Is That a Light We Are Seeing?

Is that a light we are seeing at the end of the narrow COVID-19 tunnel; the light we have been anticipating since last March? I do believe it is! The end of the tunnel is getting closer. The problem is the end is still far away. Yet, the tunnel is no longer quite narrow. Due to the work of our incredible scientists, researchers, chemists, medical professionals, volunteers..., the tunnel is growing wider, allowing more light to shine through giving us a much needed sense of hope that we are getting closer to the end of the tunnel. If we do not continue to do the things we need to do to keep us safe, the tunnel will continue to widen, but the end will be no nearer.

The wider tunnel is an optical illusion giving us a somewhat mythical sense of security. I do not desire to use the term "false sense of security" because we are moving in the right direction safely in opening up society to what we consider normal. The issue is that we can very quickly and easily fall back to the high pandemic transmission levels especially with the new variants of Coronavirus if we let our guard down.

The big step taking place for all schools is with teachers and staff having received the 1st dose (and for some the 2nd dose) of the vaccine. Most everyone at St. Ann will receive the 2nd dose during the Spring Break.

The CDC just announced this morning that fully vaccinated adults can now gather without masks, but asks that we continue to follow COVID-19 protocol in social distancing, hand-washing, and wearing masks. To me, this is good news giving us another opportunity of hope that the light we are seeing at the end of the tunnel is real.

As for children under 12 years of age, there is no timeline for their vaccination. I just read an article in the NY Times about vaccinating children. The part that stood out with me is that "moving below 12 years of age will require a new study and potentially a modified formulation or dose schedule." A vaccine for children under 12 isn't going to happen for awhile. The current vaccines are considered safe for 16 and above. Trials are now taking place for children 12-15 years of age.

The next step for us is to see how well we can control the spread of COVID-19 during Spring Break. Even though our numbers have been declining, will we see another spike with people gathering as they did during Thanksgiving and Christmas? Will we let down our guard and push COVID-19 protocol aside? The answers totally depend on us and our behavior during Spring Break. It is in our hands.

I am fully confident we at St. Ann will remain a safe haven for students, see the vaccination process through for our staff, follow all protocol set by the CDC and our own COVID-19 task force, and continue to see our virtual students return. With only 5% of our students on virtual learning, this is a great sign we are doing the right thing.

As we move forward, the parents of our virtual students are feeling better about their child(ren) returning to school in-person. Last week, we had two students return with two more returning after Spring Break. There are several others weighing the return to the in-person school option. And, I'm looking forward to the day virtual learning comes to an end and we have all our students attending school in-person.

Children aren't meant to sit at home learning in front of a computer. They need the interaction that comes from being with their classmates all day long. Educationally, they might do okay through virtual learning, but virtual learning doesn't help the social, emotional, or physical development of a child. Unfortunately, virtual learning is the only option many children have been afforded. Now that the tunnel is wider with more light shining through, attending school in-person is an option and a very good option at that.

As we head into Spring Break, let's enjoy the family time together and the warming weather while being mindful that we are still in the tunnel.

God bless you,

Didier Aur, Principal

St. Ann Catholic School

Only 4-Months Left

There are only 4-months left of this epic school year; the year of the Coronavirus. In a month and a half, we will reach the one-year anniversary of the March 16th switch to virtual learning for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. On this year's first anniversary, I hope to be enjoying Spring Break 2021 since Spring Break 2020 was pretty much non-existent. That break was spent preparing for virtual learning. For me, March 16th is a day to be remembered like 9/11. Unlike 9/11, March 16th has many positives to go along with it like our staff successfully implementing virtual learning; something we had no idea how to do five days before then.

Since the start of the pandemic, the world has experienced 2.23 million COVID-19 deaths. The United States has had 439K deaths. I, like everyone else, have lost friends and loved ones during this pandemic. Many families that have lost a loved one recently are having to wait up to a week or so to even meet with funeral home directors to plan a funeral.

I heard this simile today. "Life is like a fog, it appears, quickly dissipates and goes away." What a terrible, yet so accurate way of describing our lives on earth. I want to be more than a fog, at least to myself and my family anyway. That's why I love to wake early and get to work each day because even though my life, like the fog, will quickly dissipate and go away, I want to make a positive difference (too much negative out there already) while I'm still here. If I can first make a positive difference in my own life, maybe that will rub off on others, and help make the lives of those around me just a little bit better. As St. Teresa of Calcutta once said, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love."

During this pandemic, depression and anxiety have run rampant throughout the world. We have seen it at St. Ann with the students, but mainly when the school year started back in August. With the staff, the anxiety was present just before March 16th during the conversion from live to virtual learning. Since then, things have gotten better and the school year has been running smoothly with a few speed bumps along the way to slow things down. Anxiety still exists, but at a much lower level. I feel this is the case because our students and staff are present and our education has been live. For the few who are online, their education has been extremely individualized because of the work of our three online teachers. This has greatly reduced anxiety and increased learning levels.

We have learned many lessons along the way. A number of the changes we have made will be permanent changes simply because they are better. During this time, I have learned more than ever before about education, and it appears our teachers have learned how to educate our students in better ways. With the implementation of a new Math and Language Arts curriculum and the great work of our teachers with the students, we have seen tremendous results in the winter easyCBM scores. The improvements we have seen especially in math are incredible. There was an increase, with some very substantial increases, in both math assessments for all grades Kinder-8th! Just a reminder that math was the hardest hit subject during virtual learning.

