We are starting our sixth week of school already with Fall Break coming in a little over three weeks. We were hoping to go a little farther than one month before our first positive COVID-19 case, but one month is as far as we got. Just so everyone knows, I'm the one who jinxed us as for our first positive test. At 7:27 am on September 4th, I sent out the following email to the St. Ann staff:"We are finishing week four of the 2020-21 school year. We weren’t certain we would make it this far without a shutdown, but we are doing things right and keeping our people safe for the most part. We have had a number of scares and sent a number of students home on the side of caution.
It is time for our first break- Labor Day! Thanks for getting us this far into the school year. We have a long way to go and we have to keep our guard up to keep everyone safe. Let’s be vigilant and do all we can to prevent a shutdown. Over the 3-day break, stay safe and be smart.
I appreciate everyone of you very much. I appreciate your heart and your dedication to St. Ann and our students. You and St. Ann are in my daily prayers. I am thankful I get to work with all of you."
That is how I jinxed us because at 11:00 am, we received the positive COVID-19 test result and started putting our COVID-19 plan into action; a plan which we hoped to never have to use. Thank goodness the front office staff was on their game. We typed up COVID-19 notifications letters, one each for 7-M (7th grade Mr. Maranise's class), all middle school grades, 3rd grade, and the whole school. The letters were emailed out and we also contacted every 3rd and 7-M parent by phone in case they didn't get the email. Those parents were here in no time to pick up their children with all their school books/materials and started the quarantine process. Many of the 7-M parents have had their children tested for COVID-19 as well. Ms. Ghio and the middle school teachers were also tested.
Ms. Ghio used the shutdown plan all teachers have in place and her class was virtual by Tuesday morning since Monday was Labor Day. The middle school teachers did the same with 7-M. Unfortunately, we have experience in successfully switching to virtual learning in no time flat.
I'm thinking that all this happened because I planned to take off at noon that Friday to drive to Orange Beach for the Labor Day weekend, and hoped to be there in time for dinner. It was a little before dinner time when Kelley and I actually left for Orange Beach. I'm not complaining because I got to go to Orange Beach for the Labor Day weekend! The bad part was the drive back from Orange Beach. That became a two-day ordeal, but that's a whole other story.
At 2:49 pm, here's my follow-up email to the St. Ann staff:
"Did I jinx us or what!!!! Man, I am never sending out another email like this one ever again. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Going to give myself lashes. Where are the sackcloth and ashes? Forgive me Father for I have sinned."
So, what we hoped wouldn't be the inevitable positive COVID-19 test came. We were prepared to deal with this situation. We really don't want to have to deal with it again. It is avoidable if we all follow the rules developed by the Diocesan Transition Task Force and the St. Ann Rules and Procedures Committee.
Let's do our best to keep everyone safe and sound. Let's all make good decision so that we won't have to quarantine again. As we move into the future, will one or more classes at St. Ann have to quarantine? If I were a betting man, I'd say yes. The thing is, I'm not a betting man but I am a hoping man. And, I hope we can count on one another to do the right thing to keep everyone safe. Honesty, communication, and prayer go a long way in keep us all safe.
God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School
