Weekly Updates

Over the last few weeks, there have been reports of a small uptick in COVID cases throughout the Sacramento region and in a few local schools. As has usually been the case, we have also seen a similar uptick in cases reported amongst our community. 

We want to remind you of several key practices that can help everyone in our community to remain safe from COVID so we can enjoy and celebrate our upcoming events:

1. Masking, particularly in indoor settings, is one way you can protect yourself and others from the spread of COVID. Please remember that masks are strongly encouraged but not required at school events.

Student Class Schedule Balancing Period (March 28-April 13)

At this time we have a freeze on all changes to students’ 2022-2023 academic schedules as we finish up the process at each grade level. Starting Monday, March 28, and up until we depart for Easter Break, we will allow students to request minor changes to their schedule to balance the rigor of their courses. Our ability to honor such requests will be limited, however, so students should meet all prerequisites for a course they are requesting; there will not be an opportunity to appeal. (The appeals process is now closed for all grade levels except rising sophomores, who have until the end of the day tomorrow, March 25. Appeals decisions will be sent out the week of April 4.) We will make changes to students’ course requests based on space available in individual courses, so not all requests will be honored. Please keep in mind that these changes do not guarantee the course will be on a student’s official schedule for the fall. Seniors especially should know that their requests may conflict when we build the master schedule. Any student wishing to make a change to his course requests during this period should contact his counselor directly.

Cafe Purchases Require Student ID

For a variety of reasons, some instances of unauthorized charges for food from the cafeteria were reported last week. In response to this issue, we have returned to the exclusive use of student ID cards to purchase food from the cafeteria. Therefore, effective Tuesday, March 22nd, all students are required to scan their student ID and show their card to the clerk to purchase any food or beverage items from the cafeteria. No items will be sold without a student ID card present. Since students have always been required to have their physical ID card in their possession when they are on campus, this change does not place an undue burden on any students. By having their ID card ready for use prior to arriving at the cash register, our students have also helped to make the process of securing lunch more efficient, which has resulted in more time for them to eat and enjoy a well-earned break in the middle of the school day. For students worried about forgetting or misplacing their ID card, we have suggested placing the ID card in their cell phone case. Should a student find themselves in a position where they forgot their ID card at home, they should check into the Dean’s Office prior to going to the cafeteria so that we can ensure that they can still get food that day. In addition, if a student loses or misplaces his student ID card and needs a replacement, student ID cards are available for purchase and can be reprinted in the Dean’s Office for $10.

Please check your email for the latest edition of the Counseling Newsletter! The latest edition sent on Tuesday, February 15 is full of important dates and information for all grade levels.

Calendar update

Please note that our Mass for Peace and Justice has been postponed until April —changing the Friday, January 14 bell schedule.

Report an absence any time

Please use either attendance line number to report an attendance concern/absence for your student. Both numbers, (916) 480-2135 or (916) 573-0291, will take you to an answering service, so you can call anytime day or night. 

COVID Update

As we shared in the Healthy and Safety Update on Wednesday, the return from break has seen many of our Jesuit students experiencing absences, COVID exposures, or positive cases. 

Jesuit has tried to maintain contact tracing of all cases of individuals on and off campus that then subsequently developed the virus. Still, the Omicron variant of COVID is making this more complicated as it does not always appear with defined symptoms. Health experts note that rapid antigen testing may not be as effective as with previous variants.

With that said, here is today’s update:

What we know

• Individuals can carry this variant and be asymptomatic, so immediate contact tracing may not always occur.
• The majority of cases we are aware of have very mild symptoms.
• Many of the positive cases and exposures that have been reported to the school began before the student was present on campus.

What we are doing

• Our campus school nurse is trying to serve all our families as a resource to consult and track all within our campus that have had possible exposure and positive cases. However, many are occurring outside of campus or reported to us several days later. Because of that timing, Jesuit (similar to many other schools) and county health professionals may not be making direct contact regarding possible exposure in every case.
• Jesuit continues to require masking indoors, encourage masking when in any group setting, have maximum ventilation with doors and windows open, maintain desk and social distancing, and keep eating and drinking outside.

What you should do

• Your first line of protection is to monitor for symptoms and not come to campus if feeling ill.
• Contact your health provider for guidance on treating symptoms, getting tested, and caring for any individual that may have COVID within your family.
• Share your vaccine status, including “booster,” with Jesuit through the Final Forms Portal. 

Thank you for your patience and confidence as we all work through this new pandemic challenge together. We know that having your son on-campus is the best place to learn, feel supported, and socially engage with his peers. We are committed to maintaining a safe, in-person experience for all our students. As we have throughout this pandemic, we are in communication with Sacramento County health officials and are monitoring local and state COVID updates. Jesuit will adjust our operations as needed upon their recommendations or applicable new school guidelines.