Resources

St. Mark programs will NOT be offered the week of December 20th. Programs will resume January 3rd, as normal.

Today, on Lights On Afterschool Day, I wanted to take a moment to tell you just how incredible you are and to thank you for the impact you create by being a part of our St. Mark family. Today is a national day hosted by the Afterschool Alliance that shines a spotlight on the importance of afterschool programs like ours. Now more than ever, afterschool programs like ours are rising to the moment to keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and help working families as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic—and Lights On Afterschool shines a national spotlight on their impact!   Did you know that in America today, 7.6 million children are alone and unsupervised after school? While after school time has looked different over the past few years, we never closed our hearts on our families and kids when they needed us most and neither did you. Today we join the Afterschool Alliance and others through out the country in celebration of this essential resource to kids everywhere.  While our celebration looks a little different today than in past years, we’re highlighting this day by sharing stories all day long on our Facebook page that highlight our families, our kids, and the important work you make possible. If you’d like to see the impact you create, you can visit us on Facebook or watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRWJdJVNE-c&list=PLn2097hItQgA_cJe_DWXN6rzDTERSYD4v. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRWJdJVNE-c&list=PLn2097hItQgA_cJe_DWXN6rzDTERSYD4v Thank you for being a part of our St. Mark family and for keeping the Lights On Afterschool! Sincerely, Beth McGorry Director of Donor Relations P.S. We’d also like to extend a huge thank you to the Afterschool Alliance for hosting this event and for raising afterschool awareness, and the City of Dubuque, the City of Dyersville, and Dubuque County for proclaiming today as Lights On Afterschool Day. To read the proclamations, visit https://stmarkyouthenrichment.org/keeping-the-lights-on-after-school-proclamations/.

DUBUQUE COUNTY Keeping the Lights On After School: A Proclamation WHEREAS, the citizens of Dubuque County stand firmly committed to quality afterschool programs and opportunities because they: Provide safe, challenging, and engaging learning experiences that help children develop social, emotional, physical and academic skills.Support working families by ensuring their children are safe and productive after the regular school day ends.Build stronger communities by involving students, parents, business leaders and adult volunteers in the lives of young people, thereby promoting positive relationships among youth, families and adults.Engage families, schools and community partners in advancing the welfare of our children. WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, afterschool programs have risen to the moment to support youth, and are critical supports to help youth recover from this challenging time and address their academic, social, and emotional needs. Afterschool programs provide engaging, hands-on learning and opportunities to connect with caring adults and peers. During the pandemic, programs have innovated to provide remote learning support, virtual programming, care for children of essential workers, meal support, wellness check-ins, and more. Today, programs are supporting young people and families as they navigate the return to school and will continue to innovate to meet ever-changing needs. WHEREAS, St. Mark Youth Enrichment has provided significant leadership in the area of community involvement in the education and well-being of our youth, grounded in the principle that quality afterschool programs are key to helping our children become successful adults.WHEREAS, Lights On Afterschool, the national celebration of afterschool programs held this year on October 28th, promotes the importance of quality afterschool programs in the lives of children, families and communities.WHEREAS, more than 28 million children in the U.S. have parents who work outside the home, and 15.1 million children have no place to go after school.WHEREAS, many afterschool programs across the country are facing funding shortfalls so severe that they are being forced to close their doors and turn off their lights. WHEREAS, the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors is committed to investing in the health and safety of all young people by providing expanded learning opportunities that will help close the achievement gap and prepare young people to compete in the global