In her poem, A Light exists in Spring, Emily Dickinson speaks of the season of rebirth and light with such eloquence that the reader can virtually see the darkness being overtaken.

This past week, several announcements provided some light and hope for a “return to normal”. The first was the announcement on Monday, that vaccines will now be available to anyone aged 16 and up. Information regarding vaccines is available here: Eligibility-and-Prioritization.

Dear Parents,

Thank you to all of the Dads who came out to pull up the sport court for the Easter Masses. I really appreciate your time and strength! 

As for the change in the mask mandate, while it is good to see as more people are getting vaccinated that the numbers are going down, our mitigation strategies have been working, and therefore we are not making any changes. 

Holy Week is upon us! The last collection for the Sisters’ Biblioteca in Peru is tomorrow, March 29th. Please send in your donation with your student. You may also donate online here: Donations for the Sisters

This past week, I had the opportunity to spend some time with the sixth graders, who have been studying the cardiovascular system, and teach them how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED). The presence of the two AEDs on our campus, for more than a decade, is evidence of the concern for the health, safety and well being of the OLMC community that preceded the current pandemic. In talking with the students about heart disease, heart attack and sudden cardiac death, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between helping a person manage their heart disease and understanding how we can continue to succeed in managing the possibility of infection during this pandemic.

On March 5, 2020, we left school for a Spring Break that never ended. This past Friday marked the one year “anniversary” of school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As anniversaries go, this is one to remember more than celebrate. We all know, too well, the challenges of the past year. But, looking back at where we were in comparison to where we are does provide some reasons to celebrate and to be especially thankful. We know much more about the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and how to safely operate school in the midst of a pandemic than we did one year ago. Further, in March of 2020, a Phase 1 clinical trial of a potential vaccine (m-RNA) against COVID was begun with 45 people (NIH Clinical Trial Investigational COVID-19 Vaccine).

Dear OLMC Families,

There will be a change in the school calendar. Typically we have a day reserved to set up for the festival. We held off on identifying a date as we were unsure if a festival would take place. Since we are not having one, we will take that extra day at the end of the year. Therefore, the last day of school will now be Thursday, May 27. 

Monday morning we will have a fire drill at 8:30am.