REGIS CATHOLIC SCHOOLS COVID-19 WEEKLY DATA (February 28-March 6, 2021)

REGIS CATHOLIC SCHOOLS VIRTUAL WELLNESS ROOM

The situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change quickly. All policies, procedures, and information are subject to change based on the advice of our local health department and/or the Diocese of La Crosse. Any and all changes are and will be effective immediately. It is important to keep in contact with your school and read all communications.

Face Mask Update (February 1, 2021)

With discussions currently happening regarding the statewide mask mandate, we know you likely have questions about what might happen at our schools if it is no longer in place. It is our plan at Regis Catholic Schools to continue to require masks be worn as a local rule, should there not be a statewide mask mandate in place. Our mask rule would have the same requirements that we have had this entire school year. This decision is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as local health officials.

We appreciate your continued cooperation and support. Thank you for everything you have done as individual families to help everyone stay healthy and to keep our schools open five days a week. We must all continue to work together towards this goal and masking plays an important role.

If you have any questions, we ask you to please reach out directly to your school’s principal.

REMINDER | Scheduled Virtual Learning Days (January 2021)

All K-12 learning will be virtual only (no in-person instruction) on the following days.

January 19 through January 29

We preemptively planned these virtual learning days to help support our outstanding Regis Catholic Schools staff. As you can understand, this year has been full of many challenges and stressors for our teachers as they teach in-person and virtually five days a week. Our teachers will use this scheduled virtual learning time to continue teaching your children, in addition to having the extra time they need to get organized and plan ahead for the remainder of the school year. In looking at the results from our most recent parent survey, we know you are appreciative of students being at school as much as possible. We appreciate your support and understanding as we work to support our staff’s mental health during an extremely stressful time in our nation’s history.

Kelly Mechelke, Regis Catholic Schools President

As a reminder, our preschool programs at St. James Elementary School and St. Mary’s Elementary school will not be in session on these days. Our Regis Child Development Center and Genesis Child Development Center will remain open.

Updated COVID-19 Quarantine Requirements (December 13, 2020)

The new Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) alternatives for quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19 went into effect earlier this month. Some people may be able to shorten their quarantine time based on the guidelines.

The Eau Claire City-County Health Department has provided clarification around which individuals may choose a shorter quarantine length, according to the state guidelines. Important: If you have COVID-19 symptoms at any time during your quarantine, you should isolate and get tested, and will not be able to choose a shorter quarantine. The CDC, the State, and the Eau Claire City-County Health Department still support a full 14-day quarantine as the safest quarantine length after being exposed to COVID-19.

At Regis Catholic Schools, we request that when a student has been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, the student must quarantine for a full 10 days without symptoms before returning to school on day 11. If your child is returning to school after 7 days of quarantine due to a negative test result, you must provide your child’s school with proof of a negative COVID-19 test before your child can return to school. This is necessary to maintain a safe environment for all of our students and staff.

Please review our updated 2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian Information (COVID-19) guide for full details and guidelines.

Holiday Gatherings Amid COVID-19 (November 20, 2020)

We at Regis Catholic Schools pray you have a safe and joyful Thanksgiving week. As we all know, the number of positive COVID-19 cases is increasing in our community, in the state of Wisconsin, and across the country. With that in mind, we want to share the following:

If you choose to gather with people other than your immediate household/contacts over Thanksgiving or Christmas break, we strongly encourage you to self-quarantine for 14 days before returning to school as recommended by the Eau Claire City-County Health Department. Please reach out to your building principal to discuss details.

Thank you for partnering with us as we work to keep our students, faculty, and staff safe during these unprecedented times.

Important Virtual Learning Update (November 2, 2020)

We have made it through October. However, as we knew would happen, we have started to face challenges as it relates to COVID-19 cases in the area. I want to send my sincere appreciation for all of you as you remain positive and support Regis Catholic Schools during these unprecedented times. The stress and fatigue of COVID-19 is impacting all of us in different ways and we need each other, prayers, and love now more than ever.

With colder weather arriving and the continued rise in COVID-19 cases in Eau Claire County, we are making proactive decisions as it relates to our learning plan for the next few months. Please add the following important changes to your calendar and begin planning now as to how this will impact your family.

All K-12 learning will be virtual only (no in-person instruction) on the following days.

In addition, our preschool programs at St. Mary’s Elementary School and St. James Elementary school will not be in session on these days. Our Regis Child Development Center and Genesis Child Development Center will remain open.

