Dear Families:
We continue to prepare the school as we eagerly await the return of our K-5th grade students during the month of October. There are so many details, with our main effort focused on the health and safety of all. Distancing, masking, multiple trips to the bathrooms for hand-washing, all make this year a strange normal.
As we transition back to a regular schedule, we know it will be difficult for students to return to the highly structured setting. We also need extra time for additional daily disinfecting, so for at least the first few weeks of our return, we will be dismissing EACH DAY at 2pm. (Grades 6th -8th will remain with the regular 3pm time during remote learning.) Because the specialists are being distributed to cover the additional classrooms, the classroom teacher’s planning periods have been eliminated. This extra hour each day will also give them valuable time to collaborate with one another and prepare for the following day.
With double the number of staff required to monitor twice the classrooms, specialists have been re-assigned to cohorts and teaching their regular subject (Art, Library, Music, Spanish) is on hold for the time being in grades PreK-5th. I am so proud of our staff and their ability to be so flexible in taking on any challenge that has been presented with getting our students back to school. It has and continues to be, a great deal of work for them, all while they are continuing to teach their students, remotely.
We cannot thank our parent community enough for your efforts in partnering with us so closely during remote learning. Teachers have been challenged to creatively deliver lessons, assignments and assessments to their students, without being in the same room, and the assistance you provide to help with instruction, scheduling and technical support, has kept students on track. Now, we face a new challenge as teachers and students, masked and separated, return to a school setting that will be so different from usual. But, what a joy it will be to have our students back on a daily basis!
Just a reminder that we do not have online classes for K-5th on Thursday, October 1st and Friday, October 2nd (PreK will not have school on Friday, October 2nd) so we can make final preparations for welcoming our students back into the building.
Congratulations to first grade teacher Maura Dahlman, husband Cody and big brother Eamon on the arrival of Ronan Lynch Dahlman on Wednesday, September 23rd. Ronan weighed in at 11lbs. 3 oz!!! He’s almost big enough for school!
Finally, please join us for our virtual Blessing of the Animals, this Friday, October 2nd at 8:30am via zoom. We look forward to celebrating our pets and thanking God for the happiness they bring to our lives.
Have a great week!
Mary