economy. THEREFORE, the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors, Iowa, do hereby proclaim October 28th, 2021, as  “Lights On Afterschool Day” In Dubuque County, Iowa and asking all citizens to enthusiastically endorse Lights On Afterschool and commit our community to engage in innovative afterschool programs and activities that ensure the lights stay on and the doors stay open for all children after school. CITY OF DUBUQUE Keeping the Lights On After School: A Proclamation WHEREAS, the citizens of Dubuque stand firmly committed to quality afterschool programs and opportunities because they: Provide safe, challenging, and engaging learning experiences that help children develop social, emotional, physical and academic skills.Support working families by ensuring their children are safe and productive after the regular school day ends.Build stronger communities by involving students, parents, business leaders and adult volunteers in the lives of young people, thereby promoting positive relationships among youth, families and adults.Engage families, schools and community partners in advancing the welfare of our children. WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, afterschool programs have risen to the moment to support youth, and are critical supports to help youth recover from this challenging time and address their academic, social, and emotional needs. Afterschool programs provide engaging, hands-on learning and opportunities to connect with caring adults and peers. During the pandemic, programs have innovated to provide remote learning support, virtual programming, care for children of essential workers, meal support, wellness check-ins, and more. Today, programs are supporting young people and families as they navigate the return to school and will continue to innovate to meet ever-changing needs. WHEREAS, St. Mark Youth Enrichment has provided significant leadership in the area of community involvement in the education and well-being of our youth, grounded in the principle that quality afterschool programs are key to helping our children become successful adults.WHEREAS, Lights On Afterschool, the national celebration of afterschool programs held this year on October 24th, promotes the importance of quality afterschool programs in the lives of children, families and communities.WHEREAS, more than 28 million children in the U.S. have parents who work outside the home, and 15.1 million children have no place to go after school.WHEREAS, many afterschool programs across the country are facing funding shortfalls so severe that they are being forced to close their doors and turn off their lights. WHEREAS, the City of Dubuque is committed to investing in the health and safety of all young people by providing expanded learning opportunities that will help close the achievement gap and prepare young people to compete in the global economy. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that I, Mayor Roy Buol do hereby proclaim October 28th, 2021, as “Lights On Afterschool Day”; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this mayor enthusiastically endorses Lights On Afterschool and commits our community to engage in innovative afterschool programs and activities that ensure the lights stay on and the doors stay open for all children after school. DYERSVILLE Keeping the Lights On After School: A Proclamation WHEREAS, the citizens of Dyersville stand firmly committed to quality afterschool programs and opportunities because they: Provide safe, challenging, and engaging learning experiences that help children develop social, emotional, physical and academic skills.Support working families by ensuring their children are safe and productive after the regular school day ends.Build stronger communities by involving students, parents, business leaders and adult volunteers in the lives of young people, thereby promoting positive relationships among youth, families and adults.Engage families, schools and community partners in advancing the welfare of our children. WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, afterschool programs have risen to the moment to support youth, and are critical supports to help youth recover from this challenging time and address their academic, social, and emotional needs. Afterschool programs provide engaging, hands-on learning and opportunities to connect with caring adults and peers. During the pandemic, programs have innovated to provide remote learning support, virtual programming, care for children of essential workers, meal support, wellness check-ins, and more. Today, programs are supporting young people and families as they navigate the return to school and will continue to …

