Email to School Parents on July 23, 2020
Good Afternoon Parents,
I wanted to send out this mail to update you on the latest information about onsite and remote learning. We, the building administrators, have met for two days with the Diocesan Superintendent’s office and with other Catholic School administrators in the state. The following information is as of Thursday, July 23, 2020. Please know plans, guidelines and protocols are very fluid as we try to accommodate requirements for a happy and healthy return of our students.
We have concluded our survey and appreciate our parents for their rapid response. This allows us to better plan for meeting the academic needs of our students. I understand how difficult this is for families in deciding the best option for your child. For this reason, we have established a deadline to change your decision. We MUST have correct numbers by August 7, 2020.
The bulleted items below are the resources we have implemented to ensure the safety of our student body.
- Furniture is being removed from each classroom to allow for social distancing. Some classes at the high school will be relocated to allow for maximum distancing.
- Plexiglas sneeze guards have been purchased for classrooms that have tables so that students can be separated.
- Automatic hand sanitizing dispensers are located outside of each classroom. Currently, the sanitizer packets are on backorder and we have purchased 1-gallon dispensers for each classroom until these arrive.
- We have purchased two Electrostatic disinfection machines and the required sanitizer. We have also purchased 2 Iogenic sprayers and 250 spray bottles for use in each classroom and other strategic areas.
- A full time employee has been hired that will travel the 3 campuses and cafeterias daily to sanitize frequently touched areas.
- Face Shields and masks have been purchased for faculty and staff.
- Lockers are not being issued at the high school and hallways are designated one-way.
- All students grades 4-12 will be required to wear masks and K-3 students are highly encouraged to wear masks as well.
- K-3 schedules have been adjusted so that we can treat each classroom as a family (cohort).
In the coming week, you will receive communication from your building administrator about what your student’s day will look like. We ask that you share this with your student. For those who have selected the online option, we will be sending out a commitment form for you to sign and return. We ask to have this signed and either emailed, mailed or dropped off no later than August 7, 2020. Parents will also receive Guidelines for Virtual Learning in the coming weeks with more specifics from your building administrator. If you are utilizing some other curriculum or online service, we need to know this as soon as possible. Our teachers are preparing for our online curriculum.
In addition, we will be sending out a waiver through FACTS (RenWeb) for our parents who have selected the onsite option. The Diocese and our insurer, Catholic Mutual, are requiring this waiver in order for your student to attend our school. We MUST have this waiver signed and emailed, mailed or dropped off by Friday, August 7, 2020. No student will be allowed to attend without this on file. Should we experience a Covid-19 positive case on our campus, we will immediately notify the Arkansas Department of Health and follow the required guidelines. We are in touch with the ADH and have access to all recommendations and protocols.
***Our daily dismissal time for K-6 will now be 2:50pm and 7-12 dismissal will be at 3:00pm. This allows teachers to devote the additional time for our online students and allow for additional cleaning at the end of each day.
I know this has been a lengthy communication but I want to keep everyone apprised, as we get closer to the start of our year. Please pray for our St. Joseph community as we implement the “new normal.”
Blessings,
Diane Wolfe
Principal, Head of School
St. Joseph School