Many families have asked how to get involved and support our students. In response, here are a few ways that we would love for our families to support the education of our children:

1. Pray for us!
2. Designate your Arizona Income Tax to CTSO and designate Our Mother of Sorrows. For more information contact: rloreto@omosschool.com
3. Register your Fry's Card and designate Our Mother of Sorrows. For more information, visit our website: http://www.omosschool.com/support-students-while-shopping.html
4. Participate in the new, electronic Box Tops for Education. For more information, visit our website: http://www.omosschool.com/support-students-while-shopping.html
5. Donate children's books that are in your house but your children may have outgrown. We are continuously in need of books to grow our classroom libraries and give our students great choices in their reading.
6. Join us for dinner at Chipotle on Tuesday night. All the proceeds will support student resources and learning materials for the classroom. For more information, see the flyer below or visit our website: http://www.omosschool.com/chipotle-fundraiser.html
7. Help us keep the classrooms clean with Clorox wipes and paper towels. 
8. Read with your child.

Recently, the middle school students tested their engineering and design skills to build a car in order to test the speed of a car traveling down a ramp. Through their science exploration, they learned about gravitational potential energy, and they used different ramp heights to determine how the potential energy impacted the speed of the car as it travelled down the ramp. It was great to see the students in action.

​Thank you for helping to keep our community safe!

​Schools have been permitted to open using the hybrid model based on the Pima County Health Department’s COVID-19 dashboard showing a positive trend over the last few weeks. The health department specifications for the hybrid opening include social distancing, wearing a mask, increased ventilation, and additional hygiene measures. The Our Mother of Sorrows plan has been reviewed by the Superintendent for the Diocese of Tucson as well as the health department. For the full plan, please visit the school’s website. 

On-campus learning will begin next week. In order to support the students who will come to campus, we will have students return to campus in two small groups. This will allow for students to practice the new hygiene routines, social distancing, mask-wearing, and the arrival and dismissal procedures.

Here is the schedule for resuming on-campus learning:

• Monday, September 21: Online school will continue
• Tuesday, September 22: Only Students with last names A-L will return to campus for an orientation
• Wednesday, September 23: Only Students with last names M-Z will return to campus for an orientation
•  Thursday, September 24: Students resume on-campus learning

All students currently attending the online learning on campus should report bother Tuesday and Wednesday. They will serve as leaders in the classrooms for the students who are returning. 

For families who have elected to continue with online learning, there will be an online learning orientation for families and students next week. This will allow for students to understand the expectations online learning as well as the shift in the daily schedule.

In order to prepare for the time when our students change from all online to in-person and online options, it is vital that all families complete our brief survey. For the survey, please click here: parent survey

This information allows for us to plan for the return to on-campus learning. The survey must be completed by Wednesday, September 9th. Any family who has not completed the survey will be marked as a family who is electing to keep their child(ren) online at home. We need an accurate count for the students who plan to be on-campus in order to arrange the physical classroom spaces and ensure that we have enough desks and supplies. Thank you for responding to the survey.
 
At this point, we are getting close to re-opening. As of Thursday, the Arizona Department of Health Services shows that Pima county is meeting the benchmarks in all 3 areas. For the full report, you can look here: https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/infectious-disease-epidemiology/index.php#novel-coronavirus-schools

Regarding the Pima County benchmarks, we are in progress or meeting 7 of the 9 areas. For more information, you can look here: https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=568644

Although, I do not know when the date will be that we are able to open for learning, there is a possibility that we will be able to open with hybrid learning as early as September 21st. This would be dependent on Pima county data meeting the benchmarks since the date we will return to campus is dependent on meeting the benchmarks outlined above.
 
I know that many of us are anxious to resume on-campus learning, but let us remember to trust in God’s timing: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your path” (Proverbs 3:5-7).

I hope all our families have a great Labor Day weekend! We will be back for online learning on Tuesday, September 8.

Because we care about the health and safety of every student who enters our campus, we continue consultations and communication with our local and state health departments to ensure our mitigation plan is aligned with the most recent recommendations.  To that end, we are sending out this clarification in our safe mitigation protocol if students exhibit COVID-like symptoms while on campus.  Following are the most recent COVID-like symptoms you need to monitor your children daily for prior to bringing them to school.  In an overabundance of caution, we will maintain a zero tolerance for illness.  Therefore, if your child is exhibiting any of these symptoms, KEEP THEM HOME:

• Fever
• Shortness of Breath
• Headache
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Muscle or Body Aches
• New loss of taste of smell
• Sore Throat
• Runny Nose and/or congestion
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

If your child exhibits any of the above symptoms while at school, he/she will be isolated and sent home to self-isolate for ten days and may not return until his/her symptoms have improved and he/she is fever-free without fever-reducing medication for 24 hours.  Because having one or more of the above symptoms does not necessarily mean that your child has COVID-19, we will encourage parents in this situation to either take your child to the doctor or have your child tested for COVID.  If your child tests negative for COVID or if a physician verifies that your child has an illness other than COVID, your child may return prior to the ten-day isolation if his/her symptoms have improved and he/she is fever-free without fever-reducing medication for 24 hours.   Out of an abundance of caution, all the children in your household will need to self-isolate as well until the cause of the symptoms are determined, or until the ten-day isolation has expired.   The attached Flow Chart from Arizona Department of Health Services may help illustrate our mitigation protocol.

