St Thomas School Closed Week of March 16 Per Dioceses

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We have added the letter from Principal Jill Bierman.

Good afternoon.  I have the unpleasant job of informing all of you that we are closing for all of next week.  This has been ordered by the Diocese of Springfield and Governor Pritzker has closed public schools starting Tuesday. 

The staff will be coming in Monday to get organized and ready for a pick-up day.
Each grade will have work together for each student so that we show we are educating remotely while we are closed.
5th-8th parents will also receive a Google form in your email to fill out.  If possible, your student will be sent home a Chromebook to access assignments while we are closed.
We will have the school open from 8:30-11:00 Sunday to allow parents and students in grades 2nd-8th to retrieve any books or school work they might need.  
We are working on a plan for our next steps.  Stay tuned to email and St. Thomas’s Facebook page for more information. 
Thank you for your patience and understanding.  We are doing our best.
Jill 

Update for March 13

The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois issued the following updates regarding Masses, parishes, and schools under its jurisdiction in regard to the Coronavirus:  

Schools:

As a preventative measure, all Catholic schools under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois will be closed the week of March 16. This includes the cancelation of all extra-curricular activities, social events, and other school-related gatherings. We will offer an update by the end of next week. Teachers will work on plans for remote learning opportunities. Schools will also use the opportunity while closed to disinfect their buildings.

Masses:

We will continue to offer Masses and the sacraments throughout our diocese, because it is the Church’s duty and mission to make God’s grace available through the sacraments for the faithful.

In addition to the preventative measures for which the diocese has already given guidance, everyone is encouraged to assess their health status. Those who are sick or feel their health is compromised are not obliged to attend Mass and should remain home.

In keeping with the Governor’s request, we have communicated to our pastors to add an additional Mass if they expect a Mass having more than 250 people in attendance. Parishes are following similar guidance as it relates to other parish activities with larger crowds. Given the relatively smaller size of the parishes in our diocese, our Mass congregations are typically under 250 people.