August 14, 2020 FROM THE PRINCIPAL - Villa Angela-St ...

August 14, 2020

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Hello Viking Families:

Click here for the VASJ reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year. We will keep you updated

as things progress.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

The 2020-21 school year officially begins on Monday, August 31 at 8 a.m. This first week of

school all students will begin with distance learning from home. No students will be in the

building after orientations until September 8. The hybrid model will begin on Tuesday

September 8. More details will be given to students the week of orientation.

Thursdays will no longer be delayed start days. The school day will be 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. - Monday

through Friday (as previously stated Fridays will be asynchronous).

REGARDING LOCKS/LOCKERS: The school will not accept responsibility for the theft of, or

damage to, student’s articles, materials or personal property. Books and other belongings are to

be kept in the lockers. Students are encouraged to keep lockers locked at all times. Lockers are

to be kept neat and clean inside and outside and free of graffiti. Each student is assigned

his/her own locker. Students must not share lockers or locker combinations.

Each student must use a school-issued lock. The lock will be given to new students at their

Orientation. No other lock will be permitted to be used.

If you have questions please see the parent guide so you know who to contact. Click

here for the parent guide.

FINAL FORMS Your student’s registration is not complete until the parent has completed their portion of

FinalForms. New families are required to complete these formsets as well as returning families.

This must be done by the student’s legal guardian.

You will be receiving email prompts from FinalForms until your forms are completed. Students

will not be able to attend classes the week of September 8th unless the parent has

completed their FinalForms.

Click here for Final Forms instructions.

COVID 19 HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY AND

EXPECTATIONS

The welfare and health of the students and staff of Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School is our

highest priority. As a result, and in accordance with the State of Ohio COVID-19 Health and

Prevention Guidance for Ohio K-12 Schools, all students will be expected to comply with the

following policies and instructions, the purpose of which is to reduce the risk of exposure to

COVID-19 and to help prevent its spread. Please read this policy carefully and sign at the end

to acknowledge that you have read and understand what is being expected of you and that you

understand and assume the risks related to COVID-19 and returning to school.

Click here for link.

STUDENT SCHEDULE RELEASE / SCHEDULE ISSUES FRESHMEN- Freshmen schedules were released today to the student’s VASJ Gmail account

only! This is to ensure that freshmen students have logged into this account. Directions for the

student to access this account were sent to the parent email on August 3rd.

Schedules were WITHHELD from students if:

- The parent’s FinalForms have not been completed OR

- Required scholarship paperwork has not been received

Once the reason for the “hold” has been satisfied, the schedule will be released (electronically)

the next business day.

Please do not call the school with any schedule issues! Your student will be receiving an email

with a link to a Google form we are using for students who have questions about their schedule.

You can also copy this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScaza6jt6p8onWw3rO_gP9P4gJ-jllxDedHxu6fr_258

t2QNg/viewform?usp=pp_url

These responses will be reviewed by our counselors beginning next week. Please be patient

when waiting for your response. Please do not email the counselors directly with schedule

questions- we are prioritizing the responses to the Google submissions only.

SOPHOMORES/JUNIORS/SENIORS- Most students have received access to their schedules

through the link in the Powerschool portal. If not, the parent would have received an email (Aug.

9th) stating the reason. Students are to use the Google form for scheduling issues, if necessary.

BOOKSTORE

The bookstore will be open for 1 hour after each orientation day the week of August 24.

RED (A) / BLUE (B) DAYS

On your schedule page, a TRACK letter is listed.

Track A means you are present in the building on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Track B means you are present in the building on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Track D means you are virtual only for the first quarter.

Any issues with track assignments should be directed to Megan Scheider ([email protected]

or extension 140) ASAP.

SCHOLARSHIPS

SCHOLARSHIPS (EdChoice, Cleveland, Jon Peterson, Autism)

Award letters have been mailed to your home. Upon receiving, please sign the ACCEPTANCE

LETTER and return it to VASJ promptly. You can drop it off or email a picture of the signed form

to [email protected].

If you have not received your scholarship award letter, please contact Megan Scheider at

[email protected] or at extension 140.

FROM THE GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT

WORK PERMITS: email [email protected]

POWERSCHOOL ACCESS: email [email protected]

STUDENT SCHEDULE CORRECTION FORM (link):

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScaza6jt6p8onWw3rO_gP9P4gJ-jllxDedHxu6fr_258

t2QNg/viewform?usp=pp_url

PARENT VOLUNTEERS

Due to the current situation parent volunteer opportunities will be limited. Please check the

website for any updates.

