Coronavirus COVID-19 Information
Last updated: January 13, 2022
St. Athanasius School Parents,
As recommendations for keeping our students, staff, and families healthy change, we will continue to communicate with you regarding updates. Please know that decisions are made with the goal of keeping the majority of our students in person at school.
Most importantly, please note:
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- Masks can be removed outdoors, including during outdoor athletics and recess (as long as individuals are not in crowded spaces).
- Anyone returning from a 5-day isolation or quarantine must still wear a mask at all times (indoors and outdoors) on days 6 - 10, during outdoor athletics and recess.
- Following any required 5-day isolation/quarantine, families have the option to either:
- send a student back to school on day 6 with the understanding that the student will need to distance 6 feet at lunch and remain masked at all times, indoors and outdoors through day 10, or
- keep a student home for the full 10 days and send the student back to school on day 11
The full message you will receive from the OCS is included below. We need to keep in mind at this point in time, we are focused on keeping each other healthy, and we are so fortunate to have our children attending school each day.
Please contact Principal Foyle with any questions.
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Dear School Families,
Last night, the Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois State Board of Education released updated guidance for schools, addressing many issues related to the CDC’s Dec. 27 guidance on 5-day quarantine and isolation. This new guidance also addresses some issues that had not been clearly addressed by state officials, including the use of masks outdoors. Therefore, we are updating our guidance to reflect those clarifications:
- Masks can be removed outdoors, including during outdoor athletics and recess (as long as individuals are not in crowded spaces).
- Anyone returning from a 5-day isolation or quarantine must still wear a mask at all times (indoors and outdoors) on days 6 - 10, during outdoor athletics and recess.
- Following any required 5-day isolation/quarantine, families have the option to either:
- send a student back to school on day 6 with the understanding that the student will need to distance 6 feet at lunch and remain masked at all times, indoors and outdoors through day 10, or
- keep a student home for the full 10 days and send the student back to school on day 11
As we have done from the start, we will confirm our guidelines to those of our local public health departments and will make adjustments, as necessary. It is challenging but important for all of us to keep up with changing conditions and guidance.Our priority remains the health of the whole student and providing exceptional, uninterrupted, in-person instruction and extracurricular activities.
Thank you for your ongoing partnership and patience.
Peace be with you,
Greg Richmond
Superintendent of Schools
Additional Updates
- Read the latest Parish updates from Cardinal Cupich and Pastor Father Hernan.
- Join St. Athanasius Parish for Sunday Mass via livestream here. For a schedule and details about in-person Mass, visit our Parish Reopening page.
- Community-in-need & volunteer assistance: The parish is offering assistance to those in need; if you, or someone you know, is in need of groceries/medications, or could use someone to chat with or check in on him/her, a group of volunteers would like to help. Email saintasfriends@gmail.com with your request. If you would like to volunteer to help community members, please join St. A's Lotsa Helping Hands Community Site via this link.
- PSO Lunch Program helping to provide meals to hospitals: Read more about how to help our PSO Hot Lunch Program divert resources to help feed healthcare professionals at two local hospitals.
- Learning resources via YouTube: St. Athanasius School and the Archdiocese of Chicago are working together to provide additional quality eLearning for all our students. Access the learning library here, which provides extra resources to our students.
During this time, please continue engaging with friends, family, and St. A's through our social media:
Links & Resources
St. Athanasius Parish >
St. Athanasius Parish | Sunday Mass Livestream >
Archdiocese of Chicago | Mass Broadcasts >
Office of Catholic Schools >
City of Evanston | COVID-19 Updates >
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention >
World Health Organization >