Dear Parents,

At a time when so many aspects of life are in flux, what parents, students and teachers may crave most is consistency, familiarity, and connection. We know many parents are struggling with the choice of whether to send children to school. It is a difficult decision for many, since there are health, education, and childcare implications. We are in the midst of a historic pandemic, and we all need to make the best of a very difficult situation. We are also in a time of great innovation. However, innovation takes time, iterations, and “do overs”. We have made many decisions regarding how to safely distance and bring students physically back to school. (Please know that we still have many more decisions and routines to design and prepare.)

We would now like to share our preliminary draft plan for those students who are not able to return physically to our school at this time. This model will also be our basic framework if the entire school needs to pivot to HOME learning.

HOME LEARNING

  • Students will be offered a blend of Synchronous (real time) and Asynchronous (recorded) sessions.
  • HOME students will be assigned to a Pod along with their grade level classmates.
  • HOME Students will receive a weekly schedule of required live sessions.  
  • Some classes especially in grades K-2 may not be conducive to a live session.
  • HOME students will follow the weekly posted Pacing Guide for all inschool and HOME students. 
  • Special area teachers will also present Live lessons and recorded lessons which may be varied in length and not necessarily last a class period.
  • HOME students will be attending weekly school Mass at the designated time.
  • Live sessions will also be recorded and posted for later viewing by all students (HOME and School). This will allow for review for all students.
  • All students (in-person classroom and HOME) will be using either Digital Academy Live OR Google Classroom with Google Meets/ Zoom. Final decision on the platform is pending, but will be standardized for all students. 
  • Privacy policy sign off will be included in the 2020-21 handbook. Adjustments may need to be made to Live offerings based on the final policy guidance received from the Diocese. 
  • Disclaimer: Live sessions may at times have a short delay due to circumstances at school that may cause delay (Fire drills, previous class running a little late, technology glitch, etc.). Announced schedule changes may take place if there are special events/circumstances.  

HOME TEACHING COORDINATORS

  • HOME Teaching Coordinators will be assisting in facilitating HOME Learning. We are pleased to announce that Bridget DeSocio (K-4) and Nathan Graham (5-8) will be our coordinators this coming year. The role of these teachers will be to assist the student, the family, and the teacher in navigating the HOME learning environment. They will help with troubleshooting, communication, scheduling, etc. 
  • Work with the students, parents and teachers to enhance the teaching-learning process.
  • Assist with addressing attendance concerns. 
  • Training for using our digital platform, technology devices, on-line etiquette, etc. 
  • Design, in consultation with Pod teachers, the Live classroom schedule for HOME learners.
  • Provide real-time technology and instructional support for students during the school day.
  • Help students locate materials.
  • Assist teachers/students with technology glitches.
  • Facilitate obtaining materials needed from school.
  • Library books
  • Textbooks
  • Misc. materials
  • Chromebooks
  • Other duties as assigned and as needed
  • Assist with assessments, including Terra Nova and STAR, as needed.
  • Assist with providing social-emotional support  
  • Examples: establishing connections with counselors, book clubs, discussion groups, feedback sessions, etc. 

  • Code of Conduct for HOME students
  • HOME students will be expected to fully follow the code of conduct and technology handbook.
  • HOME students will be kind, respectful, and ready to learn.
  • HOME students will complete all work as assigned and in a timely manner.
  • HOME students should dress school appropriately, be on time for classes and establish a school appropriate routine (sleep, prayer, meals, exercise, breaks, etc.). 

  • HOME learners are commiting to our HOME learning program. If individual family circumstances change at the end of first quarter (November 2) or after Christmas break (January 4), the school will work with your family to determine when a transition back to in-person classroom learning is appropriate.

  • During the school year, should parents decide to move their children from in-person classroom learning to HOME learning they must wait until a specified entry point (listed above). This does not apply to students who are kept at home for illness or a two-week quarantine. 

  • Full tuition will be charged for HOME Learning. HOME students will have access to all school technology, resources, teachers and staff. Our goal is to include our HOME students as a total part of our school educational and faith community.


REGISTRATION FORM FOR HOME LEARNING


  • Once all registration is completed, a Guidebook for HOME Learners will be available before school starts.

VIDEO HEALTH MESSAGE FROM MRS. IANNARINO

Mrs. Iaannarino has created a video to address our health promotion plan. Please click on the link to view the video.


POD MAP UPDATE

Please find attached an updated map showing the location of our Pods. It has been updated to reflect the grade levels and teacher names.


COVID QUESTIONS

A common question has been whether a whole pod will need to quarantine if a student in the pod comes to school with COVID or if a member of the student’s family has COVID or been exposed to COVID.  The answer is: The decision to quarantine will actually be made by the Franklin County Public Health Department. They will inquire about our situation and procedures and make a decision. The fact that we are keeping our students in pods, wearing masks, keeping seating charts, and building schedules to keep interactions to a minimum should greatly decrease the chances of an entire pod needing to quarantine at home.

Another question from our families is in regard to travel and school attendance. If you or your family are traveling before school resumes or during the school year to a“COVID Hot Spot” please contact the ODH Hotline prior to travel for guidance. For more information, click here: Questions about COVID-19?

CHROMEBOOK RETURN

During March and April we distributed additional chromebooks to students in grades K - 4. We are needing to collect these chromebooks at this time to properly prepare them for permanent distribution for the 2020-21 school year. ALL 2019-20 STUDENTS K - 4 who borrowed a school chromebook in the Spring, please plan on returning them on AUGUST 4th from 10:00 am - Noon OR AUGUST 5th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. The drop off will take place at the GYM entrance. Please make sure that the chromebook is labeled with the child’s name and 2019-20 grade level.

Thank you for your confidence in our task force as we plan our 25th year of learning at Saint Brigid of Kildare School. We will continue to communicate regularly and in more detail as our plans continue to develop. Msgr. Hendricks and the school staff are committed to hold true to the mission of the Church to fully support families in caring for their children and in educating them in the Catholic faith while providing academic excellence and social and emotional support.

Please continue to pray for our school community and for each other.
Kathy O'Reilly