Welcome back to the 2021-2022 school year!

Dear St. Gerald Giants,

Welcome back to the 2021-2022 school year!  Summer break has flown by, and we are only three weeks away from the first day of school.  This will be like my first year at St. Gerald all over again.  We will be returning to a more “normal” year, complete with activities like athletics, band, and weekly Mass.  While we will not be completely free of the pandemic and some of the protocols, we will experience more freedom and traditions than last year. Father Pajor, Father Stuglik, and I are all excited to watch the school and parish come alive again.

Per the Archdiocese, we will not have to stagger entrance or exit to the school, but it is recommended that we try to maintain three feet of distance.  We will create another drop off/pick up schedule and have that available on curriculum day. It will not be as strict as last year, but the hope is that it will keep the students from being too crowded together. Hand sanitizing is still required when entering or exiting and before and after using any equipment. No wellness checks will be performed in the morning, but anyone with any symptoms (headache, stomachache, cough, fever, etc.) is required to stay home until symptoms have subsided for 24 hours.  As of today, masks are mandatory for anyone, adult or child, who isn’t vaccinated. These must be worn indoors only.  Everyone may remove masks outdoors. This guidance may change with changing guidance from the CDC. We will keep you updated.

We are working on changing some of the teaching assignments to return to special classes that we lost last year.  Please be patient as we work to create schedules.  All students will learn who their homeroom teachers are on curriculum day and then we will post faculty and staff contact information/duties on our website.  We can share that we will be adding some new classes for students.  Students in kindergarten through fifth grade will be taking a new social-emotional learning class (SEL) once per week and students in grades four through eight will get to experience a new STEM class once per week. We have brought back library, music, and gym, and some classes will also receive computer skills instruction once per week in the lab.  We are looking forward to a well-rounded education once again!

Our school advisory board is working on adding some items to our uniform.  The uniform will not change this year, but there will be a couple of new items to freshen up the uniforms.  We plan to create a uniform committee this year to create a new uniform for next school year, 2022-2023.  We want to give families as much notice as possible for any changes, so we plan to have new uniform guidance published in the winter.

Since it will undoubtedly be hot when we begin school, students may wear gym uniforms until September 17.  September 20 will be the first day for regular uniforms (polos, shorts, jumpers, skorts, etc.).  As we get closer to September 20, we will review the uniform expectations for everyone in the school newsletter.

Our first day of school is Wednesday, August 18, and it has been scheduled as a half day with an 11:00 dismissal.  You may drop off students in grades one through eight beginning at 7:40. Preschool and kindergarten students will be notified by their homeroom teachers about their schedules.  Hot lunch will not be served that day because of the early dismissal. Extended care will be available until 6:00. If any parent would like to help in the cafeteria during lunch or recess, please contact Mrs. Reynolds.  We are offering a small tuition credit for those that help.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for entrusting their children to us and supporting us.  We are very blessed by the St. Gerald community.  I’d like to invite everyone to join us at the Family Fun Day on August 15 after the 11:00 Mass.  It will be a great time to say hello to people we haven’t seen in over a year.  The parish could use our help in manning activities that day and they are looking for students who need service hours to set up and clean up.  Please contact Mrs. Janicke if you can help…

The Family Fun Day is almost here. We need lots of volunteers, including 7th & 8th grade and High School students to help with set up on Saturday and Sunday. if YOUR CHILD NEEDS SERVICE HOURS, THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO GET THEM DONE EARLY!!  Please contact Development at 708-422-2194 or [email protected]. Thanks!!

A registration form is attached to this email for Family Fun Day.  The school calendar can be found on the website (https://school.stgerald.com) under “Events & News” and the supply list can be found under “For Parents, Policies & Forms.”

Enjoy the remaining days of summer break and we look forward to seeing you at curriculum day on Monday, August 9!

God bless,

Kemberly Markham