Page 1 - 3-10-21 Chalk Talk

ST. JOSEPH GRADE SCHOOL

March 10, 2021
Reverend G. Scott Shaffer, Director
Madeline A. Kinloch, Principal Newsletter
Juliann James, Vice Principal Volume 17, Issue 6

We greet the morning, we say good day!
The sound of children’s voices fill the halls.

Smiles, laughter, joyous faces,
Sounds of learning filter out from classrooms.

We managed the waters of school re-opening,
Staggered them a bit; now all classes in.
Prayers answered!

Dear Parents/Guardians:
It was truly a happy moment to witness the expressions and greetings of the students as they greeted friends
from the opposite cohort. It is wonderful to have as many of our students who feel comfortable back in the building.
The buildings are definitely a little bit noisier, but it is a happy learning noise. I love hearing it!
Full virtual is still available for those families that have chosen to have the students at home. Zoom will also be
available to those that have been placed on quarantine for the required time period.
We are excited to announce the release of our new SJGS Mobile App. The App gives you easy access to the
school website from your phone. It offers school information, educational resources, religious liturgical connections,
daily prayers, event sign ups, athletic schedules and special happenings. Just download from your App store and be
connected fast and easy to the school. One more way SJGS is staying in touch.

I would like to acknowledge and thank Mrs. Boyd, Mrs. Doran, Mr. Dudley and Mrs. D’Anton for all the extra
time and effort they give to maintaining and providing all of our social media and parent communication day by day.
There are urgent communications that can be time sensitive and these dedicated people respond to the needs of the
school at all hours of the day and yes, unfortunately throughout the night and early morning hours too.

The live stream of the SJGS Stations of the Cross can be located on the school website. The classes will
participate every Friday afternoon at 1:00 pm from their classrooms. After Easter break, we hope to be able to have a
few of our classes at a time celebrate mass in - person together. Month by month, we revisit our calendar to see how we
can navigate and progress forward to experience the many events we normally undertake. It actually has been quite
exciting and fulfilling to think out of the box and make plans for things to offer our school community while still
maintaining safe protocol. I love challenges.
As we approach the Easter break, please remember that if traveling out of the country or to any state other than
PA, DE, NY, CT, you must quarantine for 10 days. It is very important that you notify the office and your child’s
teacher of your plans for spring break. If you know ahead of time that you will need to quarantine, then have your child
bring home his/her books and materials before dismissing for break.
For a positive case within the school, we will notify the parents of those classes, buses, clubs/teams, etc. that the
child has had close contact with. We do not notify the whole school each time. The Ocean County Health department
assists us with any and all cases to determine whether exposure was a close contact or casual contact. Under direction
from the OCHD, our nursing staff will set the dates to quarantine. So, let’s go with “No news is good news!”
Wishing you all a happy, bright, warm and exhilarating SPRING!
Mrs. Kinloch
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