Email Communications 2020-2021 School Year
September 11, 2020
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Aloha Crusaders,
Encouraging News
The numbers of new daily COVID-19 cases are trending in the right direction. The 7-day average of reported new cases is 162 per day (down from over 200 per day last week) and the 7-day average for the positivity rate is 4.5%. We want to be under 5% so this is definitely encouraging news and does show that things are improving. Plus an early report of the surge testing of over 25,000 tests reported only 161 positives (0.006%). Again, this is encouraging.
The Plan
With a clearer understanding of the state’s mandate as well as confidence in our ability to provide safety for all students, we are reopening our Before and After School care programs starting Monday, September 14th as well as continuing to provide in-person learning for ALL grades.
The State’s Order & TLS Response
As many of you well know, Mayor Kirk Caldwell officially extended the Stay at Home/Work from Home order through September 23rd. As a result of this, Trinity Lutheran will continue to provide our Distance Learning plan for those who choose to keep their child(ren) at home during this order.
However, with our first quarter coming to an end on Friday, September 25th, I would like to encourage all students to attend school in person. I understand if this is not an option for your child(ren). The reason for this request is to help with any end of the quarter assessments and assignments that need to be completed. This can benefit both the students and teachers. Mahalo for this consideration.
Mahalo and Reminders
It is through your continued partnership that Trinity Lutheran is able to continue to stay open for our keiki. I have been overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and care so many of you have shown. Mahalo! Please continue to follow our state order. Stay home if you can, wear your mask, wash your hands often, and keep your distance from others. As noted above, the news is encouraging. I have hope that we will soon have a handle on this virus and our state can start to rebuild. As always, we pray for God’s continued protection and provision. Blessings, enjoy your weekend and stay safe.
In HIS peace,
Kyle Klemp, Principal
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August 28, 2020
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“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
~ Psalm 34:4
I ask every teacher that I interview the same two things: are you a team player, and are you flexible. We are seeing our state ask the same things of all of us right now. I continue to trust in our leaders as they navigate and make crucial decisions that ultimately affect the livelihood of us all. We need to lift our leaders up in prayer and continue to trust that God is guiding us through these challenging times.
This has been a tough week. On Tuesday, the Mayor announced, as part of the new Stay-at-Home order, that private schools would have to suspend in-person learning. Wanting to give families as much time to plan as possible, we immediately transitioned into our online learning format. Then Wednesday, the Mayor clarified that schools may remain open as schools serve essential functions and are therefore not affected by the Stay-at-Home order.
Given this newest information, Trinity Lutheran will safely and legally reopen its campus on Monday, August 31 and welcome back our K-8 students. If you prefer to keep your child home during the Stay at Home mandate, please do so. Your teachers will do their best to accommodate your needs during the shut down. Once the mandate expires, all students will be expected to return to campus for in-person learning. Should you have questions or concerns about that please contact your teacher.
We are unable to provide BSC and ASC during the shut down. I know this may inconvenience some, but for the safety of our students and community, we will pause this service. Once the Stay at Home mandate expires, we will gladly and safely reopen these programs. Mahalo for your understanding.
I want to extend a huge thank you to all our families while we’ve been on this virtual roller coaster this week. I know the back and forth nature of this is stressful. Your cooperation these past two days made our transition to online learning very smooth. Your teachers reported high praises during this time, and I want to commend them on an outstanding job. They quickly and almost seamlessly transitioned into an online format! While we celebrate the successes of the past two days of online learning, we are committed to providing in-person learning; this is the best way for students to learn!
I would ask you to continue to follow our city and county rules and regulations. Please stay home unless you need to travel for essential business. Please continue to wear your mask. And finally, as we return to campus on Monday, please continue to do your daily home health checks. It is this partnership that allows us to bring your children back to school and hopefully keep them in school. God has protected and provided, you have supported, and I am thrilled to report that we have been COVID free for over 4 weeks now.
Our mission at Trinity Lutheran is to share the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The faculty and staff are humbled to serve our families. We are committed to providing a solid, Christ-centered education, and will do our very best to meet the needs of all our students. I ask for your continued support and patience as the situation evolves. We pray for you daily. We are family. As God first loved us, so we love others. Mahalo for your support, partnership, and prayers. Blessings on your day.
