Important information for the 2021-22 school year

Greetings Holy Trinity Parents, Guardians, 

Welcome to the start of the 2021-22 school year! We are so excited to have everyone back in the building and resume regular Holy Trinity activities. We are hopeful that the continued partnership between the school and parents thrives now more than ever.  Last year presented a bevy of unforeseen challenges, but our teachers and staff rose to the occasion and presented rigorous and insightful lessons that spanned in and outside the classroom. Even in the midst of a pandemic, Holy Trinity stands undaunted and exudes excellence in education instruction. 

As it relates to Covid-19, I’d like to update our Holy Trinity families on our plans for re-opening. Below are some specifics we’d like you to know:

Wearing Masks 

Our decision on masks was data driven. Three weeks ago, we sent a survey to parents on their student’s vaccination status and If parents felt wearing a mask is essential to the school day at HT. We discovered that likely 20% or more of our students may not be vaccinated by August 25th. However, approximately 70% of our parents are in favor of all students and employees wearing masks every day.

The CDC and the Archdiocese have given guidance that masks may be optional in schools. However, given the emerging data on the Delta variant and the data drawn from our parent survey, Holy Trinity has decided that all employees and students are to wear masks until we achieve institutional herd immunity which we have set as:

Holy Trinity Students: 80%

Holy Trinity Employees: 90%

This means we are requesting proof of vaccination from all vaccinated students and employees. Once both thresholds are achieved, Holy Trinity administration will re-evaluate and discuss lifting mask mandates. We will continue to monitor COVID cases in the city of Chicago and continue to follow the CDC guidelines.

Covid-19 Testing 

Our testing provider Free Covid Care will be at Holy Trinity to provide rapid testing to all students and employees every Friday between 2:30-4pm . All student-athletes must be tested every week or will be ineligible for practice or participation in games. We strongly encourage all students unvaccinated to be tested every week. Vaccinated students and employees are also invited to be tested.

Temperature Checks

One change for this year is that temperature checks will no longer happen at Holy Trinity upon entering the building but we still ask that you monitor your student’s health each morning and that you do not send sick students to school. 

Social Distancing

Holy Trinity will be keeping a 3 foot social distancing rule in all classes, cafeteria, and assemblies. We caution all unvaccinated students to remain mindful of social distancing and keep 3-6 feet distance between other individuals.  

Cleaning Protocols

All cleaning protocols will remain in place including deep cleaning with a jet sprayer. All surfaces, including door knobs, high touch surfaces, bathrooms, and common areas will be cleaned with  disinfectant throughout the school day.  Additionally, we will maintain air quality through continued ventilation efforts as well as use of the portable air purifiers put in place last school year. 

Record Keeping

The Main Office will keep an accurate count of all employees and students and their proof of vaccination status. The Main Office will be setting up an online tool so that HT families may upload proof of vaccinations or parents can simply bring vaccination cards directly to us.  Only the School Principal and his designee will have access to proof of vaccination cards to further protect student medical records. 

Other Items

As we reopen, we also intend to keep parents updated and communicate with you in a timely manner. In an effort to ensure parents know what’s occurring at school, I have included a school calendar in this mailing. Furthermore, Holy Trinity will produce a biweekly newsletter to remind parents of upcoming events and important news. I’d like to highlight a few things here:

Uniforms

The uniform guide is unchanged from last year and is included within this mailing. There is a point of emphasis however regarding sweatshirts and jackets. We are advising all parents to purchase the HT pullover and/or the sweater for the winter. Please ensure your student is well layered for the winter, but within Holy Trinity uniform guidelines. 

Grading Scale

Holy Trinity has changed to a 10 point scale and has added a plus/minus system. For example, a student doing very well in a class could earn an:

A+   100-98      A   97-93       A-   92-90

Lockers

All students will have access to lockers this year. Locks will be provided to each student by Holy Trinity. Students cannot use any outside locks. Lockers are assigned, meaning students do not get to choose/switch/take up lockers not assigned to them.