Summer Bulletin: Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Summer Bulletin

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

A Message from President Barry Thornton and Principal Charlie McGrath

We are so grateful to the 633 parents and guardians who took the time to respond to our survey. Your responses reflect the deep concerns and hopes of our families, which is a desire for rigorous education, social emotional learning, and the health and safety of students and staff. We are reading every comment, as well as offers of support, and we are tremendously appreciative of your input.

This is the first of our weekly summer bulletins, which we plan to present to you each Wednesday afternoon. We hope this bulletin will keep you abreast of the many things we are planning and preparing for with regard to academics, student life, faith, athletics, and our re-opening preparations for August 17, 2020.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to prepare the safest learning models within the framework we are given from our governing agencies.

Pandemic Recovery Framework for Schools

The San Mateo County Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities released its Pandemic Recovery Framework late this afternoon. This document provides school

leaders with the health and education guidance needed to develop specific plans

for the safe reopening of school campuses. Serra will be using these guidelines for school and planning operations for the 2020-2021 academic year. Our planning is ongoing and will continue with the release of this information.

Summer Programs and Updates

Summer programs begin this month. Incoming students will be taking their Technology Orientations online throughout late June and early July.

Toward the end of June, all parents will receive class lists which should be used to order books and materials beginning in early July.

At the end of June, all families will receive a email that includes summer forms, which provides details on important tasks to be completed by mid-July. This includes verifying and updating all family contact information, updates to policies and procedures in the Parent-Student Handbook, updating TADS account, as well as permissions required for students to attend school.

Final schedules are posted in the PCR Parent Portal in early August.

All of these communications and updates will have very specific deadlines for completion, so please mark your calendars accordingly.

Teaching Environment

We are busy improving the technology in all areas at Serra to prepare for all possible teaching scenarios in the fall, including in class instruction, hybrid teaching environments and distance learning. While this work is ongoing, the following provides initial decisions in support of the academic program.

System Support: We have contracted with Knowing Technology, Serra’s technology service provider, for a comprehensive review of all technology support systems, to include bandwidth, security and redundancy in support of our technology learning environment.

Faculty Technology: We have completed an assessment and submitted purchase orders for state-of-the art Apple MacBook Air laptops for our teaching faculty in support of instructional delivery.

Classroom Technology Upgrade: We will be making upgrades to our classroom infrastructure to pair technology to have teacher technology paired with classroom upgrades to include Apple TV and projection systems.

Professional Development: We are developing comprehensive professional development plans for our faculty to support their ability to provide the highest level of educational excellence in all teaching environments. The professional development support will go throughout the year.

Athletics

Serra students will begin conditioning on-campus on Monday, June 15. More information will be distributed directly to students by the coaches.

Returning to athletic activities, as permitted by the CDC, San Mateo County guidelines, and the Archdiocese of San Francisco provides an outlet for healthy activity and socialization for our student-athletes.

The primary focus for the summer is not to prepare for the upcoming season, or to gain a competitive advantage, but rather to reconnect with teammates and coaches.

The first three-week session will be for returning Serra students and transfer students. Participating coaches will provide more specific information in the next couple days which includes conditioning session times, locations and pre-screening guidelines.

We are also looking at hosting some general conditioning sessions for potential student-athletes in the Class of 2024 beginning in July. More specific information about this program will be made available in the coming weeks.

Infrastructure

We have completed engineering designs and have awarded a contract bid to implement a comprehensive electrical service overhaul for the academic wing, auditorium, and administrative officers to ensure high level of performance and redundancy for the 2020-21 school year.

The project is scheduled to be completed by August 12. More information will be forthcoming.

Community Resource

Common Ground and Parenting in Place is offering a special series designed to help families thrive this summer and prepare for whatever comes next in these uncertain times. The first of the nine-week class series called Helping Families Thrive in Challenging Times begins this week.

After the past few months of quarantining, social distancing, and remote learning, parents are in dire need of relief. Life isn't back to normal and parents may be worried about how their families will continue to manage.

This live masterclass series features a new collective of prominent thought leaders in parenting, neuroscience, education, and well-being who feel passionate about helping families navigate these challenging times. These experts, many from the Common Ground community, have come together to share their very best strategies and ideas for helping your children and your family thrive during this unprecedented time.

Health and Safety

The health and safety of our Serra students, faculty and staff is one of our top priorities. In an effort to prepare for the upcoming year, we recently submitted an order through the San Mateo Office of Education for Essential Protective Equipment (EPE) for cleaning supplies, protective equipment and thermometers, and related supplies in anticipation of the health screening and protocols that are required to reopen the campus and protect our community. These protocols are being developed in line with health guidelines and will be communicated at a later date.

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