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Schools Across the Brooklyn Diocese and U.S. Trade Snow Days for Remote Learning Days

By Emily Drooby

Kindergarten teacher Ashley Lantz is planning a snow-themed lesson for her class on Dec. 17. It’s perfect for the new kind of snow day the school is going to have.

“We are actually going to still be having school, but obviously remotely,” explained Ashley, who is trying to center all of her activities “around the snow, so we are still having a snow day and we are still learning about the snow and how much fun it could be, but we are learning at the same time.”

In New York City and across the country, snow days are on thin ice. Many schools are switching to online learning during bad weather, instead of cancelling school all together, taking advantage of the remote learning model that the pandemic forced schools to adapt.

This change includes all Catholic Academies and parish schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn. While the buildings will be closed, all schools will revert to their remote learning model. This will help limit time-off during a school year where students have already lost so much time.

Students will also start their long winter break at the end of this week.

“Being able to limit the amount of time that they are losing instruction is really a valuable asset and most helpful to the students,” explained Joan McMaster, the Associate Superintendent for Principal and Teacher Personnel for the Diocese of Brooklyn‘s Office of the Superintendent. “So having this ability to flip to remote and not lose a whole day and not loose instructional time is really a valuable thing.”

Ashley is a teacher at  St. Kevin Catholic Academy in Flushing, Queens. The Catholic Academy is trying its best to make this remote-learning snow day extra fun.

Academy Principal Allison Murphy spoke about the students’ experiences.

“They know that a snow day means they don’t have to go to school on another year,” said Murphy. “We are going to try to give them some sense of a typical school day, or typical snow day where they haven’t had a lot of typical days here.”

Some lessons will even get the kids outside.

Of course, many kids are not happy about missing out on a snow day. But as Ashley explained, this is the year when the kids need more school, not less.

Currents News full broadcast for Wed, 12/16/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

Both New York City’s public schools and the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Catholic academies will be closed tomorrow as the city braces for what could be the biggest winter storm in years.

The Supreme Court once again sides with churches in two states in the fight for religious freedom.

We’ll travel back in time to see how the Big Apple crushed another deadly disease outbreak in just weeks.

 

From Who Gets It First, to How Its Distributed; What You Need to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccine

By Emily Drooby

On Tuesday Dec. 15, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout ramped up at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. The same hospital vaccinated the very first person in the United States. Now, their parent company, Northwell Health has vaccinated hundreds of their employees and it’s just the beginning.

“We’ve got a pretty robust plan and we are in full swing,” said Doctor David Battinelli, Senior VP and Chief Medical Officer for Northwell Health.

“There were clear refrigeration and freezer requirements, distribution requirements,” he explained. “Just because you get the vaccines, you have to have the needles, the syringes, all the extra equipment, the staff,” sharing about everything they had to do to prepare for the rollout.

Dr. Battineli says some of the hardest work went into figuring out who would get vaccinated first.

This round mostly went to frontline health care workers, especially those deemed high risk. Most hospitals are staggering how many people in a department get it at one time in case of side effects. Nursing home staff and residents will also get the vaccine soon.

It’s given out in two doses that are administered three weeks apart.

This first round of vaccinations was shipped out to hundreds of hospitals across the country on Sunday Dec. 13, just days after the Pfizer vaccine was authorized by the FDA for emergency use.

72,000 doses were sent to New York City, surrounding areas got about 45,000 doses. In the coming three weeks, New York City is expected to get another 465,000 doses. Nationally it’s estimated that close to 40 million doses will be given out by the end of 2020.

Distributing the vaccine isn’t easy because it has to be stored at negative 94 degrees Fahrenheit. From refrigeration problems to logistical issues, there’s a lot that could derail the delicate process. Top officials say they have contingency plans in place for everything.

While this is an exciting milestone, Dr. Battineli warns people still need to be cautious.

He said, “Although the light is there at the end of the tunnel, it’s several months long at a minimum so people need to make sure they do what they’re supposed to be doing at the same time we are getting the vaccine.”