IF YOUR CHILD HAS BEEN IN CLOSE CONTACT OR EXPOSED TO A COVID-POSITIVE PERSON, CALL THE SCHOOL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Thank you for your support in following these health and safety guidelines. 

Last week, we finished our first full week of school! It was such a blessing to hear the giggles from the preschool building this week! Our preschool students counted, played outside, and learned about preschool. With our K-8 students, we began online. Even though we cannot see each other in person daily, I did enjoy hearing from some of our students that they were so glad to “see” their friends and “meet” their teachers.

I hope all our students and families enjoyed our first Mass this year! We are so blessed to have Fr. Arnold and Fr. Tom here at Our Mother of Sorrows. Last Friday, they celebrated Mass with a special focus on the Holy Spirit. We were able to ask the Holy Spirit to bless our school year.

As we begin our new school year, we ask that the Holy Spirit bless each of our students, families, and faculty. We pray that each member of our school community will follow Jesus!

After reviewing the guidance for re-opening schools, we are excited to finalize our preparations for the 2020/2021 school year. We will begin the year online on August 17th which is just over a week away. Next week, be on the look-out for important information from the school office and your child’s teacher. In the meantime, we hope that we can help address a few questions that families have asked.

Where can I find information related to COVID-19 and the school year? In order to provide a central location with the current information related to the school year, please visit the school website at www.omoschool.com. The home page has a special link for the pandemic plan and a “news and information” button that will direct you to the latest updates.

Getting Ready for the Start of School
When will I find out who my child’s teacher will be? We know many students are excited to find out who their teachers will be for the year. Your child’s teacher will email a welcome letter and other information on Wednesday, August 12th in the afternoon.

When can I pick up my child’s school books? During the week of August 17th, we will a schedule for families to pick up their books. We apologize for the delay, but two publishers have informed us that they have delays due to weather and COVID-19; the books should arrive soon.

Technology
I requested a Chromebook, when can I pick it up? A Sign-Up Genius will be sent to families who have responded to the survey and indicated the need for a Chromebook. We will have designated times for families who have requested a Chromebook to check-out their device on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. In order to check-out a Chromebook, the Technology Agreement Form must be signed. The form can be reviewed here: http://www.omosschool.com/prek-8-handbooks-and-forms.html

What does my child need to access the online learning? Students will need internet, Google Chrome on the device (preferred), and access to a laptop or tablet.

How can I get internet in my home? Cox is offering a deal for internet to support students who are learning online. https://www.cox.com/residential/internet/connect2compete.html

First Day of School
Since we are starting school online, what does my child need to do on the first day of school? The school year will start with prayer. Next week, when you receive your welcome information from your child’s teacher, you will receive the instructions for the first day of school.

What time does school start and end when we are online? The school day will begin at 8:00 a.m.  The school day will end at the regular scheduled time which can be found on the school calendar: http://www.omosschool.com/calendar.html

Does my child need to wear a uniform online? Students will not need to wear a uniform if they are attending school at home. Students should dress appropriately in clothing that aligns with the non-dress code guidelines in the Parent Handbook. The Handbook can be found here: http://www.omosschool.com/prek-8-handbooks-and-forms.html

My child is registered to attend online learning on-campus. What do I need to know? On Monday, you will receive confirmation of your child’s placement as well as the important information for the start of the school year.

Will breakfast and lunch be available starting August 17th? Breakfast and lunch will be available beginning August 17th. We are resuming our standard lunch program, and the food will be cooked on-campus in our commercial kitchen. Watch for an email from Mrs. Felix for the menu and procedures to order lunch.

Future Plans
I desire to have my child attend school on-campus. When will on-campus learning begin? The current date is scheduled for Tuesday, September 8th but that is subject to change dependent on Pima county meeting specific benchmarks. For more information related to the benchmarks, please review the ADHS information: file:///C:/Users/19046/Downloads/2020.8.6.ADHS%20covid-19-school-benchmarks-county.pdf
​
Will there be sports? As of right now, the Diocese of Tucson is waiting to start the sports program in the interest of keeping students healthy. When more information is available, we will share it with families.