August 13, 2021 Dear Parents,
The 2021-22 school year has officially begun, and we are so happy to have all our students back in the building for face-to-face learning! We started the school year on Wednesday by welcoming our students with donuts, followed by a fun all-school pep assembly. The energy and enthusiasm on campus is contagious, as our students and employees Own the Orange!
The health and safety of our students and employees remains a top priority at Mercy McAuley. At this time, masks are recommended for anyone who is unvaccinated. Hamilton County has been designated a high risk area so these guidelines are subject to change at any time. Unvaccinated, unmasked students will have to quarantine if exposed by another student who was within 6 feet. Vaccinated, masked students will not have to quarantine if exposed. I highly encourage everyone to wear masks. Our goal is to keep everyone safe and to hold in-person classes all year. If we need to change these mask guidelines to keep our students healthy and in class face-to-face, or if we are required to change these guidelines, we will adjust them accordingly. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
As a reminder, if your daughter tests positive for COVID-19 at any time during the school year, the Cincinnati Health Department requires that you contact our school nurse, Kathleen Bartish, at 681-1800 x1126. Thank you.
You will notice that we have begun using a new tagline in our marketing and recruitment materials and in social media: Be Known. Be Challenged. Be Great. At Mercy McAuley, our students are known by teachers and each other; we are a family. Students are challenged inside and outside of the classroom to be the best they can be. And, Mercy McAuley students will find success and achieve greatness here at Mercy McAuley and in their future endeavors. Mercy McAuley Wolves become great Women of Mercy!
Thank you for sharing your daughters with us every day, and thank you for choosing a Mercy McAuley education. It's going to be a great year!
"No work of charity can be more productive of good to society than the careful instruction of women." —Catherine McAuley
It's going to be a great 2021-22 school year!
Mercy and compassion always in our hearts,
Connie Kampschmidt Principal
Follow Your Daughter's Schedule is Aug. 19 Mark your calendar for Thursday, August 19 from 7-9 p.m. for "Follow Your Daughter's Schedule" night. This event provides you with the opportunity to meet your daughter's teachers and learn more about her classes and the expectations for each class. We will be hosting the event in-person and masks will be required by all as we try to keep everyone safe. Each class is eight minutes long with three minutes of passing time between classes. Parent Pack and volunteer information will be available in the student lobby. Please ask your daughter for a copy of her schedule.
Reminder to complete online forms By now you should have received an email with a link to complete some online forms for your student. Please complete these forms by August 27. If you did not receive the email, please contact Sharon Kroger at 681-1800 x1144. Thank you.
Welcome from the Parent Pack! The Parent Pack welcomes all new and returning parents to the 2021-22 school year! The Mercy McAuley Parent Pack is an organization created by parents to work in partnership with the school for FUN activities and fundraising opportunities. The Parent Pack is open to ALL parents of current students, and there is NO annual membership fee. The Parent Pack meets on the fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the school cafeteria. All parents are invited to join us for a meet and greet at the first meeting on August 23 at 7 p.m. The Parent Pack's goal is to foster a sense of community within the Mercy McAuley family through the sharing of our time, talent, treasure and teamwork. Please read the letter below from the Parent Pack with more information and to see how you can get involved! For more information, contact parentpack@mercymcauley.org.
Create a New Cafeteria Account Our food service provider, WG Grinders, has partnered with a new vendor - MySchoolAccount.com - for the managing of our lunch service software and payments. All families who wish to utilize a lunch payment account will need to create a new account through www.myschoolaccount.com.
MySchoolAccount.com offers you the ability to make deposits directly into your student's account online or via their mobile app. Here you can track what your daughter has been eating for the past 30 days, transfer funds between students, and have an email reminder sent to you when an account balance gets low. Deposits and payments an be made through ACH (checking/savings) or credit/debit card. We will still accept checks sent to the school (made out to WG Grinders), credit card payments at the register, and cash. Each child's account will be updated in real time, so account balance information will be current daily. In order to take advantage of this service, you will need to create a parent account. Click the link below for instructions on how to set up an account.
Take Advantage of 15% Bonus Bucks! WG Grinders is offering a 15% bonus for any dollars added to a student's lunch account now through August 13 at 5 p.m.
VIRTUS changed to SafeParish On July 1, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati changed its child protection program. They are no longer using the VIRTUS platform; instead, they have switched to SafeParish.
If you were an active VIRTUS account holder - You must register for your SafeParish account to continue to volunteer at Mercy McAuley or any location within the Archdiocese. All active VIRTUS users should have received an email from the Archdiocese with instructions for how to register for your SafeParish account. (You may want to check your spam or junk/clutter folder for this email if you do not see it in your inbox.) If you have completed your background and training requirements, that information will be imported to your SafeParish account, and no additional background or training will be required initially. Instead of monthly bulletins, SafeParish will be using quarterly 5 - 7 minute interactive videos to keep users up to date.
If you are a new volunteer - Please register for your SafeParish account and complete your background and training requirements in order to volunteer at Mercy McAuley or any location within the Archdiocese. Follow these steps to register for your SafeParish account:
Any questions may be directed to Mandy Maddox at 681-1800 x1120 or maddoxa@mercymcauley.org.
Spirit Shop Hours During the school year, regular hours for the Spirit Shop are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:45 - 11:45 a.m. and Wednesdays from 3 - 3:30 p.m.
Uniform polo shirts and uniform pants can be purchased in the Spirit Shop. (If you wish to purchase uniform pants, we have samples in the Spirit Shop for students to try on, and then we order the size that you need.) Uniform polo shirts can also be purchased online HERE.
The uniform skirt must be purchased from Shaheen's, which is located in Sharonville at 2656 E. Sharon Road, Cincinnati, OH 45251. Their phone number is 771-1234.
Any questions may be directed to Mandy Maddox at maddoxa@mercymcauley.org or 681-1800 x1120.
Athletic News
Fall Sports Spirit Wear - A link for fall sport-specific spirit wear will be emailed to fall athletes by coaches. The deadline to order is August 15.
Attention Parents of Incoming Seniors All students entering the 12th grade for the 2021-22 school year must have a second dose of meningococcal vaccine (MCV4). The second dose must be administered on or after the 16th birthday. If the first dose of meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) was given on or after the 16th birthday, a second dose is not required. Documentation with the Month/Date/Year of both meningococcal vaccines must be submitted to our school nurse, Kathleen Bartish, prior to the first day of school.
UPCOMING EVENTS
August 19
August 23 • 7 p.m. Mercy McAuley High School 6000 Oakwood Avenue • Cincinnati, OH 45224 • (513) 681-1800 |