Dear School Families,
We are called to act with justice; We are called to
love tenderly, We are called to serve one another,
To walk humbly with God!
The Office of Catholic Schools has selected “We are Called” as the Archdiocesan school theme for the 2020-2021 academic year. This choice is no coincidence. We are called this year in new and profound ways, and as ambassadors of our Catholic faith,
to serve one another
during a time of pandemic, and
to act with justice
as we confront racism and advocate for safety and equality. This fall we are also called to air on the side of gratitude, to make sacrifices for the good of community, and to embrace a culture of collaboration that paves the way toward our safe return to on-campus learning.
The past several days have been pivotal ones. Phase 4 of Restore Illinois is officially underway. The Illinois State Board of Education also released its long awaited school reopening guidelines, establishing actionable protocols that allow us to plan for our return to campus in a meaningful way. With this in mind, we launch the first of regular updates around fall planning. Watch for news and details over the coming month regarding:
1— A responsive strategy to house Preschool students safely and lovingly on the SJ campus this fall so that we may create safe and open space for the well being of all PreK-8 students.
2— Our approach to three adaptive scenarios for learning to be deployed as needed in response to evolving health guidelines: in-person (base case planning for an August 26th start), hybrid (a blend of at-home and on-campus), and remote (e-learning).
3— The work of our teacher planning committees (faculty engaged in scenario curriculum planning), the contributions of our Opening Preparedness committee (parent and parish volunteers with backgrounds in medicine/health, crisis management, facilities, etc.), and input from School Board and Long Range Planning leadership.
4— Flexibility for students called to learn from home due to family preference and/or health requirements.
5— Technology acquisition that expands efficacy of remote learning for our student population.
In addition to weekly communications illuminating planning and progress in the above areas, we highlight two key dates this summer. Save the date for a
Reopening Presentation on Monday, July 13th at 7pm
led by school and parish leadership that outlines our three learning scenarios. A Zoom link will be shared prior to this date.
An official announcement outlining in-person learning (base case scenario), along with details regarding how this will look, will also be shared by July 31st.
We are Called
to greatness in the way we respond to the needs of community, and in order to teach, learn and grow in person this fall. As we have articulated throughout this remarkable journey, we are grateful for your continued flexibility, resilience, and cooperation. Your commitment to community and responsiveness to change are critical to our safe return to school. Thank you for the support you have shown faculty and staff, and for the love and generosity you continue to model for our students.
God bless,
