‌
Your Weekly STCS news & updates
Message from the Principal:

I hope this communication finds you and your family well.  Our STCS faculty and staff continues to pray for our community's health during this uncertain time.
 
As many of you are aware, Governor Ducey announced this past Monday that all public schools would remain closed through the end of the school year. The Diocese of Phoenix Catholic Schools Office has confirmed that all our Catholic schools will also follow this directive. Unfortunately, STCS will not be back on campus with our students like we all had hoped and prayed.  
 
  • We will continue with the scheduled Easter Break starting on Thursday, April 9. 
  • Class will resume through our Distance Learning Program on Monday, April 20 
  • We will end the school year as scheduled on Thursday, May 21.   

I know that you have many questions and some of you have already reached out expressing concerns or seeking further direction and answers. I will address as many of these questions, as well as provide additional information in a FAQs document before the end of the week. I hope to clarify and address many of your concerns and provide clarity for the remainder of the year. The staff and I are also updating our Distance Learning Protocol that was shared a few weeks back as it was initially created for our short term, temporary school closure.
 
Please continue to keep you and your family safe and healthy by following the CDC's recommendations mentioned below. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/children.html as well as heading Governor Ducey’s “stay at home” order. 
We continue to keep all our STCS families in our prayers.


Faith Formation at home...
There are so many moments in our typical school day that our students experience God's presence and are reminded of their Catholic faith. Now that we are off campus the teachers and I want to ensure that our students are still provided opportunities for these wonderful moments. Throughout the remainder of our distance learning, teachers will continue to pray with and for their students daily. The students will continue to be invited to share their intentions, they will be asked to reflect on lessons about faith and encouraged to continue to deepen their prayer life at home.

One aspect that our faculty and staff definitely miss while away from campus is our community mass made up of the student body and so many of you! We encourage you to continue to share in building and molding your child’s faith at home. Finding time to attend mass virtually and participate in spiritual communion, praying the rosary as a family, watching or meditating on The Stations of the Cross throughout Lent, or even making bedtime prayer as a family a priority are just some of the ways to continue the faith formation of your child at home and grow as a family in God’s love. The teachers will continue to provide these simple but important pieces in their classes. Here are some helpful resources for you at home. We will continue to update this list each week!
 
A virtual Lenten Mission by Fr. Parks (Soon to be New Pastor at Saint Theresa School and Parish) 
Pray at home with the Magnificat online
Streamed Masses and prayer resources @ USCCB 
Access updates from our own parish as well as Mass options @ Be Healthy, Be Smart, Be Holy
Pietra Fitness: Strengthen your Mind, Body, and Soul
Start Praying a Novena with Pray More Novenas
Pray the Stations of the Cross with this beautiful slide show
Pray the Rosary
"Specials" Lesson Access
Our students in grades 3-8 are rocking and rolling as they navigate all their subjects in one location in Google Classroom. We want to make accessing information easier for the parents for our kindergarteners through 2nd graders, so we have compiled all the "specials" lessons into one place. This includes P.E, Music, Spanish, Art, Library and Technology. We hope this helps to streamline access!
Click th link below to access:
A note from the parish about Sacraments...
 2nd and 3rd Grade Families ,
We know there is great concern as to whether or not the third grade students will receive their sacraments on May 1. The parish received the following statement from the Diocese of Phoenix regarding the schedule of Confirmation:
Confirmations – All Confirmations will be canceled through the end of April. 
Bishop Olmsted is granting faculties for pastors to celebrate Confirmation for all that have been cancelled.

We are very sorry we are unable to give more direction and guidance. We know family and friends want to purchase plane tickets to fly to Arizona to celebrate the sacraments with you. Please advise them about the current circumstances.

We'll be in touch as soon as we know more. Teacher will be provided with some additional resources to help our children continue looking forward to their sacrament.
 
Gina Keating
Children’s Faith Formation & Sacraments

COVID-19 COVID-19 UPDATES 19
Additional Resources:
Please continue to help "slow the spread" by following health recomendations and staying up to date with these sites:
CDC