We know this year has been exhausting and frustrating for many, which is why we are extremely grateful for your perseverance. We, too, are learning perseverance during our current two-week virtual learning delivery for students at Regis Middle School and Regis High School. We have had many meetings addressing social distancing, better contact tracing procedures, and quicker communication efforts. The Eau Claire City-County Health Department is reporting a rise in cases in all of Eau Claire County and no one is immune to the spike in numbers.

Keep in mind that any of our schools may take a two or more week break on any given day based on our partnership with the local health department and their recommendations to help get COVID-19 under better control across our communities. When a closure is necessary, please know we will work to reopen as soon as possible. The health and safety of our students, staff, and families must remain our first priority. Please make healthy habits a part of your entire life both in and out of school.

Update Regarding Regis Campus (October 25, 2020)

To: Families and Students of Regis Middle School and Regis High School

Re: 14 Day School Imposed At Home Virtual Learning

In light of a handful of positive COVID-19 cases on the Regis campus and the subsequent quarantine directives by the Eau Claire City-County Health Department, ALL students enrolled at Regis Middle School and Regis High School will be ‘At Home Virtual Learners’ for the next 14 calendar days starting immediately. This will total 9 academic school days over the next two weeks. The safety of our students and staff is our primary concern.

In accordance with the directives of Bishop Callahan in August, it is our goal to have the entire Regis Catholic Schools system open for in person instruction, five days a week. We plan to resume in-person education classes on the Regis campus on Monday, November 9th.

During the next 14 calendar days of At Home Learning, our maintenance staff will do a daily deep clean of the building and classrooms by hydrostatic bacteria/virus disinfectant, and our teachers will focus on what is most important: teaching students. We will continue to offer student support services and counseling.

This is not a quarantine of everyone, but rather a shift to virtual learning. Individuals who have not been quarantined by directive of the Eau Claire City-County Health Department will be permitted to continue participating in extracurricular activities. If you have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been ordered to quarantine, you will not be allowed to participate in athletics until the date set by the Eau Claire City-County Health Department in a letter you should have received. We are taking this action to support our staff, and allow all students a uniform learning platform in the midst of this quickly changing and unpredictable pandemic time.

During this time, students will need to have their Chromebooks and know their login credentials. Students who may need to gain access to learning materials that are at school can call the school office and arrange for a time to pick up needed items. Most lessons will be delivered electronically through Google Classroom. Lessons will include uploaded videos of the instructor teaching the daily lesson. The hope is for teachers to be able to provide authentic teaching as much as possible. Teachers will be accessible by email during each school day from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Electronic exchange of school work will be expected.

This decision was not made lightly and we plan to resume in-person classes on the Regis campus on Monday, November 9, 2020. Please visit with your child(ren) about the importance of physical spacing, frequent handwashing, wearing of masks, and avoiding touching each other at school at all. Any physical contact, even if it is incidental, from a student who tests positive with COVID-19 means an automatic 14 day quarantine. We are in partnership with all our families/students and need your help to keep students safe. It is encouraged for students and family members to get tested if COVID-19 symptoms are being experienced.

For those of you with younger children who also attend one of our Regis Catholic Schools elementary schools, please know this does not include those schools. Immaculate Conception Elementary School, St. James Elementary School, and St. Mary’s Elementary School will remain open five days a week.

Thank you for your patience and continued support. Prayers and blessings as you continue to work together with us keeping children safe.

Sincerely,

“For you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” - James 1: 3-4

Procedure if Student/Staff Member Tests Positive for COVID-19 (September 17, 2020 Update)

We are following the guidance of the Eau Claire City-County Health Department when any individual connected to our school system tests positive for COVID-19. President Kelly K. Mechelke is in constant communication with the Eau Claire City-County Health Department and we follow its guidelines as it relates to sharing information on a confirmed positive case.

