Our partnership with you is key to the success of your child’s learning in this environment. I know things are busy and stressful, so know that we are working to streamline communication as much as possible. Please check your Classtag and email regularly to stay informed of important items or developments. Thank you so much for your help with this!
Zoom Morning Prayer Thank you to all who have responded to the recent surveys, as your feedback is very helpful as we plan for a longer period of remote learning than we had hoped for. I will be offering a zoom “Morning Prayer” opportunity beginning next week. In looking at all of the responses and trying to respect each family’s situation being different, here is the schedule I have arranged.
Next week will be “week A.” I will send an invitation to a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday beginning at 10:00 AM. The following week will be “week B.” I will send an invitation to a Zoom meeting on Monday and Wednesday beginning at 9:30 AM. We will then begin the pattern again. So, one week there will be an opportunity to “gather” virtually three mornings, the following week two mornings. Know that this is optional of course, so join when you would like, but do not feel bad if it doesn’t happen for you on a given day. I will look forward to “seeing” you!
St. Paul Staff I am so very proud of the staff at St. Paul as they have worked so hard to prepare plans for meaningful learning to continue for your children. They have had to learn many new techniques and have put in a lot of time to develop a sustainable plan for your child, your family, and for them. Please remind your child to follow the given steps to communicate with their teacher and to please have patience if their question is not immediately responded to. It is surely an adjustment for all of us, including the kids. They are used to raising their hand in class and getting an immediate response, or very close to immediate. This online system sometimes takes a bit longer for a question to be received and responded to. Thank you again for your help and commitment as we truly appreciate your partnership!
Family Concerns I would like to address some of the concerns mentioned. They followed three main themes. First is the question of your child “falling behind.” I want to assure you that we are working diligently to not only provide instructional activities that will minimize that now but are also planning for when we come back to school in the fall. We will be assessing students and, as we always work to do, will be developing strategies that meet the individual needs of each student, working to bring them where they need to be. We are working with the diocese and among ourselves to identify the key concepts students need to master and are providing materials that will guide them to that goal. In addition, please remember that the entire country is in the same situation. This piece of time, while it seems very large, is a small piece of your child’s overall K-12 education. We are committed to providing the tools they need to make up whatever ground they lose. We are also trusting that God is in control, and perhaps some of the lessons our children, and all of us, are learning as a result of this situation are lessons we need to strengthen our relationship with God and each other. I pray about that daily.
Second is the question of major milestone celebrations. Confirmation, First Communion, DC Trip, 8th-grade Graduation. We are all saddened that these special times have been canceled. We know how important these are to our students and our families. While we do not know how, or when, or what it will look like, please know that we will do our very best to honor these important events as best we can once we are through this. I know it won’t be quite the same, but we will do our best to mitigate the disappointment.
Finally, there is the question of saying “goodbye” to our building. We will be beginning the 2020-2021 school year in our new location, and many of you are worried about your children, and you, not having a chance to celebrate the long, beautiful history provided to our Bluewaves in this building. Again, we recognize this is important. It is important to us too. We will develop some sort of plan to allow for this. While it won’t be quite what we were thinking of when we had so much time to work with, and we don’t know when it will be or what it will look like, we WILL plan something that will provide some sort of celebration and closure.