Happy New Year Wildcats! Welcome back to an Omicron-prepped school. In response to the surge in recent Covid cases, the first day of school was pushed back to Tuesday, January 4, so students and faculty could be tested for Covid. Other developments to the Covid response include new mask requirements and a reevaluation of the athletic season, which has not been announced as of yet. The new mask policy requires that everyone on campus must wear either a KN95, N95, or surgical mask while indoors; it has not been extended to outdoor areas. The reintroduction to community meetings in the PAC has also been pushed back in the Omicron response, and all students and faculty are required to get a booster vaccine if eligible. Though there was a possibility of a remote first day back to school, the RCDS administration remained strong in their message of doing everything possible to keep school in-person. All students and faculty who tested positive for Covid are eligible for remote learning.

With ice-covered roads, Wednesday, January 5, ended up a not-so-snowy snow day. The school day was first announced to be delayed by two hours, but was completely cancelled as icy roads created a hazardous route to school. 

Friday, January 7, was also anticipated to be a snow day! After missing two days of school this week already, though, the administration decided a remote day would be the most logical choice if school needed to close today. While students are disappointed about this announcement, this announcement means there are still three possible snow days left, as there are only four days allotted as potential snow days.