From The Desk Of Principal Kerr

The teachers are back in their classrooms, and things are ramping up for the start of the year. We welcomed 5 new teachers at our new employee orientation this week. Breanna Raske will be partnering with Amy Peterson in 1st grade. Ms. Raske taught six year old students in Seoul, South Korea last year, and also did her student teaching in a first grade classroom. Ryan Olson will be partnering with Beth Gillham to teach 2nd grade. Mr. Olson is a first year teacher who went to grade school at St. Mike’s! Mrs. DeGross and Ms. Vochoska remember working with Ryan as a student, and now he is a colleague! Erik Amundson will be joining the 4th grade team with Ms. Vochoska. Mr. Amundson grew up in Prior Lake and has spent the last couple years teaching in India. We look forward to learning from Mr. Amundson and Ms. Raske as they share the global perspective they have gained from teaching internationally. Hayley Disher has joined our middle school team after Ms. Morgan accepted a position teaching in a virtual academy. Mrs. Disher comes to us with extensive middle school English Language Arts experience at Shakopee Area Catholic School. Greg Gilreath (Gil) joined us as a part-time physical education teacher. He will be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mr. Gilreath has worked with all age levels, teaching PE and coaching basketball, volleyball, and football in both public and private school settings. Lane Farnquist has resigned his maintenance/custodial coordinator position after 21 years at St. Michael in both the parish and school. We wish him well in his future endeavors. This position has been posted, and we are using temporary help until we fill the position.   Marissa Gonse and John Peters will not be returning this year. The kindergarten positions were filled internally with Rachel Bollig moving from preschool to kindergarten; and Abbi Buesgens moving from fourth grade to kindergarten. Both Mrs. Bollig and Ms. Buesgens were thrilled about the opportunity to make this switch, and we are thrilled to have them!

Important Update!

The Back to School Booklet we sent earlier this month has been updated and is posted on our school's website. Please take time to read through the booklet, as it contains new information about: Drop off and pick up procedures Videos depicting respiratory etiquette, proper hand washing and use of face masks Back to School Night Early Wednesday dismissal Decision tree developed in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Health We want to be open for the sake of our children, and if we are to succeed in staying open, we need everyone to learn the protocols and procedures, and then practice them faithfully. These mitigation efforts were developed to keep us from spreading the virus. They are rational, reasonable and practical, and come from a place of love of neighbor!

Back to School, 2nd Edition

Keeping Everyone Healthy

We are excited to welcome our students into the building, and also cautious about keeping everyone safe and healthy. The first test of our protocols will be on Wednesday, September 2nd when we hold Back to School Night. Before you arrive on September 2nd please: Watch and discuss the videos linked in the attached Back to School 2nd Edition.  Set ground rules for staying together as a family unit in the church and school. Remind your children about social distancing. Take the temperature of each family member and stay home if anyone in the household has a fever of 100.4 or higher. Check for any new symptoms of COVID-19 and stay home if you are experiencing: Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache New loss of taste or smell Sore throat Congestion or runny nose Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea

Back to School Night

Many things will have to look different this year if we are to reduce the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus. Usually, Back to School Night has the feel of an open house, with everyone mingling and socializing. In order to meet social distancing guidelines this year, we are adding scheduled programming and have divided families into 3 groups: Families new to St. Michael; returning families with the last name beginning A-L; and returning families with the last name M-Z. After each church session, families will be invited into the classrooms. NEW Families- Anyone with students in K-8 who are new to St. Mike’s this year Begin in the church for an orientation and welcome with Mrs. Kerr at 4:15 pm Classroom visits begin at 5:00 pm for new families Returning Families-Alphabetical by last Name A-L * Please note updated time Begin in church for a welcome with Mrs. Kerr at 5:00 pm Classroom visits begin at 5:30 pm Returning Families-Alphabetical by last Name M-Z *Please note updated time Begin in church for a welcome with Mrs. Kerr at 5:30 pm Classroom visits begin at 6:00 pm Please respect the health and safety of the members of the St. Michael community by abiding with this schedule. If you have 1 or 2 children in K-8 at St. Mike’s, one parent or guardian attends. If you have 2 or more children, two parents or guardians may attend. Only students enrolled in Kindergarten through 8th grade may attend (other siblings and family members may not attend), and children must stay with their parents during Back to School Night. Students may bring their school supplies, but please do not bring anything else. Any decorating or personal items must not come to school until after they have been OK’d by the classroom teacher. Preschool will hold a separate orientation on September 8 and 9. Watch for more information from preschool director, Ashley Lind, who will be scheduling individual 25 minute orientation conferences with each preschool family.

New Families Click Here

Returning Families Click Here

Volunteers Needed

We are in need of volunteers to help us keep Back To School Night safe for everyone. Volunteers will be needed to: Assist with traffic flow in and out of the school building, ensure there is no large group gathering, keep people moving Assist with sanitizing the church after presentations

Back to School Night Volunteer Sign-up

Wednesday Schedule

St. Michael Catholic School will have an early release every Wednesday afternoon. Bus transportation is only available at the early dismissal time of 12:15. (Wednesday morning buses will run as usual.) We will plan to have Wednesday Early Dismissal Care and Homework Time available for students who need to stay at school from the early dismissal time (12:15) to the end of the regular school day (2:15). At 2:15 students will go to their normal car line pickup lot or to Adventures Plus (AP). Students wishing to attend AP must be pre-registered. (Regular Adventures Plus fees will apply after 2:15). We encourage all students staying after 12:15 to remain at school until they get picked up at 2:15 in their normal car line pickup lot. If a child needs to be picked up prior to 2:15, we ask that you call the office so that one of our staff members can bring your child safely to their car line pickup zone. If your child will be attending Wednesday Early Dismissal Care and Homework Time in September please complete this form as soon as possible but no later than Thursday, September 3. We will continue to send monthly signups for Wednesday Early Dismissal Care and Homework Time, and these will be due the 15th of the previous month. In order to ensure proper staffing and the safety of all students we request no late enrollment. Please complete one form per student.

Sign up for Wednesday Early Dismissal Care and Homework Time by September 3!

We're Hiring!

Adventures Plus Child Care Aid: Two positions are open for an Adventures Plus Child Care Aide at St. Michael Catholic School. Candidate must be available to work 2:00 – 5:00 when school is in session, have strong communication skills, enjoy working with children and have or be willing to get their First Aid/CPR certification. Please contact Julie Herbst at 612-619-7484 or julieherbst@saintmpl.org for more information. Preschool Substitutes Needed! Faithful Beginnings Preschool at St. Michael Catholic Church is looking for qualified subs for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. Substitutes are required to have the following in order to sub in preschool:  -Essential 3 through the Archdiocese   -DHS background study and fingerprints   -Pediatric first aid/CPR   -Child development training   -Orientation/policies/procedures/allergies   -Abusive Head Trauma   -Cultural training   -Disability training Full job description available by contacting our Preschool Director Ashely Lind. To apply, please send your resume to ashleylind@saintmpl.org.

saintmpl.org

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