As we return from Easter break, I hope your families enjoyed some down time together.  It was nice to have some off-screen time outside with absolutely beautiful weather.  We are so blessed to live in southern California.  Over the break, I received several inquiries about how distance learning would look for the remainder of the school year, as we transition from crisis response to long-term learning.  We have 37 days remaining in this school year and only 24 days left for our Class of 2020!  We are truly in the home stretch together.  Based on the feedback received from families at all grade levels, we are working to adapt and improve the partnership between school and home.  Our focus remains on providing an excellent education, even if it is from a distance.  While we recognize that learning will not be the same as when we are all together, we believe that through strong communication, ongoing and consistent instruction, and collaboration between students and teachers, your children will continue to move forward with their learning as they obtain mastery of the remaining standards for this school year. 

 

For students in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade, homeroom teachers will zoom daily with their students to connect and provide support and direction for the day.  Daily videos for math and language arts will provide direct instruction for students so they can work more independently on the assignments given during the week.  Teachers are available to answer questions and provide clarification for students between the hours of 8 am - 3 pm, as during a regular school day.  Additionally, teachers are posting "office hours" where students will receive a swift response to their questions or may be able to receive additional instruction on a particular topic as needed.  We expect our students to maintain strong Academic Integrity with all of their coursework and should follow the Academic Integrity policy outlined in our Parent and Student Handbook.  As mentioned on April 15 in the parent newsletter, we have updated our Distance Learning Expectations.  Please review these to ensure we are all staying on course together.

For the remainder of the school year, all half-day Fridays will remain half-days for instruction, so that teachers and administration may collaborate together on any pressing topics/issues, with the exception of this Friday, April 24, where we will offer a full school day.  For the week of April 27, we are adjusting the school schedule.  Since we did not use our faculty retreat day on March 23, we will be taking Monday, April 27, as a Faculty Inservice Day, to provide professional development time for our teachers.  No student contact will occur on this day.  On Friday, May 1, we will consider this an independent study, half-day.  Our teachers will host a teacher parade in the SFA parking lot from 10 - 11 am, so that students and teachers can see one another from a safe, social distance.  Look for more information in the weekly newsletter on Wednesday. 

 

We are here to support you and your students.  At St. Francis of Assisi, we are blessed to have staffing resources available to support distance learning.  For students in lower grades that need additional support or have Individualized Learning Plans, Ms. Casada is available daily and can be reached at:  [email protected].  For upper grade students that need additional support with writing assignments, please reach out to our writing support teacher, Mrs. Rowles at: [email protected].  For upper grade students that need additional support with math, please reach out to our math support teacher, Mrs. Lovchik at:  [email protected].  For tech support during the hours of 8 am - 2 pm, please email:  [email protected].  For students and/or parents who need some emotional support during these trying times, please reach out to our school counselor, Mrs. McCarty at:  [email protected].    

 

St. Francis of Assisi School, like many other Catholic Schools, operates with a lower tuition than the overall expenses to run the school as we rely on additional sources of revenue to offset the full cost, such as our fundraising events (Auction, Fall Fest, Tuition Dances, Dining Out), extended day care fees, and other generating activities to close the gap.  Tuition monies pay for the salaries of the faculty and administration, upkeep and maintenance of the facility, utilities, and costs associated with the curriculum for education of all of our students.  Tuition will still need to be paid even though learning has been shifted from the classroom to online remote platforms. The quality of the education remains, and tuition is to be collected to cover the salaries and expenses of the school. Additional on-line learning tools and connectivity costs require investments.  Therefore, there are no plans or options to refund or discount tuitions. If you are experiencing hardship during this time, have specific needs or concerns, please reach out to me at [email protected] to discuss your situation. 

 

We were preparing the tuition rates for the 2020-2021 school year when COVID-19 created a different financial landscape for our world.  While I had to furlough employees prior to our Easter Break, the Bishop of Orange worked diligently with his team to explore all available resources to support our Catholic schools.  The Diocese was able to secure funding which allowed us to un-furlough our employees as of yesterday, Divine Mercy Sunday.  To provide financial flexibility for our families, your final registration fee balance of $400 for next year, which was originally due at the end of March, has now been extended to a deadline of May 15, 2020.  Additionally, we are reviewing our budget projections for next year and re-evaluating the tuition rates as we work to keep Catholic education as affordable as possible, while still maintaining quality support and education for your children.  I will share updated tuition rates with the community during the week of May 11, 2020.

 

Thank you in advance for your patience and partnership.  We truly are stronger when we work together.  Let us continue to keep each other in prayer as we move through this uncharted territory. 

 

In Christ,

 

 

Jeannette Lambert

Principal