In HIS peace,
Kyle Klemp, Principal
August 25, 2020
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Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 118:1
Blessings, Trinity Ohana,
In light of the Mayor’s and Governors’s most recent decision to reenact the Stay-at-Home order, Trinity Lutheran School will be moving to online learning for our kindergarten through eighth grade beginning Thursday, August 27. Prekindergarten and preschool will remain open as allowed by the state.
The kindergarten through eighth grade teachers have been preparing for the possibility of online instruction. Each child's teacher will begin online instruction Thursday, August 27th. Please be looking for an email Wednesday night with the scheduling details. We will still plan on holding virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences On September 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Before and After School Care will both be suspended at this time.
Attached you will find our Electronic Device Agreement should you need to borrow a Trinity Lutheran School Device. Please complete the form and send in the $25 deposit tomorrow with your child so that we can send home the device with him or her. We will have extra forms available in the office.
I want to extend my sincerest gratitude to all of our school families for continuing to do home health checks. We have successfully remained open for over four weeks of school. This is largely credited to all of our families partnering with us. I also want to assure you that Trinity Lutheran School is dedicated to delivering on-campus instruction as soon as we can safely and legally do so. Please continue to help in the efforts by staying home and avoiding large crowds.
In HIS peace,
Kyle D. Klemp
August 14, 2020
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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” ~ John 14:27
Aloha Crusaders,
THE FACTS:
As many of you probably are aware, Hawaii saw 355 total positive cases of COVID yesterday and 233 cases today. Even though over 100 of these cases were connected to the OCCC, the Governor yesterday, did make mention of a possible return to a "Stay-at-Home" order. If this happens, Trinity would move to our full Distance Learning Plan. This would include closing our campus for an extended amount of time and transitioning to online learning. Any decision to move to Distance Learning would be temporary and our goal remains to keep our campus open for in person learning.
THE TRUTH:
Our campus has been open for 14 school days and COVID has not infiltrated our walls. I, in no way, am trying to tempt fate here, nor am I saying there is no risk. I am, however, praising God daily that He has kept us protected. In-person learning is so vital for the growth and development of our keiki and we will continue to do everything we can to safely keep our students coming into our classrooms. This may include adding stricter restrictions to our policies that are already in place. We will keep you informed of any necessary changes. Please pray for God’s continued protection and provision.
THE PARTNERSHIP:
I want to thank you for your continued partnership. By continuing to do your home health checks and by keeping your child home when sick, we can limit risk and exposure and potentially keep our campus open for a long time. It is imperative that you do not send your child to school sick. Remember if they have a fever, they must stay home from school for 48 hours. Encourage them to wash or sanitize their hands frequently, wear their masks, and stay home as much as possible. The more everyone does their part the better chance we have of staying open. Keep up the good work!
THE FUTURE:
Not knowing what the future looks like brings me anxiety as it probably worries you as well. But I know all things happen according to HIS plan, and I trust that we will have this all figured out in time. I know that whatever the future holds, we will get through this together. These past 14 school days have rejuvenated me! Seeing your kids absolutely loving school has brought me such joy.The staff and administration of Trinity is committed to bringing you a quality, Christian education. We will do this to the best of our abilities! God leads, we follow. Stay safe and be blessed!
In HIS peace,
Kyle Klemp, Principal
August 7, 2020
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“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." ~ Romans 8:37
With increasing restrictions being mandated by our Mayor and Governor's office, I have received some questions from parents about if and when we are moving to a distance learning program. Trinity Lutheran is committed to keeping our campus open unless the government mandates closer.
We are monitoring the situation of our state closely and are committed to keeping our community safe. Being a smaller school, we have a major advantage over our larger counterparts in that we can more carefully control our environment both at school and (with family help) away from school. We continue to implore our families to do everything they can to prevent the spread of this virus while the students are not on campus. Among other measures, we need to: (1) wash our hands often; (2) avoid large groups/gatherings; and (3) always wear a mask when social distancing is difficult. We absolutely need your partnership by doing your daily Home Health Checks before sending your child to school. Together we can help keep our Trinity O’hana and broader community safe!
