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

What I Hope to be Thankful For!

Considering it is Thanksgiving Break, one would assume I would write a customary "What I'm Thankful For" blog. Since it isn't like me to do the expected or usual thing, I decided to make this a "What I Hope to be Thankful For" blog. My reasoning for this change is we work so hard today in order to obtain certain positive outcomes tomorrow. Today we sow; tomorrow we reap, especially for the sake of our children.

We envision a thriving school for all children that will provide a premier education in the Catholic tradition. As our vision statement looks to the future, I'm future-casting my thankfulness.

With that being said, I hope to be thankful for (in no particular order):

• our students to continue to grow and succeed in faith, service, and love.
• the continued improvement of the education we offer.
• student enrollment to continue to climb.
• being able to keep our incredible faculty and staff together.
• teachers who continue to look for opportunities for the students to learn, grow and experience the world outside of the classroom setting.
• teachers who continue to use innovative classroom lessons if they believe it will help students succeed.
• having the resources to provide our teachers with the training necessary to better serve students.
• the increase of alumni giving back to St. Ann in order to help current families with tuition assistance.
• our friends to continue to support through in-kind giving and helping to fulfill our wish list.
• the growth of our annual giving campaign to the point we can actually decrease tuition.
• St. Ann Church and School to be seen as one.
• the growth of St. Ann Church and School together.
• adding two sections of every grade.
• being 1-to-1 in technology in all grades.
• providing our students with more individualized learning opportunities.
• all students to participate in SPARKS.
• all students having more opportunities for project-based learning.
• having the resources to provide our teachers with the training necessary to better serve students with dyslexia.
• having the resources to provide our teachers with the training necessary to better serve students on the autism spectrum.
• an increase in Title I funding for professional development.
• having two plays each year that involve more students and are funded through sponsorships.
• all students participating in extra-curricular activities.
• an increase in tutoring opportunities for our students.
• the new HVAC system for the classrooms still on the boiler system.
• for continued parental involvement especially in being the students' first teacher.
• some of our families to be able to use Education Savings Accounts (ESA) to attend St. Ann.
• expanding service opportunities to include parents, alumni, and parishioners.
• expanding service opportunities with Ave Marie, Catholic Charities, and Room in the Inn.
• a week-long vacation to the Cayman Islands for the school principal.

Of course, there's a lot more I hope to be thankful for.

The faculty, staff, parents, volunteers, and supporters work hard every day to make St. Ann a great school for our children. We are life-long learners and want our children to be life-long learners. The work we put in now will have an impact on the future; their future. So, let's work hard together to make these and many more "hope to be thankful for" a reality.

God bless you,

Didier Aur, Principal

St. Ann Catholic School