Are we having fun yet? Three weeks done and really no definite end in sight. We're hanging our hopes on May 4th...maybe...

But in the meantime we must continue to persevere... for the sake of our children's education. Again, I wish to commend you for all your efforts during these past three weeks. As responsible parents, your efforts have included such things as creating a good school work space, troubleshooting technology, establishing house rules for respecting the space of others, and probably, most importantly, (for sanity sake) developing some kind of schedule and expectations that work for your family and your unique situation (and being at peace with it). Basically, I have seen families getting a grip and taking charge of the situation.   Great job!

As we settle into this new routine, our teachers are striving to improve their efforts at remote learning and trying to establish some level of expectations for their students. They are not trying to overwhelm parents. They are trying to meet the various needs of each family. Some families are ready to move full steam ahead while others are just beginning to feel like they are getting a handle on it. And we have a few families that we have not yet been able to connect with. We're worried about those families. We hope they are healthy and we want them to contact the teacher so that the teacher can work with them. Parents, as many of you have seen, teachers have a special power to get your children to do work that you may think that they are incapable of doing themselves. (Students generally don't want their parents to know that they can do it on their own.)  Please communicate with the teacher your concerns and needs. They are working very hard to find common educational ground on which to build on, with each individual family.

A word about grading. Yes, some teachers are starting to experiment with grading, attendance, etc. First of all, they're teachers...they can't help it. But more importantly, grading etc., provides accountability, gives direction and motivates. It keeps us all moving forward and that's a good thing. But, I want to say this loud and clear, at this point the most important grade continues to be for effort. As long as we all keep trying, the report grades (whatever that means at this point) will be fine. Let's see what happens when we hit May 4th.

This weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday and then Holy Week. Our eighth grade students, in lieu of their usual Living Stations presentation, have recorded the Stations of the Cross to share with the SMA community. You will be receiving an email on Sunday morning with a link to the video.  

Let us continue to pray for one another and support one another as we approach this most important day in our Catholic faith. Remember, God is with us always and hears our prayers.

God bless you and your families.