July 2, 2020
Dear St. Paul Families,
Peace & Greetings
Trust your family remains in good health and are taking the necessary precautions as COVID-19 has unfortunately decided to intensify in other parts of the country. This weekend we pause to celebrate the Fourth of July … although sure to be a different holiday than years past. I hope you can enjoy a safe gathering of family and loved ones.
You should be receiving in the mail, if you haven’t already, an information package from Mr. Cooper (i.e. student schedule, student iPad program, textbook purchasing, emergency information card, athletic physical form, summer learning experience, etc.).
This letter is to remind you, in some cases, and inform you, in others, of recent developments.
CAMPUS MINISTER APPOINTED
I’m pleased to announce that Archbishop Blair has recently appointed Rev. Glen Dmytryszyn as Parochial Vicar of St. Gregory Parish and Chaplain of St. Paul Catholic High School effective July 15, 2020. He joins Msgr. Gary Simeone, Pastor of St. Gregory Parish, who also serves as the St. Paul School Board Chair. A graduate of Albertus Magnus College, St. John’s Seminary and the University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Fr. Glen was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Hartford in May, 2017. Recently, he served St. John Bosco Parish in Branford and Notre Dame High School, West Haven. Fr. Glen will also continue to serve as Director of the Pro-Life Ministry for the Archdiocese of Hartford. Welcome Fr. Glen to our St. Paul community!
2020-2021 ACADEMIC YEAR
As you know by now, Gov. Lamont announced on June 25, 2020 plans and guidelines for Connecticut K-12 schools to reopen in the fall. We are pleased to hear this news and have begun the planning process to welcome students and faculty back onto the St. Paul campus at the end of the summer. Be assured that our top priority continues to be that all reopening decisions will be made with the best interest and safety of our entire St. Paul community in mind.
To this end, the newly created
Return to In-Person Instruction Team (RIIT)
consisting of administrators, faculty, school board members, parents, and local health district professionals, bringing various expertise and perspectives to the strategic planning table, held our introductory meeting yesterday. In addition, we will be releasing in the next week a brief online survey to collect valuable information from our students and parents.
Not to be repetitive from my June 20, 2020 letter but to be informative to those who may have missed it, the RIIT has been charged with defining the three phases or models within our Return to In-Person Strategy (RIIS) Plan depending on the local/regional external situation of the virus or changing internal circumstances within our school. As I indicated previously, these three phases will be fluid, possibly moving from one to the other, as necessary:
- In-Person Learning Phase where all instruction will be in-person on our campus adhering to strict social distancing and health and safety guidelines (i.e. temperature testing, hand sanitizing, wearing a mask, etc.).
- Hybrid/Blended Learning Phase where instruction will be a combination of remote and in-person learning (i.e. reduced number of students in the building at any one time) with any in-school instruction following recommended social distancing guidelines that will be outlined in the In-Person Learning Phase.
- Distance Learning Phase where all instruction will be provided via remote learning.
The specific details/logistics within each phase as well as the appropriate safety measures being taken, will be defined and communicated. We are also cognizant that some members of the St. Paul community may have extenuating circumstances due to the virus that will need to be considered/addressed.
It is our intention to complete the comprehensive 2020-2021 RIIS Plan and have it approved by the St. Paul School Board and Archdiocesan Office of Education, Evangelization & Catechesis (OEEC) by July 30, 2020 and subsequently released to our St. Paul community in early August. I will continue to communicate the progress of our 2020-2021 RIIS Plan in an effort to keep you informed.
There are many factors/variables and much uncertainty as we move forward. Nevertheless, I am confident that together St. Paul will continue to persevere and soar through this adversity.
#stpaulstrong!
OPENING DAY
In light of the extended student orientation/training anticipated in reopening for the 2020-2021 Academic Year and to safely “phase in” our school community, we have adjusted our original opening day schedule. Students will attend school the week of August 31
st
only on the day(s) indicated.
Class of 2024 Monday, August 31 and Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Class of 2021 Wednesday, September 2, 2020
Class of 2022 Thursday, September 3, 2020
Class of 2023 Friday, September 4, 2020
There will be no school on Monday, September 7, 2020 in observance of Labor Day. All students will attend instructional classes on Tuesday, September 8, 2020.
NETWORK UPGRADE
In June, St. Paul upgraded all of our network switches and wireless access points to the latest standard. We now have 802.11ac wireless throughout the school building. In addition, we have contracted with Comcast to bring fiberoptic internet to St. Paul by August 31, 2020. Previously, we were receiving download speeds of 100 Mbps and upload speeds of 15Mbps. With the new upgrade, we will be receiving 200 Mbps for both download and upload speeds. The improvements to our WiFi network and internet connection will ensure our students and teachers have the very best quality internet experience while in the school building or to live stream multiple instructional classes from St. Paul, if needed.
Improvements to our WiFi network also includes expansion to the outside press box. As previously announced, St. Paul will be installing Pixellot cameras this summer on McPhee Field and in the Rev. Brian Monnerat Gymnasium. This technology will allow us to broadcast all levels of St. Paul sporting events in those venues and allow parents, families and friends to view those broadcasts “live” through the NHFS network. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting initiative.
