Dear Parents,
Our Task Force continues to meet regularly to design and firm up our “Reopening Safely Plan.” Most importantly, in order for our school to reopen safely, each and everyone one of us needs to be committed to the health and safety of our own family and in turn to the health and safety of the community as a whole. It is critical for us to understand how important our personal decisions affect the health and well-being of others. All of us must follow the guidelines and practices that are established by our school and parish to protect each other. Caring for each other is one of the fundamental tenets of our faith. We have made the commitment to open our parish school for the good of our students’ spiritual, educational, social and emotional well-being. As we continue to move forward with restructuring our school routines, structures, and learning opportunities to maximize a healthy learning experience for all of our students, I would like to share a few more details with you this week.
Going forward you will be able to access chronological updates of our “Reopening Safely Plan” progress on our school website. It can be found on the top of the main school page or at the following link.
Reopening Safely Plan
CLASSROOM REORGANIZATION
In order to assure proper physical distancing our classrooms will now operate as “pods”. Each grade level 1 - 7 will have 3 pods. Kindergarten will be divided into 4 pods, and 8th grade will operate as 2 pods. Preschool will operate in pods that conform to the required ratio of 1: 9 as dictated by the state licensing board. In order to accommodate for these additional classes, we will be utilizing the school, Hendricks Hall, Enke Hall and leased modular units for the preschool. These units will be located on our campus. In utilizing this design, we will also be conscious in the structuring of our routines to minimize the number of staff working with each pod. Strict seating charts, attendance records and schedules will be kept in order to facilitate contact tracing if it becomes necessary. Student pod groups will not be mixing during the day. Please see attached maps for visuals of the reorganization.
ONLINE LEARNING
Our Task Force has been diligently working to develop a program which would meet the online learning needs of the students, families, and staff. We will have a program outline to share with you in next week’s update. July 30th will be the deadline for decision making. If you have already reached out to Mrs. Carfagna regarding online learning, you will need to reach out again with a final decision.
HEALTH PROMOTION
Our Task Force has been formulating guidance based on the latest health research available. We are recommending that parents begin working with their children now to prepare them for return to school. This includes talking about and practicing hand hygiene, physical distancing and face coverings. Please find attached an infographic to assist your efforts in preparing your children. These practices are integral to the health and safety of our school community.
CALENDAR INFORMATION
The week of August 31st will be a staggered start week for our students. The week will be organized as follows:
Monday, August 31
- Kindergarten WOW Day - A detailed letter will be available soon for kindergarten parents.
- Special Circumstances Day - Students in grades 1-8; will consist of two sessions (morning and afternoon) of approximately two - three hours each. Students/Parents will receive an email invitation to attend one of the sessions on this day. These sessions will allow students who need extra time for transitioning back to school to experience this return in a small group. We will include students on a specialized learning plan and those with previously known physical or emotional needs. If there is a special circumstance, such as heightened anxiety during the pandemic, please reach out to Jill Carfagna (mrs.carfagna@stbrigid-school.org) in order for your child’s needs to be considered for this day.
- No bus transportation or lunch available.
Tuesday and Wednesday, September 1-2
- All students with the last name beginning with A - K will attend school.
- Bus transportation and lunch will be available.
- Students will receive an orientation to new procedures and also participate in assessments to determine readiness for the 2020-21 school year.
Thursday and Friday, September 3-4
- All students with the last name beginning with L - Z will attend school.
- Bus transportation and lunch will be available.
- Students will receive an orientation to new procedures and also participate in assessments to determine readiness for the 2020-21 school year.
Monday, September 7
Tuesday, September 8
- All students will be in attendance going forward
- Bus transportation and lunch will be available.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
This year students will not have community supplies in the classroom. Our supply lists have been designed with this in mind. Students will also have a way to organize their own supplies in the pod. If you are interested in ordering supplies, please order supplies by
July 27th
at the following link.
EduKit School Supply List
TECHNOLOGY
Our Task Force has recommended the purchase of additional technology to allow all students in grades K - 8 to have their own, school-issued device to use for the year. This device will be available for all three tiers: GO-BLEND-HOME. Parent and student training will be available.
PE UNIFORMS
Our Task Force has recommended a modification to the school dress code for the 2020-2021 school year. In order to comply with our safety routines, students will no longer be able to change for Physical Education class. Only on the days they have PE, students in grades K-8 will be allowed to wear plain black wind pants and jackets. The PE uniform will consist of the following:
Pants
- Black wind pants. SOLID BLACK only. (no sports team/organization/club logo) A small manufacturers logo such as the Nike swoosh will be allowed. No side stripes on pants.
- K - 8 pants must be ankle length.
- Grades 6 - 8 may also wear PE uniform shorts if desired under the wind pants. The shorts may be worn during PE class time only.
Shirts
- Grades K - 5 may wear their uniform polo shirt or uniform blouse.
- Grades 6 - 8 must wear their PE uniform shirt.
- K - 5 are invited to purchase a PE uniform shirt if they desire.
Jacket
- K-8 must wear a SOLID BLACK wind suit jacket (full-zip or ¼ zip).
- No sports team/organization/club logo. A small manufacturer's logo such as the Nike swoosh will be allowed. No side stripes on sleeves.
SchoolBelles
- PE uniform shirts are currently in stock to purchase if needed.
- Black wind suits will be available, we are not requiring a school logo.
Please note
- Wind suits must be simple, loose fitting. Pants and jackets made of nylon are desired. Please no terry cloth, fleece, or knit fabric.
Thank you for your confidence in our task force as we plan our 25th year of learning at Saint Brigid of Kildare School. We will continue to communicate regularly and in more detail as our plans continue to develop. Msgr. Hendricks and the school staff are committed to hold true to the mission of the Church to fully support families in caring for their children and in educating them in the Catholic faith while providing academic excellence and social and emotional support.
Please continue to pray for our school community and for each other.
Kathy O'Reilly