Dubuque County Early Childhood (DCEC) publishes an annual Family Resource Guide with comprehensive listings of organizations and businesses that offer programs, resources, and products for area families. Click on the following link to download the current DCEC Resource Guide.

To our valued parents, partners, and staff,We have been closely and continuously monitoring the COVID-19 situation in our schools and communities we serve. At this time it is St. Mark Youth Enrichment’s goal to do our part in keeping our schools safe throughout the holidays, as safety is our top priority. To maintain safety for our families & staff alike we have decided to suspend in-person programming, with the intent to return in-person on January 11th. Student fees for program will be waived from Nov. 23rd until Jan. 11th, as the St. Mark leadership team foresaw this situation occurring and secured funding for tuition coverage. St. Mark Youth Enrichment will do what it can to support the effort in keeping schools open. We feel that transitioning to a virtual format is the best way to support these efforts. We aim to be as prepared as possible with the expected spike in COVID cases following the holidays. While we understand this may be inconvenient for families, we feel it is the best decision to make at this time for the long-term. Thank you to all of you who are doing your part to keep our community safe! Virtual sessions will occur starting the week of Nov. 30th. A schedule containing virtual session times/dates will be sent later this week. We will also work on adding any families to our Google Classroom platform who have not done so already. Beginning the week of Nov. 30th social-emotional learning bags will start to be delivered to schools weekly to be taken by students at the end of the school day. Learning bags will contain an SEL activity, supplemental materials for virtual sessions, and at times may include basic school supplies. For your reference, I’ve included the initial guidelines below that were shared with all of you previously. Thank you for your support, wishing you well.  Initial Guidelines Shared:  In an effort to keep everyone as informed as possible during this school year we are sharing the following information update related to St. Mark Youth Enrichment’s program operations impacted by COVID-19. As our understanding of the COVID-19 virus and best practices surrounding health and safety are constantly evolving, all guidance is subject to change. In alignment with our top priority of safety for our students and staff, St. Mark is implementing the guidelines below. It is our hope that sharing this with you now will help you to be as prepared as possible for any transitions from St. Mark’s in-person to our interactive virtual model (see description of model below, which will be fully functional by September 21, 2020). In-person programs will transition to our interactive virtual model IF any of the following conditions are met: ●   If any program staff or student tests positive for COVID-19 at an individual site that site will transition to virtual for two weeks (14 calendar days) ●   If 14-day average county positivity rate is >15% or is on a continual climb nearing 15% all sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs ●   If district partners request St. Mark NOT provide on-site programming, those specific sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs ●   If schools and/or districts transition to a virtual model, those specific sites will transition to virtual programs until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs ●   If closure is dictated by state and/or local public health officials all sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs  Parents, partners, and staff will be notified via email any time a decision is made to transition to or from our interactive virtual model. Parents will also receive additional notification through Remind texts and Facebook notification.  St. Mark students and staff who meet the CDC definition of being in “close contact” with a program individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be informed of this. Per CDC guidelines, these persons would be required to quarantine for 14 days. A “close contact” is defined by the CDC as proximity of 6 feet or less for 15 minutes or more. In an effort to reduce the risk of exposures, only program participants and staff will be allowed into the building/program areas.  The interactive virtual model will ensure we continue to deliver quality, engaging programs that keep students connected to their peers and beloved site teams. As we experienced with the abrupt shut down in March, it is imperative that children stay connected and engaged for their social and emotional wellbeing. In order to ensure sustainability of our programs and employment of our site staff, tuition fees will continue to be billed monthly whether the program is offered in person or virtual for non-21st CCLC grant funded sites.  St. Mark Interactive Virtual Model includes: ●   Weekly supplies for at home activities (to connect with live engagement offered) ●   Supplies conveniently offered for families to pick up at their convenience on a scheduled day of the week ●   Recorded activities and interactive enrichment links that can be accessed at your convenience through Google Classrooms which is by invite only ●   Daily live engagement with site “families” via Zoom and/or Google Classrooms (offered by familiar staff members) ●   Social-emotional support, including materials/activities and St. Mark Buddies for students in need of additional support ●   Homework help  Remember to check our website for information on additional resources: Resources  We are so grateful for your continued support and encouragement as we all walk alongside one another in cultivating the academic and social-emotional growth of all our amazing students. We are committed to being resilient and confident we will prevail over this crisis. And we will do it together with you!  “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal …

