Summer Edition - July 31, 2020
CCLS Families,

As we prepare for school this year, we continue to monitor the situation around us and on our campuses. Just yesterday I spoke with a medical professional who has worked with a number of schools in the area on a St. Louis Educational Task Force. While other districts have chosen to begin the school year in all- virtual format, he affirmed that in-person learning could be done safely. Many of his recommendations are already part of our plan. We believe that if we work together we can provide a safe and loving learning environment for our children. 

We respect parents’ choice when it comes to their children’s education, and we welcome the many new families who have chosen to be a part of our Christ-centered community. If you have concerns about in-person learning for any reason, your student may start the year online. Cameras will allow us to broadcast classes to students at home and online coordinators will work with students to ensure they have what they need to complete assignments. You can read more about the “Distance Learning Experience” in the section below. Please let your homeroom teacher know as soon as possible if you plan for your student to begin the year with distance learning.
On campus, our focus will be no transmission of COVID-19 in the school. Our school administrators will be working with staff over the next couple weeks in professional development to set procedures to accomplish this focus. On our new website in the MY CCLS parent portal, you will find a flowchart describing health procedures related to COVID-19 and an updated guide to “When to Keep Sick Children Home from School”. These documents provide detailed guidance and will help you navigate this new season. I would encourage you all to be familiar with the My CCLS parent portal on our website as it will house important information for you to reference throughout the year. 

Attached please find a video with another round of FAQ.

Have a great day in the Lord!
Matt Hoehner
Executive Director
Back to School 2020-21 Plan
CCLS has developed a “Back to School 2020-2021 Plan” for providing educational ministry for the upcoming school year. The Plan provides a tiered approach with school actions that will be taken given the possibility of varied levels of community spread of COVID-19 throughout the school year.

At this time, CCLS plans to operate within the “Moderate Spread” tier of the Plan, with “Traditional Instruction” school actions. All K-8 CCLS students have an opportunity to attend school, full-time, in-person. Families who are enrolled at CCLS and not comfortable sending their students in-person have an option for a distance-learning experience. Please see the information below for more details.   

Our intention is to keep our Early Childhood Classrooms open throughout the school year for all families who wish to send their students. We recognize that ECE is an essential service for our community.

We ask all CCLS parents/guardians to review the Plan and sign an “Acknowledgement of CCLS Back to School 2020-2021 Plan” (sent last week via TADS) as an additional step in the enrollment process this year. The deadline for completing the Acknowledgement is TODAY - July 31. If you have any questions, please contact the Leadership Team at [email protected] .
Distance Learning Experience
This school year, CCLS families may choose a distance-learning experience for their enrolled CCLS student. If the distance learning experience is chosen by the family, the student(s) will continue to have an in-person seat available in the classroom at all times during the school year. In this regard, if 1) a student is at home for illness, 2) a student is at home for quarantine, 3) a student, or someone he/she lives with, is considered to be part of the vulnerable population, or 4) a student’s family is not comfortable with an in-person learning environment, then a distance learning experience will be available. It is important to note that, while CCLS is offering in-person education, the distance-learning experience will be very different from a whole-school distance-learning instructional model (as was in effect last spring). If you plan to start the school year with a distance learning experience for your enrolled CCLS student, please contact your child's homeroom teacher as soon as possible.

The ultimate goal of this model is to keep students within the school family, developing and fostering peer to peer connections, and maintaining the level and quality of education delivered to CCLS in a new and ever changing environment.
Message from CCLS Medical Professionals
Deciding when to keep a sick child home from school is not always easy. It’s important for children to attend school and for some parents staying home means missing work. The 2020 school year will look different than years past. We must all work as a team to prevent the spread of illness in our school. Determining whether your child has a cold, influenza or COVID will be difficult this year. However, with distance learning available, our hope is that as parents, you would err on the side of caution when symptoms arise and allow children to learn from home if presenting any signs of illness.  

Please take some time to review the "CCLS COVID-19 Health Policies: Flowchart" and the newly updated “When to Keep Sick Children Home from School” documents on the MY CCLS website (in the Health & Wellness section) to gain an understanding of CCLS Health & Wellness guidelines for the school year ahead.
New School Lunch Program
The Charger Cafe will be opening on August 19! Our new school lunch program will incorporate more whole, real foods and fewer processed options, meals cooked from scratch, use of seasonal/fresh produce, and treats along with healthy choices. Each day a hot lunch or salad plate option will be available for purchase, with milk, for $3.75. Milk will be available for $0.15. In order for the lunch program to run efficiently, parents will be asked to order lunches on a weekly basis each Friday. Lunch order forms will be included in future Charger Newsletters and on the MY CCLS website.