With this in mind, it is important for you to know and understand…

• The Eau Claire City-County Health Department does not allow us to release specific details as it relates to an identified positive COVID-19 case connected to our school system. This is to protect the privacy rights of the individual who has received a positive test result. We cannot share the positive person’s name, his or her role in our school (i.e. student or staff member), how severe his or her symptoms are, etc. We can only identify which building (or classroom, if so directed) or group (i.e. athletic team) has been identified as being connected to the positive case. We understand it may be frustrating not to know all of the details of every case, however, we follow the protocol established by the Eau Claire City-County Health Department on this.
• When a positive COVID-19 case connected to our school system is confirmed, we will send an email communication to the parents/guardians of individuals, a specific classroom, or school building(s) as instructed by the Eau Claire City-County Health Department. We will NOT email ALL parents/guardians within the system each time. This means you may hear about positive cases at one of our schools your child does not attend or within an activity your child does not participate in via word-of-mouth or media coverage.
• If your child is considered a direct contact of a confirmed positive COVID-19 case, the Eau Claire City-County Health Department will reach out to you DIRECTLY. If you do not receive this communication directly from the Eau Claire City-County Health Department, you/your student(s) are not considered a direct contact.
• If a positive COVID-19 case impacts future education for any individual student or classroom, those families who are directly impacted will be notified as to the plan moving forward.

Please know and understand all of us here at Regis Catholic Schools are doing our very best to ensure the safety of our students and staff and react to situations in the best way possible. We respectfully ask you to not speculate in conversation, especially via a public forum like social media, regarding confirmed positive cases within our system.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we all navigate through this school year with many new challenges.

August 25, 2020 Update

The Eau Claire City-County Health Department recently shared an updated version of its COVID-19 Toolkit for Schools with us. This document included some new information we have incorporated into our 2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian (COVID-19) guide.

Please follow the link below to access the updated guide, paying close attention to those updated sections marked with today’s date.

2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian (COVID-19) (Updated August 25, 2020)

If you have a specific concern or question, please reach out to your building’s principal.

We look forward to welcoming our students back into the classroom beginning next week!

August 19, 2020 Reminder | Virtual Education Option (Opt-In)

Our plan for the 2020-21 school year is to reopen all of our school buildings for in-person instruction five days a week beginning in September.

Unless we hear otherwise, we will assume your child(ren) will be attending school in-person to begin the school year and not utilizing our virtual education option.

IMPORTANT: If you would like your child(ren) to opt-in to utilize our virtual/at-home education option beginning with the first day of school, you must contact your school’s principal directly to indicate your decision. By opting-in, your child(ren) will receive instruction at home five days a week and not attend school in-person. The deadline to opt-in for virtual education is Monday, August 24.

Please note, families will be required to commit to the virtual education option for a minimum period of 25 school days at a time. After that time has passed, your family can either decide to a) return to in-person education full-time or b) continue with virtual education for another 25 school day period.

Please refer to our 2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian Information (COVID-19) guide or contact your school’s principal for more information on our virtual learning option.

Face masks will be required for all K-12 students to comply with the mandatory face covering mandate in place for the entire state of Wisconsin. While exemptions for medical reasons (with a medical note) will be allowed, simply choosing not to wear a mask at school will not be allowed. If that is the case, your child(ren) will need to remain at home and utilize our virtual learning option.

August 3, 2020 Update

Included below are some important and recently updated resources for you to review regarding our policies and procedures for the reopening of our schools next month. (Please follow the link to access each resource.)

2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian Information (COVID-19) (Updated August 3, 2020)

As you will notice, this guide was updated today to reflect new policies necessary to ensure a safe reopening of our schools. Please review this updated document in its entirety, noticing the areas where there is an updated date in red text. (Most notably, our mask policy for the start of the 2020-21 school year.) This guide is meant to serve a helpful reference for you and your family as we all prepare for the next school year. If you have a specific concern or question, please reach out to your building’s principal.

2020-21 K-12 RCS Parent & Guardian (COVID-19) Quick Facts (Updated August 3, 2020)

As we move forward with our plans to offer in-person instruction five days a week beginning in September, we are receiving many inquiries from families who are interested in enrolling their child(ren) at Regis Catholic Schools. We want to ensure all of our current families that we have identified and put into place student number caps at each school and for each specific grade level to ensure we can maintain proper recommended physical distancing in our classrooms. In fact, these caps are lower than they are in a “normal” school year, a decision that was absolutely necessary to maintain the safest standards at this time.

Many of our class sections have already reached capacity and we are maintaining a large waitlist at this point. If you know of a family that is considering Regis Catholic Schools for the 2020-21 school year, please ask them to contact Andy Gorniak, our Enrollment & Tuition Coordinator, at agorniak@RegisCatholicSchools.com or (715) 830-2273, ext. 1400 to inquire about availability.

