Notes From the Office: June 30th, 2020

Greetings,

Due to the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, I have received many questions about St. John School for next year.  Throughout the spring and summer, I have been meeting with the principals in our diocese to plan how our schools will operate next year.  In May, I announced that barring a new Executive Order by the Governor of Kentucky preventing it, St. John School would begin in-person classroom instruction on August 12, 2020 for the 2020-2021 school year and that we will hold 5-day a week in-school instruction.  Our plans remain unchanged.

Last Tuesday, Governor Beshear’s Office and the Kentucky Department of Education released the Team Kentucky - Guidance on Safety Expectations and Best Practices for Kentucky Schools (K-12). The goal of this document is to establish safety measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our schools.

This document can be found at: https://education.ky.gov/comm/Documents/Safety%20Expectations_FINAL%20DOC.pdf.

St. John School has been developing a comprehensive plan that focuses on the safety of students and staff while providing the best possible learning environment for our students.  A committee of parents, teachers, health care personnel, school board members, the pastor, and the principal has been assembled to assess guidelines and requirements in the Team Kentucky document, the local health department and CDC guidelines, and the local school district guidelines and to develop a plan of best practices to address the key areas of concern including:

1) Social distancing/spacing requirements

2) Cloth face coverings, personal protective equipment, and school health policies

3) Screening and school exclusion (criteria when staff/students should stay home

    or be sent home)

4) Sanitation and environmental standards/practices

5) Contact tracing

As the practices are finalized, we will communicate the plans to you so that you will have accurate and useful information.  This pandemic has caused uncertainty and many challenges.  However, it also offers us an opportunity to think creatively at our school in developing an even better academic and spiritual environment that promotes our faith, protects our fellow man, and serves our community. With your help and prayers I am looking forward to a very positive and rewarding school year in 2020-2021.

God bless and take care,

Dan Mardell

Principal

St. John Cross Country Information

"I hope this note finds all St John students having an enjoyable summer! During this time in which we have to be less social than usual, there is no better way to spend some of this extra time than to GET EXCITED and READY for the upcoming St John cross country season! Coach Brent, Coach Meghan, and myself are looking forward to welcoming back all of those returning harriers, and cannot wait to meet the new folks who are going to give the super sport of cross country a try this summer and fall.

The first day of practice will be MONDAY, JULY 27th, at 6 PM at Brooking Park at our normal place by the playground. There will be a short parent's meeting for the first 10 minutes of practice to talk about the season, expectations, etc. All you need the first day is a pair of running shoes, water, and a GREAT ATTITUDE! It is usually a nice idea to do some running leading up to the first practice.... so if you need any suggestions, please feel free to get in touch with me. My contact information is: Email: [email protected] or 606-669-1230.

Stay safe, stay strong, and hope to see lots of you on July 27th! Coach Todd

Summer Office Hours

St. John School summer office hours are 9 AM to 1 PM, Monday through Thursday.  If you need to drop something off after office hours, please place your papers in the mail slot of the office front door.  I will get them when I return to the office. Please call or email the school office if you need to make an appointment after those hours.  Have a great summer!

Lexington Catholic Athletic News

Lexington Catholic Athletics has been cleared to return starting the week of
June 15. Please understand that conditioning sessions are NOT mandatory. No student
athlete is required to attend, and attendance will not be used against you when it
comes time for tryouts.
We understand that families have vacations scheduled and encourage all families to
continue with those plans. While this is a step in the right direction, we ask that
everyone follow all guidelines that have been put in place to ensure the safety of our
student athletes and coaches.
I want to personally thank Mike Smith, the doctors at Lexington Clinic, and President
Young for all their assistance in setting forth our guidelines. Lexington Catholic has
followed all the recommendations set forth by the KHSAA, CDC, The National
Federation of High School Sports, and the Governor's Plan for Youth Sports.
Below is the current schedule for teams that have chosen to do summer conditioning.
Please understand that all of our procedures are subject to change based on the latest
updates from the KHSAA. Please read the attached guidelines as you prepare to come
next week. Please have your student-athlete come with the attached signed waiver on
their first conditioning session and give to their head coach.
Thanks again for your patience during this process. Our student athletes' best interest
has always been our first priority and we hope they are all excited to return. We plan to
have a video by the end of this week that shows the protocols that students and
coaches will follow.

Kevin Bruggeman
Interim Athletic Director
Please click this Athletics link to learn about the Healthy Return for Athletes and Coaches and
for the Athletic Waiver for athletes to participate.  Summer Workouts for Teams begin June 15, 2020.

Lexington Catholic Dance Team News - Click here

Lexington Catholic Soccer News - Click here

Summer Meal Program

Scott County Schools will continue to provide breakfast and lunch meals free for anyone age 18 or under throughout the summer.  To date, SCS has served nearly 270,000 meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Please note, there will be a few changes to the meal distribution schedule beginning June 1, 2020.

Meal kits will be available for pick up on Mondays,Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 12-1:00pm at the following locations: Lemons Mill Elementary School, Scott County High School, Southern Elementary School, and Stamping Ground Elementary School.  Parents can drive thru to pick up meals for all children in their household. 

There will be seven bus routes each with multiple stops throughout the community where families can pick up meals at convenient locations. Delivery times will be 11am-1pm also on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. 

CLICK HERE to view bus stops and estimated drop off times. We appreciate your patience as our staff works out the details of these routes to confirm exact times for each drop off point. 

Beginning June 1, we will no longer be able to offer individual home delivery but were purposeful in designating the new neighborhood drop off points so that meals are equally accessible throughout the community.  No meals distributed on July 2, 2020.

We are dedicated to continuing this valuable service to meet the needs of students and families in our community.  With questions, please contact Nutrition Direction Mitzi Marshall at (502) 570-3035 or [email protected]. 
 

Information available in Spanish: https://www.scott.kyschools.us/News/summermeals2020