The Cardinal Connection
Weekly Update for Cardinal O'Connell ELC
January 17, 2025
Hello Cardinal Community,
It has been a busy week at the Cardinal! We are struggling with lots of viruses and other sicknesses at the moment. Please be sure to keep your child home if they are not feeling well and look at our health guidelines below to know when it is ok for them to return to school.
I am asking for your help with our arrival and drop off procedures. Cars are arriving for pick up too early, sometimes before 3:00, and Gorham Street is getting backed up. Please do not begin lining up for car line pick up until after 3:00 to keep the streets clear as long as we can! Thank you for helping us with safety at arrival and dismissal!
As the weather gets colder, please send your child bundled in winter clothes! If you need winter jackets, please reach out. Jennifer Williams, our social worker, can provide you with one. Even when it is cold outside, please send your child to school. We take care not to go outside if it is too cold out and we want our students to be at school as much as they can be!
Just remember that Monday is a no school day at the Cardinal and all of LPS for Martin Luther King Day. Enjoy your long weekend, we will see you on Tuesday!
Warmly,
Kerry Wilcox
Principal at the Cardinal
Check the district calendar below for more details
January
- 20-No school, Martin Luther King, Jr Day
February
- 5-No school at the Cardinal (Ms Lisa T and Ms Jenn S Early release 1:30)
- 17-21 School is closed for Winter Break
- 24-School reopens
When should my child stay home from school?
If your child is not feeling well at school, you might get a call from the office to come pick them up. Please be ready to come get them as soon as you can!
To help your child get better quickly and to stop germs from spreading to other students and teachers, please remember these important health rules from the district:
When Children Must Remain Home
Children must remain home if they have any of the following:
- A contagious illness like chicken pox, flu, or strep throat, until the doctor says it's safe to return or the child has been on antibiotics for 24 hours
- A rash or skin condition not diagnosed by a doctor
- A fever that causes chills, sweating or muscle aches
- Temperature over 100.0° within the past 24 hours
- Vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours
- Red or pink eyes, or drainage from eyes
- Head lice (live lice)
- Have been notified by the school nurse/health department that immunizations are not up to date (exclusion notice is given after the 3rd warning)
Returning to School
When can a child return to school after an illness? Before returning to school:
- A child must be fever-free without medication for 24 hours
- A child must be symptom-free for 24 hours
- A child with a diagnosis of strep throat, impetigo or conjunctivitis must be on medication for 24 hours before returning to school
- On stormy days, a NO SCHOOL or DELAY OF SCHOOL announcement will be made by the Central Office through the ConnectEd System (a call to home) and posted on the Lowell Public Schools website.
- Announcements will also be publicized on WCAP radio 980 AM and on television (Channels 4, 5, 7 and 25)
- When there is a DELAY OF SCHOOL there is NO half day preschool-both morning and afternoon sessions are canceled.