Here’s a sneak peek at the menu for the first week of school!
  • Wild West Wednesday: Hot Lunch - Grilled BBQ Burgers, Baked Beans, Watermelon Wedges, Cowboy Cookies; Salad Plate - Fruit, Cheese, Deli Turkey, Pretzels
  • Taste of the Town Thursday: Hot Lunch - Toasted Ravioli w/ Marinara Sauce, Garlic Bread sticks, St Louis Style Italian Salad, Gooey Butter Cupcakes; Salad Plate - Italian Salad with Sliced Chicken and Bread Stick
  • Finger Food Friday: Hot Lunch - Crispy Chicken Fingers, Cornbread Muffins w/ Honey Butter, Apple Wedges & Grapes; Salad Plate - Hummus, Veggies and Crackers
Gear Up for the New School Year
Get ready for a new school year with uniforms, spirit wear and supplies! As a reminder, here is a link to the  “ CCLS Student Dress Policy ” .
CCLS Uniforms

Order TODAY to have in time for the first day of school!


Spirit Wear Items

Order by July 31 to have in time for the first day of school!  
Special $10 PROMO on some of the t-shirts!

School Supply Kit Option
We are pleased to offer the opportunity to make back-to-school supply shopping easier than ever before. If you'd like to purchase supplies online as a kit, simply visit www.schooltoolbox.com , fill in "Christ Community Lutheran School" in Kirkwood, MO, and all the class supply kits will be available for purchase. You may amend the kit to add or delete items, including the handy add-on option for face masks and other items. Kits will be sent directly to your home, and shipping is free for orders over $50. Please allow up to 10 days for processing plus shipping, so act soon to take advantage of this convenient and contact-free option. Ordering will be available until October 30th.
Teacher Visits & Back to School Events
All CCLS families (ECE - 8th grade) should expect to hear from their child’s teacher in the next week to arrange a time to meet with him/her. This school year, instead of our traditional “home visits”, you and your child will have an opportunity to meet your teacher at school. After many months away from campus, the teacher visits will allow students to see their new classrooms for the upcoming school year! 

The classroom visits will take the place of our annual Charger Night for K-8 students and ECE Open Houses this school year. Rather than bringing large groups of families on campus for one event, the teacher visits will allow for scheduling of smaller groups to be in the building at the same time.

Likewise, our traditional Opening Chapel will look different this year, too.  We have revised the plans communicated last week :  Opening Chapel service will be recorded and viewed by elementary and middle school students in their classrooms on the first day of school. The service will be available for parents and family members to view at home. We invite you to watch Opening Chapel on Wednesday, August 19, to start the school year with “Something Better” (our 2020-21 theme)! A video link will be communicated on August 19.
MY CCLS - Parent Portal
We encourage all CCLS parents to become familiar with the newly updated “MY CCLS” portal on our CCLS website
( ccls-stlouis.org/myccls ). Policies, procedures, forms, and links will all be posted to this page in the weeks ahead and throughout the school year. This provides a one-stop place for our families to find the CCLS information that they need!

Want easy access? Add this page to the home screen on your smartphone and use it like an app! When on the My CCLS page on your phone, click the "Share" icon at the bottom of the screen, then select "Add to Home Screen". On iPhone, you will need to use Safari as the browser (Chrome doesn’t work); on Android, use Chrome as the browser. 
NEW: Employment Opportunity at CCLS
CCLS is hiring two part-time Receptionists for the Kirkwood campus. The Receptionist will work the Concordia Welcome Desk on school days from 7:30-3:30. These hours will be divided between the two part-time positions: either an alternating-day or a half-day arrangement may be offered. Primary duties will include assisting parents with midday drop-offs or pick-ups, receiving mail and deliveries, "buzzing in" authorized visitors, and serving as a back-up for answering the main school phone. Familiarity with the Concordia building may be helpful, as this position will also direct occasional visitors to church offices. To request more information or submit an application, email Jessica Anderson, HR Director, at [email protected] .