Diocesan Reopening Plans
Dear Family and Friends,

I hope you are enjoying your summer! Aligning with the Governor and Diocesan Catholic Schools’ plan for phased reopening of schools, we are developing plans to safely bring students back to campus as conditions allow. Attached you will find two documents, a letter and executive summary of plans for the coming academic year from Mr. Adam Dufault, Superintendent of Catholic Schools.

A St Paul task force is already at work guided by teams who are focused on many aspects of St Paul’s re-opening. When and how we can all safely return to campus and resume on-campus activities depends on the status of the pandemic and the strategies we collectively and individually deploy to mitigate its effects. Our decision will be informed by health data and Diocesan reopening plans but tailored to St Paul’s unique density, operations and other considerations. 

Guiding Principles

Our plan for a phased reopening of on-campus activities is guided by two core principles:

  • Health and safety: We will continue to prioritize the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and parish in every decision we make.

  • Faith and education: Every decision we make must be in service to our mission to form disciples of Christ. We are committed to ensuring that the worship, teaching, and learning of our students, faculty, and staff will continue at the highest levels of excellence. 

In the coming weeks, our task force will continue developing customized plans and recommendations to gradually and safely resume on-campus activities. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to Catholic education.

God Bless,
Dr. Carol Walsh

Distance Learning Parent Survey Results
While we are preparing for reopening in the fall, we are taking concrete steps to improve our distance learning program. 

At the beginning of June, we surveyed all parents, Preschool - 8th grade, asking for feedback on our program this spring. After compiling all the data and analyzing trends, we developed the following list of action steps.
Action Step: Daily Live Classes for All Students School-wide
Area for Growth: Although many parents indicated that video conferencing opportunities were positive and meaningful, parents consistently indicated a desire and need for more live teaching across the grade levels.

Details: Depending on the grade level, live classes each morning following a school-wide schedule. Live LA & Math classes each day.
Action Step: 1:1 Chromebook to Student Ratio For All Students
Area for Growth: Parents of students in grades K-3 raised concerns about sharing devices at home and requested that Chromebooks be distributed for all students K-8.

Details:   Invest in Chromebooks for all students K-8 for a complete 1-to-1 ratio school-wide.
Action Step: Fully Integrated Learning Management System and Parent Portal for All Students
Area for Growth: Parents mentioned difficulties navigating the various links to online programs and videos. Parents indicated that it would be helpful to have all their children’s information in one place. Parents also highlighted a lack of concrete feedback throughout the process so they could understand their child’s progress.

Details: Adopt new learning platform Digital Academy (taking the place of both Schoolspeak and Google Classroom) so all of your children’s information, scheduling, video conferencing, lessons, assignments, graded assessments, and report cards are accessible in one location with one parent login.
Action Step : Consistent school-wide daily schedule for students
Area for Growth:   Parents across the grade levels mentioned concerns with manageability and maintaining a family schedule, particularly in dual income households.

Details: Following specific schedules for individual grade levels and classes, all grade levels operate during the same hours of the day. (Example: Live teaching will happen between 8:30 - 11:30 each morning, videos recorded and posted for families who must follow a different routine.)
Action Step: Small Advisory Student Support Groups
Area for Growth: Parents indicated that additional support structures need to be implemented to keep their children on track and assist them in navigating online learning.

Details:   Build in schoolwide “advisory group” structure assigning each child to a particular teacher for consistent video conferencing check-ins throughout the week.
Action Step: St. Paul staff committee focused on virtual school culture, community, and parent involvement
Area for Growth: Parents lamented that one of the main reasons their children attend St. Paul is to be part of our strong community and school culture. This was challenging to replicate through our online learning program.

Details: Acknowledging that there is no true replacement for what it feels like to be a student at St. Paul in person, establish a faculty committee with parent participants to creatively find ways to emulate the entire St. Paul experience on a virtual basis. 
Action Step: Consistent updates from school administrative team with pertinent information; more frequent top-level communication
Area for Growth: Parents voiced a desire for better top-level communication to keep them informed and updated about important events, COVID safety regulations, etc.

Details:   Weekly update from school administrative team providing important top-level reports.
Distance Learning Survey Results
Next Parent Survey
Our re-opening committee is preparing our next parent survey to gauge your comfort level and listen to your thoughts about re-opening in the fall. We will be sending out soon. Thanks in advance for your assistance!