CIAC ATHLETICS
In conformance with the CIAC recommendations for the Resocialization of Interscholastic Athletics, our voluntary conditioning sessions on the St. Paul fields starts this Monday, July 6. The conditioning sessions will be limited to groups of approximately 10 students who will remain together in the same cohort during the July workouts.
Online registration has closed. However, if you have not signed up and are interested in participating contact Mr. Dennehy at
ddennehy@spchs.com
. Walk-ups will not be allowed. Mr. Dennehy will share other specific details regarding COVID-19 screening tests along with other health and safety guidelines that will be implemented.
CLASS OF 2020
Our Class of 2020 will join their classmates on July 22 (rain date will be July 23) for a beach themed get together before leaving for college. They will get to see each other, sign yearbooks, take pictures, enjoy food truck noshes for dinner and Blizzards for dessert
, music with DJ Daley
and just be together for the last time as a class on McPhee Field. Responsible outside social distancing will be practiced.
CLASS OF 2021
Writing the College Essay
, instructed by Ms. Catherine Strycharz, is being offered to rising seniors who are interested in writing their college essay. The course will teach students how to respond to college essay questions, focus on developing students’ ideas into an effective piece of writing, read and analyze sample college essays, and discuss the positive and negative aspects of those sample writings. Students will also receive 1:1 instructional time with the teacher to edit and revise their college essay. The workshop is being offered from 9:00 am - noon:
Week 1: July 13 – 17 9:00 am – noon
CLOSED
Week 2: July 20 – 24 9:00 am – noon
4
SEATS LEFT
If interested in registering for Week 2, email Mrs. Lindquist at
mlindquist@spchs.com
. Cost for the workshop is $75.00. Students should plan for in-person instruction in the air-conditioned auditorium with plenty of social distancing space (laptops will be provided) on Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday. The 1:1 instructional time on Thursday and Friday will be a remote Zoom session. Mrs. Strycharz will provide students additional information and electronic course materials the week before their course.
CLASS OF 2024
Save the dates for these upcoming campus events:
- Technology Orientation/Concussion Testing – incoming Freshman and TRANSFER STUDENTS can attend one of these sessions to activate your SP network credentials and email address, Mobile Serve and IXL for English class accounts. In addition, all new students are required to take a baseline concussion test. This will be accomplished in one session and will be limited to 6 students at a time. Sessions will be on MWF July 6, 8, 10, 13, 15 and 17 at 9:00 am, 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. Each session will last approximately 75 minutes. Families can sign up for a specific date and time by emailing Chelsea Mone at cmone@spchs.com. Once 6 students sign-up for a particular time slot, it will be filled.
- Falcon Fest – an evening of fun and games to meet your classmates and SP student government leaders. Two sessions will be offered: Wednesday, July 15 and Monday, July 20 from 6:30 – 7:45 pm on the St. Paul campus. Drop off will be at the McPhee Field gate. The rain date will be the following day. Responsible outside social distancing will be practiced. Register by emailing Chelsea Mone at cmone@spchs.com.
- Springboard into Ninth Grade – Our traditional Summer Academic Academy will not be held this August. Instead, incoming students are encouraged to come on campus for a day to meet your classmates, review your daily schedule, tour the school, become familiar with SP’s electronic learning platforms on your iPad. Sessions will be provided August 10 – 14 from 8:30 – 11:30 am. Register by emailing Chelsea Mone at cmone@spchs.com. Once 20 students sign-up for a particular weekday, it will be filled.
YEARBOOKS
The 2019-2020 St. Paul yearbooks have arrived. You can pick up your copy on any Monday, Wednesday or Friday between 9:00 am – 1:00 pm at the main office or wait until you return to school in the fall. If you didn’t purchase a copy previously but want a book, Mrs. Kendrick ordered extra so you’re in luck. They are $65.00.
USED BOOK BUYBACK PROGRAM
We have great news! This year St. Paul will participate in the eCampus book buyback program. Any parent/student who participates in eCampus' online book buyback program, by selling at least one book, from
NOW UNTIL JULY 15
will be entered for a chance to win a $250 textbook gift card & a Nintendo Switch. Visit
https://spchs.ecampus.com/
!
If you already dropped off your used books to St. Paul, no problem, you can pick up Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm (until July 15) and we would be happy to return your books to you. If you don't make it to pick up your used books, your books will be for sale during the summer and you'll still receive the 80% sale price of the book when it sells.
ST PAUL STRONG #2020 GEAR
If you previously ordered St. Paul Strong #2020 gear (hoodies, long sleeve and short sleeve t-shirts), they started arriving at your homes yesterday. We are donating 10% of all apparel purchases to the United Way of West Central Connecticut COVID-19 Community Response Fund. THANK YOU!
That’s it for now.
Be well … Happy 4
th
of July!
Cary M. Dupont ‘72
President/Chief Administrator