FROM THE BUSINESS OFFICE

All outstanding balances for the 2019-20 school year need to be taken care of or arrangements

made with the Business office before schedules for the 2020-21 school year can be released on

Aug. 10. Appointments are required if you need to come in to discuss your students

account. Financial contracts and registration fees are due before school starts. Monthly tuition

payments start in August, please be sure you have completed your FACTS tuition payment

account setup.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Katie Oriani in the Business Office

at 216-481-8414 ext. 240 or [email protected]. Katie will try to return calls within 48 business

hours; however, it may be a little longer around statement mailing dates and exclusion times.

It is our goal to resolve all issues in order for each and every student to have a positive start to

the new school year.

P-EBT CARD UPDATE

Per the Child Nutrition Program Manager, State of Ohio: P-EBT cards are beginning to be

mailed. Look for them in your mail late next week. Also, if your family already receives SNAP

cards, check your account- the P-EBT funds may have already been loaded there.

______________________________________________________________________________________________ 

FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE REMINDER TO ALL SENIORS: You will NOT BE PERMITTED TO START THIS SCHOOL

YEAR without your second (2nd) meningococcal vaccine. A confirmation from your doctor’s

office must be given to the school nurse as proof the vaccination was given. This document

must be turned in to the school nurse before your student receives their schedule. If you have

any questions, please contact Anna Battista at 216-481-8414 ext. 212 or email her at

[email protected].

FRESHMEN (AND TRANSFER STUDENTS) IMMUNIZATIONS: In order to begin the 2020-21

school year, all incoming freshmen and transfer students are required to provide a copy of their

immunization records. Please send a copy to the school nurse, Anna Battista, at

[email protected] or drop them off to the school. You can drop off paperwork during school

hours and leave them in the red lockbox located outside the principal’s office.

FROM THE CAFETERIA

FREE / REDUCED LUNCH PROGRAM: Any student who was eligible for the free/reduced

lunch program last school year and attended a Catholic school in the area will be eligible for free

or reduced lunch through the month of September. Please check in the cafeteria to see if you

qualify. You must fill out a new application form (available in the cafeteria) and be approved by

October 1, 2020, in order to be eligible for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.

We will be utilizing a Point of Sale System (POS) rather than the use of lunch tickets. The POS

system will allow for students to upload or prepay amounts on their account. Students will then

scan their Student ID Badge into the Point of Sale System to access their accounts. Unless you

utilize the prepayment method, the cafeteria accepts payments in cash only with no refunds. To

reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19 any change due will go onto their student lunch account.

Daily menus will be posted on the VASJ website.

Click here for the free/reduced lunch application.

Click here for Pay School Central (setting up your account) information.

FROM THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT

For athletics, we will continue to follow the CDC, ODH, and OHSAA

guidelines/recommendations. The physical and mental safety of our student-athletes is

the priority. We will continue to monitor and if recommendations turn to mandates or we

are told otherwise, all will be halted.

As a reminder:

- If a student-athlete(s) is not feeling well, stay home.

- Masks need to be worn upon arrival AND departure of practice. If

student-athletes do not come in a mask, they will be sent home.

- Please bring your own water bottles; No sharing is permitted

Important Dates:

● Wednesday August 19, 2020 - Fall Sports Picture Day

FALL SPORTS PICTURE DAY INFORMATION:

- Click Here for Picture Order Information - Questions? Contact Bonnie Brihan

- [email protected] or 216-337-7779

Picture Day Schedule Photo Bay #1 Photo Bay #2

9:40 a.m. – Golf 9:40 a.m. - Cross Country

9:55 a.m. – Women’s Varsity Volleyball 9:55 a.m. - Men’s Soccer

10:20 a.m. – Women’s JV Volleyball 11:10 a.m. - Women’s Soccer

11:10 a.m. – Football (Sr. & Jr.) 12:10 p.m. - Varsity Cheerleading

12:15 p.m. – Football (Soph. & Fresh.) 12:40 p.m. - JV Cheerleading

Additional Information:

- At this time, there will be no spectators at VASJ Athletic events. This is subject to

change as we receive more information and guidance from the Governor's Office

and OHSAA.

