COVID-19 Info

A few takeaways to note:

• Daily Monitoring of Health
• Upper Grades are in rosters
• Lunch in classes to start the school year
• Masks optional for outside recess and phys ed

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we mentioned in our prior COVID-19 communication, St. Anastasia School and the SAS Task Force will seek  guidance from the Office of Catholic Education (OCE) and the Pennsylvania Department of Health in making school-wide decisions related to our COVID-19 plan and safety protocols. We also stated that any reopening plans were subject to change based on new data and information. 

The Office of Catholic Education and the CSO Task Force have determined that optional masking is not possible at this time due to the transmission level in our county. Currently, Delaware County is at a  HIGH level of community transmission.   While we are in a HIGH or SUBSTANTIAL transmission level, masks will be required, not optional. The masking waiver, we previously mentioned, is not permitted during HIGH and SUBSTANTIAL levels of transmission. OCE has set these guidelines, and we will follow them as they pertain to our community. However, as mentioned in their statement, OCE will be employing a  flexible strategic approach that will be responsive to the transmission level of the community. When community level is low, there will be less mitigating practices and when the spread is high, greater mitigating practices will be implemented. Additional information and resources can be found on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s website.

We look forward to welcoming our students back to St. Anastasia School for in- person learning in just a few short weeks. We also want to provide families and teachers the assurance of an in-person learning experience, as we believe this is the most beneficial way for students to learn and socialize. We will continue to update our COVID-19 plans to reflect the necessary mitigating measures that keep our school open and students and faculty safe from any unnecessary COVID-19 exposure.

We hope to work together and support each other for another successful school year.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Doyle and Mrs. Brown

August 23, 2021 AOP Superintendent Letter
Dear Parents and Guardians,

Above is a link to a letter from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Superintendent regarding opening schools and COVID mitigation practices the schools will follow for the beginning of the school year.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Beth Doyle and Mrs. Carolyn Brown
 

Dear Parents,

We hope everyone is doing well, staying healthy, and enjoying their summer. We look forward to seeing our teachers and students back at school soon! 

Similar to last year, the start of the 2021 school year is surrounded with questions and concerns on the rise of COVID cases, masking in school, and varying medical recommendations published in the media and by local medical organizations.  We would like to share with you what we know at this point, however, reserve the right to change our plans based on new data and guidelines. Thank you in advance for your support, cooperation, and flexibility as we all prepare for September. 

We recognize that the new Delta variant, and rise in confirmed COVID cases, have many concerned about how we will begin the school year, and  what safety measures we will take to ensure the health and wellness of our school community.  

As we’ve seen in the past, the guidance and insight from various health organizations and medical professionals can be conflicting and transitional. St. Anastasia School and the SAS Task Force will seek  guidance from the Office of Catholic Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Health in making school-wide decisions related to our COVID-19 plan and safety protocols. A change from last year is that  Chester County Health Department will no longer provide COVID guidance to Delaware County schools. Instead, Delaware County schools will follow PA Department of Health’s protocols and guidelines.  

The goal for St. Anastasia School is to open our school with the capability and assurance to provide families, students, and teachers with an in-person learning experience.  We strongly believe that in-person learning is the most effective and optimal learning environment for our students’ and teachers’ academic, emotional, mental, and social well-being. We want all those that can attend school, with no or little risk, to be at school. 

We will only offer virtual learning in the event of a confirmed, inschool, COVID exposure that would lead to a quarantine or isolation period of  St. Anastasia students or faculty member(s). The only other exception will be for families with children, or immediate household family members, dealing with a documented, severe medical pre-existing condition(s). Virtual learning will not be offered as an alternative for any other reason such as vacations, regular absences/sickness, or family emergencies. 

At this time, our guidance strongly recommends masking, indoors, for anyone who is not fully vaccinated. We will recommend that anyone, who is not fully vaccinated, wear a mask while in the school building. We will encourage all faculty members to wear a mask during the school day to reduce the risk of possible exposure to the virus.  Masks will not need  to be worn during outside activities such as recess, or during prolonged physical activities such as gym class. 

We fully accept that the school’s position is not going to please everyone. We, also, are aware of the strong opinions, social media groups,  and petitions circulating against children wearing masks in school. We respect everyone’s right to have their opinion.  Although we will strongly recommend masking, we are mindful of the negative effects of any mask mandate. We will make provisions  for those who oppose our mask policy.  We are working with the Office of Catholic Education, and their CSO Task Force  to implement a “Mask Waiver” for those who feel that a mask will be detrimental to their child’s overall physical and emotional well-being.

More information and detailed directives will be released soon. St. Anastasia School will continue to meet and seek guidance from the appropriate medical organizations and make the necessary accommodations to our reopening plan as needed. Please note, everything is subject to change based on new guidance and data in the weeks ahead. We ask for everyone’s cooperation and flexibility as we work together on the start of a new school year.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Beth Doyle and Mrs. Carolyn Brown

July 31, 2021
Dear Parents, Guardians and School Employees,
Please be patient.  We will be adding content to this page as soon as we have information.