Dear St. Peter School Community,
This is the first of what I am sure will be many communications regarding plans for St. Peter to reopen for the 2020-2021 school year. More than ever, St. Peter remains committed to being as transparent and as effective as possible in communicating any and all changes that will need to be implemented for the coming year. I also thank all of you in advance for your patience and understanding both now and into the foreseeable future. Undoubtedly, many of you have questions and concerns. We hope to anticipate as many of them as possible in these on going emails and to hopefully address as many concerns as possible. You can also expect additional guidance and communication from Dr. Watson, the Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the near future. I also thank everyone for participating in the recent survey, which provides us with valuable information as to your needs for the coming year.
I wanted to give you an update as to where the school is at presently in its plans for 2020-2021. Now that Gov. Murphy has released his guidance for the coming school year, we can begin making appropriate plans. I am prepared at present to assert the following general points to ease some concersn:
1) Per the
academic calendar
that has been posted to the website, St. Peter intends on opening its doors
Tuesday, September 8th for an early dismissal schedule for grades K-8. Unless directed otherwise by the Diocese of Camden or the State of New Jersey, we fully expect to open.
2) St. Peter intends on opening its Little Saints Preschool doors same the week of September 8th, with specific dates TBD
3) Our overarching goal is to allow for as many students as possible to enter the building and be in school each day during the week. However, we are still working out the logistics of available space and meeting social distancing guidelines. At present we are confident we can work within these guidelines given the size of our buildings and number of students, but if this should change we will let you know. We will be looking to make proper use of all available space including rooms in our convent, the gym, and certain portions of Pastor's Hall. These plans are far from finalized, but we want to offer a general glimpse into ideas we are considering.
4) We will be developing several home based solutions for those families who are either uncomfortable with their children returning to school, have children with underlying medical issues, or for other reasons will need to remain home for either the entirety of the school year or parts of the school year. Effectively, we want to offer equitable options for parents to either keep their children home or send them to school, or to prepare ourselves for future quarantines. Regardless, our goal is to be ready for all scenarios and to accommodate the needs of all of our families. Therefore, for the coming year, the instructional model that we implement will be designed with this end in mind, making transitions to and from quarantine situations as seamless as possible for families and teachers.
We feel this is a great opportunity to offer a variety of new solutions for families that for various reasons would prefer to experience St. Peter within their home setting. We recognize that there was a small but significant group of parents who welcomed such solutions.
5) Financial Aid- we are finalizing the
Variable Tuition Rate applications this week and will be sending notice to families by Friday. Thank you for your patience. Remember, only those who submitted applications for the Variable Tuition Rate and paid registration fees for the coming year will be considered for reduced rates. For those anticipating changes in circumstances, we are imploring you to please reach out to us so we can discuss options. We are committed to working with all families.
Additionally, we are exploring options to allow for parents to have a greater responsibility in administering home based options in exchange for a reduced tuition rate. We are not prepared to offer specific details, but we are exploring all possible options for those interested in this approach.
6) Tuition: In light of the circumstances surrounding Covid-19, the Diocese of Camden has not made any budget approvals for any school at present. For this reason, we cannot release official tuition rates.
Our proposal was, however, to increase the 2019-2020 tuition rates by 4% in order to reach our budgetary needs. This can hopefully allow parents to estimate costs for the standard tuition rates. We want to stress, however, that we will continue working as best we can with all of our families in light of these extraordinary circumstances.
As noted above, in the near future, you will be receiving additional guidance and clarifications not only from me but from Dr. Watson, our superintendent. Once our plans begin to crystallize by mid July, I will be looking to arrange for periodic Zoom sessions to give various grade bands the opportunity to discuss and ask questions. Please keep in mind that we are aware that what works for grades 6-8 may not work for grades K-2. Therefore solutions for some grade levels will likely be different than solutions for others. It seems to me that this is a battle that will be waged on multiple fronts, not limited to health and safety considerations, supplies resources, etc, to instruction and academics; then busing and transportation issues; then financial and enrollment considerations for those impacted by Covid-19. Last, the uncertainty as to likely changes in rules and circumstances as the year wears on necessitates a very flexible and nimble approach.
I am carefully reviewing your responses to the recent survey results in all these areas so as to anticipate and address them as we roll out our plans. Most importantly, please set time aside everyday to pray for the school. The family rosary is encouraged, or any prayer that is suitable to your circumstances. God honors the prayers of those who are upright, and I know He has special plans for St. Peter. For my part, I continue to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to be as open to listening and heeding your concerns as I possibly can be so as to work together on this colossal project.
I am offering many prayers and blessings for all of you.
God bless and stay tuned!
Mr. Saffioti
