August 6, 2021
Dear St. Charles Families,
Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! We are excited to welcome new and returning students to our wonderful school community. At St. Charles we are committed to providing your child/ren with rich, faith-based learning experiences. Thank you for choosing St. Charles to educate your children to become self-directed learners, collaborative workers, complex thinkers, quality producers, and community collaborators.
Our teachers and staff continue to be committed to their ministry and for that reason we have very few changes. Miss Luersman is moving down the hall and will now be teaching 1st grade. Please help me welcome Miss Gwen Tabler as part of the 3rd grade team and Miss Alexis Heitmeyer as our third kindergarten teacher. We would also like to welcome our new music teacher, Miss Renee Vorst. We are very blessed to have such dedicated educators join our staff, as they each bring their passion for their faith to our St. Charles community.
Welcome to School – All new and returning families are invited to meet the teachers and staff on Thursday, August 19th from 5:00-6:00 p.m. (The LCC T-Bird Football team plays their season opener at 7:00pm so families who wish to attend will have plenty of time to make it!) The open house is an opportunity for you and your child to meet your child’s teacher and tour the school building. This is a great time for children to become acquainted with their teacher and their school. A map of the school building can be found here.
Teacher Assignment Pick-Up – Teacher/Classroom assignment information for all students PS-8 will be available to pick-up on August 16th, 17thand 18th from 8:00-11:30 or 12:30-4:00 in the school office. PS/PK families will also sign up for their orientation slot during this time. All fees and outstanding balances must be paid and tuition payment plans set prior to picking up your child’s assignment information. If you are unable to pick up your child's information during these hours, they will be available during regular school office hours on August 20th. The school office will be closed Thursday, August 19 for the faculty and staff back-to-school inservice.
First Days of School – We are once again planning on doing a transitional start for K-8 with half of the student body (red group) on August 23rd and the other half (yellow group) on August 24th. All students in grades K-8 will then come on August 25th. The groups will be split by families to make things as easy as we can for you. Please see the attached list for your child’s group. If you do not see your name on the list please contact the school office. Prekindergarten will begin on August 30th and preschool on August 31st.
Thursday Early Dismissal - Keeping with the spirit of collaboration among the Lima Catholic Schools, we will continue to dismiss every Thursday at 2 p.m. in order to collaborate or for professional development. Regular bus services and the Extended Day Program will be available at this time. Please note if there is a 2 or 3 hour delay on Thursdays, school will dismiss at 3 p.m.
Uniforms - For information about student’s uniforms, please consult the website under student handbook. We have a Used Uniform Room. Parents may label and send in uniform clothing in good condition for our Uniform Room. This is a free lending room available to all students and is open during normal school office hours during the school year.
Morning Drop Off – Parents are welcome to drop off their child/ren on Primrose or Cable Road entrances to the school beginning at 7:30 am. Please note that the doors will not be unlocked until 7:30 and there is NO SUPERVISION before this time and it would be negligent to leave your child unattended. Please do not drop off your child/ren in front of the school building on Elm St. For the safety and security of our school, parents/guardians may not enter the school building in the morning to walk their child/ren to the classroom. We ask that you say good-bye in the car or before your child enters the building. There are students and staff members assigned to greet and help your child get to their designated spot. Students are considered tardy at 7:50 a.m.
Dismissal Procedure – Students riding busses will leave the building on Primrose and 8th grade students and their families will have the privilege of being assigned to Row 10 in front of the building. Row assignments for all families will be distributed with the teacher assignments. Click here for a map of our dismissal process. Students walking home will be dismissed after all vehicles have left the premises to assure their safety. We are hopeful the public school bus garages will have routes available very soon along with their policies for riding the bus. Dismissal begins at 3 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and 2 p.m. on Thursdays.
School Lunches – Students will eat in the cafeteria with safe distancing at tables. Students may choose to pack a lunch or purchase a hot lunch. Add-ons and self-service condiments will be available. Monthly menus will be posted on the St. Charles School website. Meals will be served at no cost to all students for the 2021-2022 school year.
Communications – We will continue to communicate weekly via email in the Thursday Flyer once the school year begins. If you do not get this information, please contact the school office and check your email address. Those families that do not have an email account may request a printed copy. The St. Charles web site is sccslima.org and will provide links to the faculty and staff, calendars and on- line grades for our 3rd – 8th grade students. The website has a new look so we encourage you to take some time to explore the website and check it weekly to keep updated on events at school. You are also encouraged to download our school app, St. Charles Redwings, OH for updates and information. Set your notifications so you can receive alerts.
All delays and cancellations are announced on WLIO TV and the Maverick Media web sites as the Lima Catholic Schools. Primary parents/guardians will be notified via text, voice call, or email so be sure to have your most up-to-date information to the office.
Finally, thank you for your patience and understanding during these uncertain times. There has been a lot of time and consideration involved in each and every decision and we are doing our best to do what is right for our children and families (a copy of our Safe Return Plan can be found on our school website under ‘Health and Safety’). We all have questions and we will do our best to answer yours promptly and clearly. New information continues to come our way each day and we are working at being nimble and flexible in addressing these changes and challenges. We know that this has been a long journey as we continue to deal with the effects of COVID-19 on our community. We wish to remove any uncertainty about your child's safety while at St. Charles Catholic School. Your children are a precious gift from God and we are committed to their welfare.
I am looking forward to another wonderful year at St. Charles. I welcome you to involve yourself in our school in a variety of ways. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or can be of further assistance to you and your family. We continue to pray that you have a safe and blessed summer!
Yours in Christ,
Mrs. Megan Scheid
Principal