He added that they’ve gotten innumerable calls from people asking when it’s going to be there turn. But because of limited distribution and that certain high-risk groups will get it first, most Americans won’t be able to get vaccinated until the spring or later.

Impending Snow Storm Has New York City Restaurants Fearing Business Will Suffer During Pandemic

By Jessica Easthope

“Do you feel like small businesses at this point are being targeted,” Anthony Marsillo, the owner of Gino’s Restaurant in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, was asked.

“One hundred percent I feel they are,” he told Currents News. “If you go to Costco or Walmart they’re not doing contact tracing, they’re not taking your information when you go in, they’re not taking your temperature. Why is it all on us,” he said.

Anthony says it’s impossible to comply with New York’s ever-changing city and state  guidelines and still make a living.

“It hurts, just as we get the ball rolling we had to stop everything, and these are the two busiest weeks of the year we have coming up,” he said.

The Department of Sanitation issued an alert Tuesday Dec. 15 that was sent to New York City’s restaurants saying that by 2 p.m. on Wednesday, outdoor dining needs to be shut down.

“If you have the kind of outdoor dining setup where you can bring it all in, if you don’t where the restaurant has built something more substantial, they can leave it there but secure everything they can secure,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

For Gino’s all of their furniture will have to come in and the tents will have to be taken down, but with a snow storm on the way, takeout and delivery won’t bring in much business either. More than anything, Anthony feels for his employees, especially this time of year.

“Just for our staff alone that rely on these two weeks to carry themselves over with gifts for their families and to pay their bills, it hurts. It hurts,” Anthony said.

Gino’s has relied on their outdoor dining set up to help them survive the pandemic. Even with that, takeout and delivery and the few months they had limited capacity indoors the restaurant has brought in only a quarter of their normal revenue.

Currents News full broadcast for Tues, 12/15/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

More help may be on the way soon – the Moderna vaccine is expected to get the green light by week’s end.

A nor’easter is barreling up the coast – and some fear it could disrupt the distribution and delivery of the vaccine.

Meanwhile – the threat of a major snowstorm in New York City is forcing restaurants to roll up their outside dining operations.

President-Elect Joe Biden addresses the nation and takes a swipe at President Trump.

 

Is Another COVID Stimulus Bill Within Reach on Capitol Hill?

Currents News Staff

It’s another stalemate on Capitol Hill, with Republicans and Democrats needing to work together to prevent the government from shutting down.

It’s not just a spending package, but many Americans are continuing to look to lawmakers to pass a much needed COVID-19 relief bill.

Now, another deadline is looming for lawmakers to pass a bipartisan bill, funding the government and possibly including COVID relief.

“We’re not going home until it’s done,” said Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, spreading optimism.”The emergency relief package is strictly an emergency relief. It’s not for long-term. We have this package to get us through the most difficult challenging times, the first quarter of 2021.”

But, there are familiar sticking points.

Democrats want at least $160 billion for state and local aid.

“There are nurses and teachers, paramedics, police officers who are facing layoffs in municipalities, counties and cities around the country. Roughly 1.3 million have already been laid off,” said Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware. 

Republicans want Covid-19 lawsuit protections for businesses.

“People who did their best and acting in good faith shouldn’t have to face all sorts of lawsuits from people who come and go after them,” said Republica Senator Mitt Romney of Utah. 

A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled the text of a $908 billion compromise COVID relief plan Monday, Dec. 14.

The plan includes two bills: one for state and local aid and liability protection; the other bill includes extending jobless benefits, dollars for vaccine distribution and extending small business loans, amongst other measures.

 

Currents News full broadcast for Mon, 12/14/20 (Catholic news)

The massive roll-out begins – a literal shot in the arm for the United States – the first vaccines delivered to New York City’s front-line workers.

A gunman opens fire on the streets of New York and sends people running for cover.

States across the country are making Joe Biden’s victory official – but will the president give up his fight?