To our valued parents, partners, and staff,We have been closely and continuously monitoring the COVID-19 situation in our schools and communities we serve. At this time it is St. Mark Youth Enrichment’s goal to do our part in keeping our schools safe throughout the holidays, as safety is our top priority. To maintain safety for our families & staff alike we have decided to suspend in-person programming, with the intent to return in-person on January 11th. St. Mark Youth Enrichment will do what it can to support the effort in keeping schools open. We feel that transitioning to a virtual format is the best way to support these efforts. We aim to be as prepared as possible with the expected spike in COVID cases following the holidays. While we understand this may be inconvenient for families, we feel it is the best decision to make at this time for the long-term. Thank you to all of you who are doing your part to keep our community safe! Virtual sessions will occur starting the week of Nov. 30th. A schedule containing virtual session times/dates will be sent later this week. We will also work on adding any families to our Google Classroom platform who have not done so already. Beginning the week of Nov. 30th social-emotional learning bags will start to be delivered to schools weekly to be taken by students at the end of the school day. Learning bags will contain an SEL activity, supplemental materials for virtual sessions, and at times may include basic school supplies. For your reference, I’ve included the initial guidelines below that were shared with all of you previously. Thank you for your support, wishing you well.  Initial Guidelines Shared:  In an effort to keep everyone as informed as possible during this school year we are sharing the following information update related to St. Mark Youth Enrichment’s program operations impacted by COVID-19. As our understanding of the COVID-19 virus and best practices surrounding health and safety are constantly evolving, all guidance is subject to change. In alignment with our top priority of safety for our students and staff, St. Mark is implementing the guidelines below. It is our hope that sharing this with you now will help you to be as prepared as possible for any transitions from St. Mark’s in-person to our interactive virtual model (see description of model below, which will be fully functional by September 21, 2020). In-person programs will transition to our interactive virtual model IF any of the following conditions are met: ●   If any program staff or student tests positive for COVID-19 at an individual site that site will transition to virtual for two weeks (14 calendar days) ●   If 14-day average county positivity rate is >15% or is on a continual climb nearing 15% all sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs ●   If district partners request St. Mark NOT provide on-site programming, those specific sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs ●   If schools and/or districts transition to a virtual model, those specific sites will transition to virtual programs until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs ●   If closure is dictated by state and/or local public health officials all sites will transition to virtual until it is deemed safe to transition to in-person programs  Parents, partners, and staff will be notified via email any time a decision is made to transition to or from our interactive virtual model. Parents will also receive additional notification through Remind texts and Facebook notification.  St. Mark students and staff who meet the CDC definition of being in “close contact” with a program individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be informed of this. Per CDC guidelines, these persons would be required to quarantine for 14 days. A “close contact” is defined by the CDC as proximity of 6 feet or less for 15 minutes or more. In an effort to reduce the risk of exposures, only program participants and staff will be allowed into the building/program areas.  The interactive virtual model will ensure we continue to deliver quality, engaging programs that keep students connected to their peers and beloved site teams. As we experienced with the abrupt shut down in March, it is imperative that children stay connected and engaged for their social and emotional wellbeing. In order to ensure sustainability of our programs and employment of our site staff, tuition fees will continue to be billed monthly whether the program is offered in person or virtual for non-21st CCLC grant funded sites.  St. Mark Interactive Virtual Model includes: ●   Weekly supplies for at home activities (to connect with live engagement offered) ●   Supplies conveniently offered for families to pick up at their convenience on a scheduled day of the week ●   Recorded activities and interactive enrichment links that can be accessed at your convenience through Google Classrooms which is by invite only ●   Daily live engagement with site “families” via Zoom and/or Google Classrooms (offered by familiar staff members) ●   Social-emotional support, including materials/activities and St. Mark Buddies for students in need of additional support ●   Homework help  Remember to check our website for information on additional resources: Resources  We are so grateful for your continued support and encouragement as we all walk alongside one another in cultivating the academic and social-emotional growth of all our amazing students. We are committed to being resilient and confident we will prevail over this crisis. And we will do it together with you!  “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”  –James Stockdale  Wishing you well,  Your St. Mark Family  As always, feel free to reach out to our team at …

At this time it is St. Mark Youth Enrichment’s goal to keep all Western Dubuque programs running in person at least through November 19, 2020.

Hello Peosta, Seton and Dyersville Families, St. Mark Leadership just wrapped up their weekly meeting and it has been decided that we WILL plan on going back ‘in-person’ for programming in Western Dubuque starting Monday, October 19th! Of course our staff, students, families are #1 priority and we will continue to monitor the positive rate and our Covid Planning Policy and keep you updated with any additional updates or changes. We can’t wait to see your kiddos next Monday (10/19/20)!

Struggling to pay the bills? Know someone who is? The Iowa Department of Human Rights announced that it will begin accepting applications for energy assistance on Nov. 1. To learn more, visit https://humanrights.iowa.gov/dcaa/where-apply or call 211. Below is more information provided from the agency.

I am sad to share that we will be extending our program suspension an additional week due to the increasing positivity rate and lack of staff capabilities for in-person program. At this time, our plan is to return to in-person program on Monday, October 19th. St. Mark Leadership is continuing to monitor the positivity rate and will keep you posted on when we could/would transition back to in-person programming in the future in Western Dubuque. We will continue to offer virtual programming and families activity/and social emotional bags. We will be keeping parents/partners/staff updated on Monday’s during time time on program updates. We appreciate your understanding during this time, as safety of our staff, students, families are #1 priority.  Included below is our “What to Expect from Virtual Program” Flyer to remind you that we will be sending home weekly activity bags, offering live zoom calls, and providing one-on-one check-ins or homework help as needed. Please continue to utilize our staff to support your families needs!Linked below also are our COVID Protocols for your reference. If you have any questions, requests, or need assistance navigating our virtual platforms, please feel free to contact me! As always, feel free to reach out to our team at any time.  Thank you, Taylor Programs: Taylor Noel, tnoel@stmarkyouthenrichment.org  563-582-6211 ext. 108 Related https://stmarkyouthenrichment.org/coronavirus-protocol-update/