We fully recognize that these are unsettling times, and we want our parents to be comfortable with our plans and the associated risks. Please do not hesitate to contact the school office should you have any questions. Our goal is to keep you as informed as possible and keep our communication lines open. I pray you have a blessed weekend. Stay safe and let's take care of each other!
We will talk more in depth about this on Wednesday during our staff meeting which you all are invited to attend. The plan is to stay OPEN. Reassure your parents in your Monday newsletters that we are doing things safely and their kids are following the rules and love being on campus! I do want masks to be worn ANYTIME students cannot maintain a 6 foot distance from each other. At recess, if they are running around, no mask, if they are standing next to each, mask. If they are playing basketball with a group, mask, if they are just shooting with one or two friends, no mask.
I will have more guidelines for you about what to do for parents who want to keep their children home even if the school is open. Basically, they are absent (we don't have to mark them absent if they are staying home due to health concerns, we'll talk about this). We can provide their work to be picked up, we can send them their work electronically, and we can collect their work when they return, or they can submit it electronically.
We can give parents hope that the state will get this under control and we are confident that we can and will continue to provide a safe place for their child to learn and thrive here at Trinity.
As I went around this afternoon trying to reach each of you, even though this is what we are committed to staying open, you should be planning and ready for what Distance Learning looks like should we have to or be forced to close. Try to show your kids how your plan will work. You don't have to have a full plan, but be thinking this weekend of best practices moving forward. These are stressful times, but I know that with God leading us through, we will persevere! His plan is THE plan. We have an amazing opportunity to witness His love to these families right now. Keep showing them how much we care about them. I thank you for your dedication and commitment to Trinity. We are blessed to be able to serve Him. This is the day the Lord has made, let us REJOICE and be glad in it. Blessings on your weekend!
In HIS peace,
Kyle
July 31, 2020
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When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. ~ Psalm 34:17
Aloha Crusader Families,
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Happy Aloha Friday. What an overwhelming feeling of joy these first four days of school has given me! Seeing your children's excitement to be back on campus with their friends, seeing our teachers so happy do be doing what they love, seeing the parents celebrating after they drop their kids off (ha!) has inspired me!
Most of you are probably aware of Governor Ige's recent declaration to limit social gatherings to no more than 10 people. This is no doubt due to the increasing number of confirmed daily COVID cases in Hawaii. This is very concerning and something all of us should be paying attention to. Please abide by the rules. If we stay disciplined we can get back to where we were in early May when we had flattened the curve. Together, we can do this!
The safety of your children continues to be our priority. We want to be able to provide in person learning as long and as safely as we can. The good news is that even with the newest declaration from the State, we can stay open! Schools have been given exemption from the social gathering limitations. Praise Jesus! However, this can only happen with your continued support and partnership. Please make sure to do your home health checks each morning before bringing your child(ren) to school. We want to keep COVID from coming onto our campus. In response to the recent increase of confirmed cases as well as the Governor's newest orders, we have decided to increase our safety protocols at Trinity. We will continue to monitor this situation and keep you all informed of any adjustments we make concerning our policy and procedures.
Effective Monday, August 3rd, all students in grades K-8 will be required to wear face masks while inside their classroom. Preschool and Prekindergarten students are NOT required to wear face masks inside their classroom as their age is below CDC recommendations for mask wearing. However, when group learning is taking place and social distancing cannot be ensured students may be asked to put their mask on. Students will still be allowed to remove their masks at lunch time, recess and during PE classes
I want to emphasize that the key in all this is to keep COVID from coming onto our campus. Increasing the amount of time masks need to be worn will keep our Crusader O'hana safer. We know that COVID is around us, but with your partnership, we can keep it away from Trinity which allows us to keep our campus open. Research shows that students learn better in person. We feel these new steps will benefit our students tremendously, keep our doors open and allow us to safely and effectively teach your children. I ask for your prayers for our Mayor, Governor, health officials, and administration. May they have the discernment and clarity they need to get Hawaii back to a safer place as quickly as possible. Mahalo and blessings on your weekend!
In HIS peace,
Kyle Klemp
