It has been a tumultuous week for the Trinity Community. As you have heard by now, Sr. Michelle Germanson, O.P. went home to be with Jesus on Wednesday afternoon. She was surrounded in her final days by many members of the Trinity community, in addition to her beloved Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. The sisters send their thanks for the affection, love and prayers that the Trinity community provided throughout Michelle's illness. Please remember all those who are grieving this tremendous loss in your prayers. As we remember her awesome love of everyone and everything connected to Trinity, we celebrate the spirit she brought to our halls, and strive to live up to the big responsibility of fulfilling her vision of a world filled with empowered Blazers. 

Block 1 exams are upon us. Your student should have received her Block 1 Exam project assignments. These are due during the scheduled exam periods on the 28th and 29th (this coming Wednesday and Thursday). HOWEVER, please know that it is the intention that our students will devote an equivalent amount of time to these exam projects as they would have had to do studying and sitting for a traditional exam. The final projects carry the same weight as a traditional semester final, that is, between 10 and 15% of the student's average for the block. Do not let her wait until the last minute to begin! Ms. Gallie has included more detail about the exams later in this newsletter.

Because of this work-from-home exam style, and the Grading Day on Friday the 30th, you and/or your Blazer may be tempted to see this as a beautiful, long fall weekend, perfectly situated for travel or Halloween parties. I implore you to maintain best practices when not in school. Trinity is one of only a handful of local schools that has been able to continue our in-person instruction without interruption. We are hopeful that our diligence - and yours - will continue to work. So if you have weekend plans that may create an exposure, please be mindful of quarantine recommendations and be vigilant about checking for symptoms before sending your student to school.

Monday, November 2 marks the beginning of Block 2. Tomorrow you will receive a stand-alone email which will detail any changes in Trinity practices and protocols. A quick look at a couple of the changes: 

What we are not changing is our in-person learning plan at this time. Unless forced by an outbreak or the government, Trinity will continue with in-person instruction four days a week throughout the block. After careful consideration the deciding factor was, as it always is here at Trinity, "What will provide the very best education for our students?" Time and again research shows that students do better when in school, so remaining in person will continue to be our goal.

Lastly, in an effort to live up to the important Sinsinawa Dominican commitment to be good stewards of our resources, Trinity will no longer be mailing paper report cards home. You will be provided with instructions on how to access your Blazer's grades online. Be on the lookout for tomorrow's email communication and review it carefully to be fully prepared for the next Block.  

Sincerely,

Tuesday, October 27: In-person learning day 

Thursday, October 29 : No in-person learning 

Friday, October 30: Day off: No in-person or eLearning 

Trinity is getting ready to host our first Trinity 1940's Holiday Radio Hour featuring the perennial classic It's A Wonderful Life: A Radio Play. To ensure that our holiday spirit is obvious across all mediums, we are looking to borrow the following items:

Please contact Anslee Rainwater ([email protected]) if you have questions or to arrange a socially distanced drop off and pick up. Also, if bringing in multiple items, please label all pieces with an itemized list. We want to make sure all of your pieces are returned in great shape.