- We will be live streaming via YouTube & Twitter. Below are links for subscription.

YouTube - CLICK HERE

Twitter - CLICK HERE

OHSAA Fall Parent Meeting - RECAP

___________________________________________________________________ 

SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST

Teachers will inform their students of supplies needed on the first day of classes. Students

should come to school on August 31 with basic note-taking supplies: pencils, pens,

college-ruled paper and/or notebooks.

VASJ PICTURE DAY

Picture day has been postponed due to the first day of school being pushed back. We will notify

you of the new date as soon as information is available.

NAMES TO MILITARY

We are required by federal law to submit names if asked by the armed forces. If you do not want

your student’s information released, you must inform the principal in writing each year. If this is

your plan, please submit a letter to the guidance office by Sept. 8, 2020, or click here for a link

to the online form. Please also remember that all young men must register with the Selective

Service within 30 days of becoming 18. This can also be done online.

___________________________________________________________________ 

VASJ PARKING Parents and visitors are reminded that if they need to park for school business between the

hours of 7 to 8 a.m., they are to park in the MAIN LOT in the spots closest to E. 185th Street

facing Euclid Hospital (near the recycle bins). All other parking spots are assigned and reserved

for faculty, staff, and students. VASJ reserves the right to tow any car illegally parked at the

owner’s expense.

After School Parking: THE FRONT DRIVE (FACING LAKESHORE) IS NOT TO BE USED

FROM 2:30 to 3:30 P.M. FOR STUDENT PICK-UP BY PARENTS OR RELATIVES. This area is

reserved for the use of VASJ transportation vans.

Parents (relatives/friends, etc.) are NOT permitted to park in the curb lane on Lakeshore Blvd. in

front of the school. Please notice that there are NO PARKING and NO STOPPING signs that

run from East 185th Street past the school property. These violations cause two issues: parked

cars block the line of sight of the VASJ vans exiting the crescent drive, and the blocked curb

lane forces the two lanes of traffic into one lane, adding to the safety concerns of pedestrians

and our students. You are permitted to park in the crescent drive west of the school which is

Hospice property. The Cleveland Police Department has requested our cooperation in this

matter.

___________________________________________________________________

STUDENT PARKING

Parking permits will be available to purchase for students who drive to school. Students will not

have assigned parking spots; however, the parking lot will be checked daily. Any student-driver

without a sticker will risk having their car towed. Due to the amount of days students will be in

the building, parking passes (THIS YEAR ONLY) will be $25. A form must be completed by a

parent or guardian and turned in along with the $25 to Mrs. Fischbach in the principal’s office.

Forms will be available starting the week of August 24.

___________________________________________________________________ 

SWIFT K12 NOTIFICATION SYSTEM Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School will continue to use the Swift K12 Notification System for parent

contacts and notifications of both emergency and non-emergency natures. Contact emails and phone

numbers used for this system are designated from within your FinalForms.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS

If the school is closed unexpectedly, we will notify the media and you will see the name Villa

Angela-St. Joseph High School. You will also receive a call through the Swift K12 Notification System

to notify you of any school closings. Closings will also be noted on the VASJ website (vasj.com).

VIKING NEWS

GET TO KNOW: LISA URANKAR ’84

Since graduating from Villa Angela Academy in 1984,

Lisa Urankar went on to Lakeland Community College

and earned an Associates Degree in Business,

specializing in Graphic Design. After college, she

worked as a graphic designer creating page layouts and

ads for local newspapers and as a production artist and

quality assurance professional in screen printing for the

apparel industry. Over the past twenty years, Lisa has

concentrated on making a living as an artist and enjoys

sharing what she’s learned through the years with

others. Lisa instructs art at various senior centers in the Cleveland area and offers paint events

for private parties, corporate events, churches and other gatherings. She has been a member of

many art associations, including the Euclid Art Association, the Creative Art Association and the

Colored Pencil Society of America and has received many honors and awards. In 2018, some of

her artwork was featured in the Lake County Dream House for their silver anniversary. More

recently, Lisa has joined Stella's Art Gallery in downtown Willoughby where she offers art

classes and visitors can purchase her artwork. You can find Lisa Urankar on Facebook at FINE

ART BY LISA URANKAR where she posts updated class information, art shows, paint events

and finished art commissions. She especially loves painting pet portraits!

Click here for the full story.

FACULTY/STAFF SPOTLIGHTS: