Update on Return from Christmas Break

Dear Bishop Hendricken Family,

I hope this message finds you enjoying the final day of your well-deserved Christmas Break. As we prepare to return to campus tomorrow, we know there are several questions about how we'll navigate the next few weeks together. As public health officials and state leaders suggest, we are at another critical juncture in this pandemic.

First and foremost, I want to reiterate to all of our students, parents, faculty, and staff that when we return to the classroom from break tomorrow, our plan is to remain there. We do not, at this time, anticipate any shifts in our full, in-person educational model. We intend to have our students learning in school. We've been at points such as this before, and we know that while certain adjustments may be necessary, we can keep students and teachers in-school and safe.

There have been plenty of updates to protocols, policies, and procedures over the past two weeks. By now, you're likely aware of the quarantine, isolation, and testing updates passed down from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At the time of this email, we have not made any changes to our COVID Response protocols that are outlined here as we await further guidance on what these changes might mean at the local level from the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). As always, our COVID-19 Task Force and School Nurse's Office are in constant contact with both agencies and will be reviewing the updates for implementation here at Bishop Hendricken.

We anticipate providing updates on our COVID Response protocols in the coming days as we return to campus. What will remain, however, is masking for all individuals on campus at all times (except outdoors and while eating/drinking), as well as the use of the Self-Reporting Form and Return-to-School Attestation. Additionally, we remind our community that vaccination is a critical tool in keeping everyone safe and in-school as much as possible. Consider getting vaccinated and boosted if you haven't already -- now is the time.

As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to campus tomorrow!