With the new strain of COVID-19 approaching and expected to hit us in March (I'm starting to dislike March), and the lack of vaccines available, we will continue with all the current precautions in place.  This isn't the time to let up, but instead to reinforce procedures to keep everyone safe.

There are a lot of things happening in our world. It is up to us to decide if those happenings are negative or positive. I think you know me well enough by now to know that I'm going to put on my rose-colored glasses and look for all the good that I can. Bad things happen and tragedies occur. That's part of life. They aren't fun, but we have to deal with them. Longfellow once wrote, "Into each life some rain must fall." I'm glad I like the rain.

Let us find the positives in our lives and enjoy the fog while it is here.

God bless you,

Didier Aur, Principal

St. Ann Catholic School

Safety Over Convenience

Thanksgiving 2019 was an awesome gathering for the Aur Family. We had family and friends travel to Memphis from everywhere. We celebrated Thanksgiving like any American-Brazilian family would with lots of hugs, kisses, laughter, love, and with everyone gathering in the kitchen because we cannot be too far away from the food. But then again, we do that at every gathering.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2020. The American-Brazilian Thanksgiving will look much different thanks to the Coronavirus. It will be a very small affair in order to keep everyone safe with only a handful of family members gathering together. There will be fewer hugs and kisses, but no less laughs or love, and with everyone gathering in the kitchen. There are a few things the virus cannot change.

This week, I read an article from CNBC regarding Thanksgiving and the exponential increase in the spread of the Coronavirus. I really feel compelled to share this article with you because the last thing I want is for anyone to contract COVID-19 especially my students at St. Ann. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/19/coronavirus-cdc-urges-americans-against-traveling-for-thanksgiving-as-coronavirus-outbreak-worsens.html

Actions by the SAS parents have been a huge factor in making sure the virus doesn’t spread at school. If their child has a cough, runny nose, headache, upset stomach, general achiness, or any symptom that raises a red flag, parents have been keeping their child home to help protect all the children. And if the child starts feeling bad while at school, parents quickly show up and take their child home. Everyone has been super-supportive and we want to keep it that way. “Safety Over Convenience” should be our new motto.

One of my fears is that people will not take seriously and adhere to the CDC warnings concerning large holiday gatherings with the possibility of those gatherings being super-spreaders of the Coronavirus.

The CDC recommends that we not travel for the holidays. Well, that’s not going to happen because I know many families have made travel plans and some have already started traveling. “For Americans who decide to travel, CDC recommends doing so as safely as possible by following the same recommendations for everyday living.”

Please be smart during your travels to keep everyone safe. Whether or not you are anti-mask, social distancing, and/or think that COVID-19 is a hoax, respect what is actually happening to hundreds of people testing positive every day just in Shelby County.

It seems as if more and more people I know have or had COVID-19. Most of them have no idea how they got it. Some have had mild symptoms, some have been hospitalized, and a few have died. And, we have no idea what the long-term physical effects will be from COVID-19, even to the folks who are asymptomatic.

COVID-19 cannot be taken lightly or viewed as some sort of conspiracy. We cannot let our guard down. The CDC has asked “every American to redouble our efforts to watch our distance, wash our hands and, most importantly, wear a mask.”

One of the CDC concerns is that people who are asymptomatic might bring infections to small gatherings. “Roughly 30% to 40% of Covid-19′s spread is driven by people without symptoms.”

The CDC also recommends “Thanksgiving celebrations should be limited only to those people living in the same household.”

If you don’t plan to adhere to CDC recommendations, below are suggestions for keeping your loved ones and yourself safe over the holidays.

• Check the Covid-19 infection rates in areas where attendees of the dinner live.

• Limit the number of attendees.

• Host the gathering outdoors, if possible.

• Increase ventilation by opening windows and doors, or by placing central air and heating on continuous circulation.

• Make sure people are sitting 6 feet away, even outdoors.

• Wear a mask at all times, except when eating and drinking.

• Avoid singing or shouting, especially indoors.

• Avoid potluck-style gatherings.

• Have one person who is wearing a mask serve all the food so that multiple people are not handling the serving utensils.

• Have single-use options or identify one person to serve sharable items.

Yes, there are vaccinations forthcoming, but the holidays aren’t a time for us to let down our guard. According to the frontrunners in the race to produce a COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna, BioNTech and Pfizer, and University of Oxford and AstraZeneca) and with approval from the FDA, vaccinations will begin in late 2020 and early 2021.

This doesn’t mean the vaccinations will be ready for the general population. This link from the State of Tennessee outlines to whom and in what phases the vaccinations will be given.

https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/COVID-19_Vaccination_Plan.pdf

 

The bottom line is BE CAREFUL. If you go to a family gathering and are exposed to someone testing positive for COVID-19, quarantine yourself and your child(ren) so that others at school aren’t exposed. We have 3-weeks of school left of the 2nd quarter and until the Christmas break. Let’s continue to protect the children and keep everyone out of harm’s way.

 

We’ve been sacrificing and following guidelines and protocol since March 16th. A few more months and we will be able to look back at all the great things we have been able to accomplish together. The vaccine isn’t here yet and COVID-19 is spreading. Let us work together to contain the virus. "Safety Over Convenience."

 

God bless you,

Didier Aur

I Was The Jinx

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

Previous Blog: https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/08/there-is-no-finish-line.html