July 20, 2020
Dear St. Louis Families,
This has certainly been an interesting summer! I appreciate your patience and flexibility as we re-evaluated and adjusted the original intentions. Know that I have been closely working with a group of teachers, administrators, Fr. O’Hare, medical experts and parents to create a sound plan that allows for us to return to the building as many days as we can safely do so. It is my hope that we can partner together to allow 5 days in-person for those who truly need it while offering 2 or 3 days in-person for those families who prefer that, as well as virtual instruction for those who need/prefer to be online as we start this school year. I recognize that there are no easy answers in this document, just imperfect solutions. Families will ultimately need to make the best choice for their own circumstances.
Our current plans for re-opening St. Louis School are attached below along with a video where I answer some of the important questions families have asked in the surveys. Please read through the document carefully and view the video answers. If you have additional concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to reach out directly to me via email or through a phone call to the school office.
Please note, that while I initially filed the variance for physical distancing with the Virginia Council for Private Education, based on the CDC and Academy of Pediatrics strong belief in the importance of 6 feet physical distancing, St. Louis will adhere to that 6 feet in order to reopen. Because we are blessed with a full enrollment, I am going to need families to partner with us and examine your own working commitments and options, with the hope that we can work together to find a way to offer attendance based on every families’ needs. This means we will all need to be creative and innovative about how we approach the start to this school year. I am suggesting that perhaps 2-3 families partner together to create a little consortium that allows parents to telework or go into work as needed and provide assistance and facilitation with the virtual piece too for your students. St. Louis School will take care of the instruction, assessments, grading and report cards as we partner together to ensure students can learn in the best possible way. We are committed to our mission of rooting our students in faith, while encouraging them to grow in Christ no matter if that is virtual or in-person.
Enrollment Preference Forms Due July 28
Below is an online form for you to state your preference for the 2020-2021 school year. Please know with 6 feet physical distancing requirements, I can only put 18 students in a classroom daily. Your choice/enrollment preference will be due no later than July 28, 2020. We will give priority to children of essential workers first and then fill remaining spots according to the order they are received. Every student needs his/her own enrollment form since we are determining spacing based on classrooms. Families will be notified of their child's placement by August 3rd. I understand families need to know for their own planning, and I will do my best to respond quickly if I can’t meet your first or second choice.
This is an incredible year where we have been forced to learn many new lessons. It is also a year where creativity, innovativeness, and flexibility have become essential—please remember this as you read the plan and examine your own circumstances. We have moved from a year of Hope to a year of Charity where we are called upon to be loving and grace filled as we work together. I do believe with charity we can find solutions that meet every families’ needs.
I keep you all in prayer and ask that you continue to pray for me and every leader who is faced with imperfect solutions. Pray also for health!
God Bless,
Anne M. Dyke
Principal
