Dear CM Community,
The past few days have been unlike anything that we have experienced before in our country or within educational institutions. Public schools, independent schools, and local colleges and universities are closing in our area. At this moment, we remain unaware of any coronavirus exposure in our community to date, but we know and expect that this could change at any moment.
The CM leadership continues to do our very best to act, and not overreact, upon the information available to us. We are filtering lots of information from trusted resources and engaging in conversations with the state’s top leaders. I am fortunate to be surrounded by many remarkable people and resources in this school community to help inform our decisions.
After much consideration and in an abundance of caution, I am writing to inform you that CM will be transitioning full time to online learning starting
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
. We anticipate this learning approach to continue through
Friday, March 27, 2020
. During this time of online learning, there will be no after-school activities or athletics. These events will be postponed. Our school facility will remain closed to students and families until March 30, 2020. While we have had no known cases of Covid-19, we believe that this is a prudent decision at this moment.
We are going to ask all students and families to use Monday, March 16, 2020 as a readiness day as we transition online. We are going to ask that students review login instructions, engage with the educational platforms, and check their connectivity over the weekend and on Monday. We will utilize our Theology classes for this readiness check-in on Monday.
All students were asked to bring their books home from school. We will also ask that on Monday, March 16
th
all school related materials are fully organized in the appropriate ways. It is our expectations that classes will start, and our normal academic day will be followed via our online platforms beginning on Tuesday, March 17. Families should begin to organize their homes, their son’s academic readiness, and computer related needs beginning today.
I can’t stress enough that this time period should not be treated as a snow day or a school vacation. Attendance will be kept, assessments given, and learning will occur. Families should be working with their sons to support them in preparing a learning space that is free from distraction with computer access.
As a school and next week, CM will remain open with staff and administrators. Our core business functions will continue alongside our online teaching and learning. The school will not be open for students or families during this time period. The faculty and administrators, however, will be available via online office hours and by phone.
While we understand that this will provide a disruption for families and the general community. We urge our students and families to monitor best practices and engage in dedicated social distancing over this time period.
As a school community, we have been preparing for this possibility for some time. Our faculty is ready to work with our students in this new capacity. We will be utilizing Microsoft Teams and our OnCampus school platform. We believe strongly that continuing to learn and engage with our students is important. While non-traditional for many families, our students are all digital natives who embrace online learning at fast rates.
Students and families can expect the equivalent learning experience delivered through a different pedagogical way. Other school related experiences such as athletics, extracurricular activities, masses, and service opportunities are postponed until we gather more information.
As always, I am so proud to have a dedicated and committed community of faculty in this moment, as they have been preparing for this transition for some time. I will ask parents and students to work together in this time of transition.
This sacred partnership with the school and the family will be critical in the days ahead. Parents should work closely with their sons in this teaching transition.
I have full confidence that the CM family will come work together over these next few weeks. As always, thank you for continued trust in this school. I would ask us to keep those affected by this debilitating virus in our prayers. I would also ask that we pray for everyone managing this crisis across so many agencies and organizations.
Later today, Principal O’Brien will send a communication with more detailed information about our academic plan and online learning. During this period, please visit our
Coronavirus information page
for regular updates.
As always, I aspire and pray that we, live, Jesus, in our hearts, forever!
Sincerely,
Dr. Peter Folan
President