Our number one priority is the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and we want to make sure you are aware of this important step we are taking in regards to enrollment numbers for the coming year.

July 20, 2020 Update (2020-21 RCS Face Mask Guidelines)

All face masks worn at school must adhere to the following guidelines.

1. The mask must fit each child appropriately, covering both the nose and the mouth.
2. Any solid colored and/or patterned mask is acceptable. A mask featuring characters (i.e. Mickey Mouse, Paw Patrol, etc.) is acceptable. Please steer away from any mask featuring writing/words and/or logo(s) unless it is a Regis Catholic Schools logo.
3. Masks cannot feature political-related content (words and/or images), profanity (words and/or images), or any message and/or image deemed inappropriate or distracting. All masks must reflect Catholic values.

If Regis Catholic Schools leadership deems a mask inappropriate, extra masks will be available at each school for the student to wear if he or she is asked to change his or her mask.

As a reminder, our schools will provide one (1) washable mask for each K-12 student. We encourage each student to have multiple washable masks available at home to ensure a clean mask can be worn to school every day. Each K-12 student will be asked to keep at least one (1) extra mask in the classroom (elementary) or in his/her backpack (middle and high school) in a reusable plastic bag.

July 17, 2020 Update

We know you are anxious to hear our plans for the reopening of our school buildings this fall. Over the past several weeks, members of our Regis Catholic Schools leadership team have been working with local medical and health leaders, the Eau Claire City-County Health Department, and the Diocese of La Crosse to formulate our plan to reopen our school buildings five days a week come September. We have also been paying close attention to what state leaders and organizations are recommending.

We thank you for responding honestly to the survey we sent out in June. We received 395 responses, with nearly 70% of those respondents saying they feel ‘Very Comfortable’ or ‘Comfortable’ with having their child(ren) return to our school buildings this fall. We appreciate and value your thoughtful responses as we all navigate how to best return to school in just a few short weeks.

Included below are some important resources for you to review. (Please follow the link to access each resource.)

2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian Information (COVID-19) (July 17, 2020) (Version now outdated. Please reference August 3, 2020 version.)

This guide is meant to serve a helpful reference for you and your family as we all prepare for the next school year. It outlines the safety measures, policies, and procedures we are implementing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope it answers many of the questions you have. If you find you have a concern or question that is not directly addressed in this guide, please reach out to your building’s principal.

2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian (COVID-19) Quick Facts (July 17, 2020) (Version now outdated. Please reference August 3, 2020 version.)

As you can see, our theme for the coming school year is "Healthy Habits"; with a focus on mental, physical, and spiritual ways we can all stay healthy. We ask you to please focus on these “Healthy Habits” in your home as we prepare for and during the coming school year.

The dates for our open house and orientation events at our schools, along with the first full day of school, all remain the same. Our 2020-21 school calendar has not changed at all.

Each of our individual schools will share building-specific details as the start of the school year approaches. Our back-to-school mailings, which will be sent in early August, will include much of this information. Please take the time to read all paper and email communications that are shared. Policy and procedure changes may happen quickly and this will be the best way for you to stay up-to-date.

As we move forward, rest assured all confirmed cases of COVID-19 will be handed in conjunction with recommendations from the Eau Claire City-County Health Department.

Thank you for your prayers and support the past several months and we look forward to seeing all of our students back in our classrooms very soon.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

July 1, 2020 Update

The planning process continues as we prepare to reopen our schools for the 2020-21 academic year. Our Regis leadership team is working on putting together the safest plan possible for reopening five days a week come September.

We invite you to CLICK HERE for an update from Regis Catholic Schools President Kelly K. Mechelke regarding the planning process.

Thank you for your patience and for your support of our schools.

June 17, 2020 Update (Diocese of La Crosse)

On June 17, Bishop Callahan from the Diocese of La Crosse announced our Catholic schools will be opening this fall according to regular schedules and policies, in conjunction with state and local policies.

You can read his full letter to all of our Catholic school parents and guardians by following the link below.

Bishop Callahan Letter to Catholic School Parents (June 17, 2020)

Our school leaders have started reviewing the feedback we received via our RCS Parent & Guardian Survey regarding COVID-19 and are meeting on a regular basis to continue planing for the 2020-21 school year.

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Spring 2020 Updates + Information

CLICK HERE to read all COVID-19 communications shared between March and May 2020.