days at Camp Erdman!  Mahalo to Mrs. Schroppel and Mrs. Gregson (and parent chaperone Mr. Jonathan Nagatoshi) for making this educational trip possible. The students participated in a variety of safe, fun and challenging activities while appreciating the importance of community and cooperation.

GRADE 5 BOOK TALK PRESENTATIONS
Mrs. Selph’s grade 5 students presented their Book Talks in small groups where they shared the basic story elements about the book they read during the 4th quarter. Each Book Talk included an “artifact” which helps students engage and convince their peers to read their book!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONS!
Just as we had hoped, this year’s cross country events were a great opportunity for our students to have some on-campus fun while promoting physical activity and fostering healthy competition as we enter into the home stretch of the school year.  After the entire student body (students in PK to Gr 8) physically pushed themselves following specially designed courses around the campus on April 22, our 24 finalists (12 boys and 12 girls) from grades 5 – 8 participated in a highly competitive championship race this past Friday.

The top three girls were: 1st place – ‘Iliwaipo’iu Maka’ina’i (gr 6; time 9:18); 2nd place – Kamele Trueman (gr 7; time 9:21); and 3rd place – Aylah Asia (gr 6; time 9:30).
The top three boys were: 1st place –  Kawena Wilson (gr 6; time 8:34), 2nd place – Maverick Montgomery (gr 6; time 9:19), 3rd place – Caden Lill (gr 8; time 9:32)

We congratulate all of our runners and mahalo Mr. Markillie, Ms. Kaui and Mrs. Manu for all of their work organizing these special events!

GRADES 5-8 MUSIC & BAND CONCERT
Saint Mark Lutheran School is excited to be hosting it’s first in-person Music and Band Concert in over two years on Tuesday, May 24 at 6:00pm.  Mrs. Hutchens has been working hard with her students to prepare for this exciting event entitled “Shine Your Light”.  Since it will be a restricted event (where each participating student is permitted to have no more than two guests in attendance), the entire concert will be live streamed for those who are unable to attend.

K-5 STUDENTS VISITING NEXT YEAR’S CLASS
Students in grades K-5 will get the opportunity to visit their next year’s class on Tuesday, May 31.  This is an annual custom that provides a wonderful opportunity for the students to meet the teachers, sit in their future classroom, and learn a bit about what to expect next year.  It’s typically an exciting time for the students, so please be sure to ask your child(ren) about it.

GRADE 8 GRADUATION 
We are currently finalizing plans for a special graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 2 at 6:00pm for Saint Mark’s Class of 2022. While this will be a restricted event, we are thrilled to be able to safely offer an in-person ceremony for our graduates and their parents.  More details to follow.

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK – Mahalos!
A BIG Mahalo goes out to the Parent Teacher Committee (PTC) and all parents for their generous support of our faculty and staff during Teacher Appreciation Week.  From the daily breakfast goodies and personalized gifts/cards to the delicious “Fresh Catch” lunch and beautiful flowers, your thoughtfulness and generosity is appreciated more than you know.

Mahalo, Blessings and Have a Wonderful Weekend,

David Gaudi
Head of School