Dear St. Bonaventure Catholic School Families,
The COVID environment is ever-changing. This week we received the state qualifications and formal elementary school reopening waiver application from the Orange County Department of Health. They added a new stipulation that junior high (7th and 8th grades) would not be eligible to be included in the waiver. We have been waiting on further clarification as St. Bonaventure School is classified as a TK - 8 "elementary" school with the state. We met today with the Superintendent, Dr. Erin Barisano. She verified that it is unlikely that the county will approve 7th and 8th-grades for in-person instruction. We know this is frustrating for our 7th and 8th-grade students, and we acknowledge this is a disappointment for many. We have worked diligently to safely bring ALL grades back to campus and will continue to do so as we await more information from the Orange County Health Department. The Diocese will be submitting our school's waiver on our behalf, and we will have a status update in 2 weeks. The 7th and 8th-grades would likely open virtually until Orange County is off the watchlist for 14 consecutive days. We remain hopeful that there is still a chance this can happen before the official start of school on September 8th. We will continue planning for multiple contingencies for all grade levels. There is no shortage of work, but it is good work that benefits our St. Bonaventure Catholic School students.
I look forward to seeing you at tomorrow's Zoom Coffee Social. As always, please keep our community in your prayers.
In faith and hope,
Kim White, Principal
