The delivery of our Friday newsletter was delayed due to to our marketing software being down. We are up and running again and apologize for the delay. We know communication is important during these days of planning for back to school.
Happy Steamy Friday, St. Michael Families!
I am sending a brief update this week.
Work continues on our
PPRP
with subcommittees preparing protocols for cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting; arrival and dismissal procedures; classroom space use for proper distancing; lunch service logistics; teaching proper hand washing techniques and scheduling hand washing breaks; modeling respiratory etiquette; and the list goes on! Our committee is making excellent headway on the plan and we will have details to share by the first week of August.
This week brought inquiries from many more new families, and we have started waiting lists at a few grade levels. We will keep an eye on numbers, open new sections, and hire new teachers if necessary. We understand that many parents are anxiously awaiting the K-12 school decision of Governor Walz and his executive committee planned for release on Thursday, July 30, and will work to families to help them find the best fit for their children.
We heard from the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District that we will have busing as usual this year--we are so grateful for the support of the PLSAS and all they are doing to serve the children of our area!
We continue to receive generous donations to our matching grant fundraiser. If you have not had a chance to consider this yet, please give if you can and help us turn $10,000 into $30,000 thanks to the Schulze Family Foundation, the Harper Family Foundation and to our SMCS community!
It is so much fun having kids in the building for Summer Adventures Plus and Summer Stretch! Julie Herbst stopped in to talk with me today and reported that she and the staff have noticed the kids are all so content. They are appreciative of the activities and events, and are happy to be together. I know it was nerve wracking getting everything opened up during the pandemic, but their work is definitely paying off and benefiting our kids. An added bonus is we can start implementing some of our protocols to see how they transfer from theory to practice.
As you may have heard on the news, Governor Tim Walz signed an Executive Order on July 22nd requiring face covering in private and public indoor spaces. Saint Michael is working to better understand the specific application of the Executive Order for our school and parish spaces Please watch for additional communication on how this will be included in our Pandemic Preparedness Return Plan (PPRP). As I mentioned in last week's news, our plan will be rational, reasonable and practical. We look forward to welcoming your family back to school in a few weeks and starting an adventurous school year together.
God bless your families this weekend, stay safe and go Blues!
Principal Sue Kerr
All Hands on Deck!:
As we prepare for a safe return to school this fall, we will need some volunteer help during the school day. If you are available and willing to help out around the building during school hours, please email Darlene Casey to let her know your availability and areas of interest, such as classroom helper, recess monitor, lunch volunteer, etc. We would like to compile a list of people we could call on for various projects. We will have more detail about what teachers need when they return in August. Thank you for your consideration!
CSCOE Summer Resources:
The following summer enrichment materials have been made available to SMCS students by the Catholic School Center of Excellence.
Science:
A series of eight videos provided by the University of St. Thomas C-STEM Lending Library — Each video will demonstrate a STEM activity for students to complete. Lessons include: Volcanoes, CO2 Rocket, and Animals in the Neighborhood.
Performing Arts:
A musical theater series of six videos provided by Lundstrum Performing Arts — A teacher and accompanist will lead each video. At the end of the video series, students will have learned the complete "Hakuna Matata" song and dance from “The Lion King.” Once students have learned the routine, please record them performing for a fun surprise to be released at a later date!
Password: CSCOE (case sensitive)
Athletics:
A series of videos provided by Matt Birk and the 4HG team— Students of all ages will get moving to practice their sport skills. No athletic ability or equipment required.
TUITION ASSISTANCE
: If you have found that your family is in need of additional tuition assistance for the 2020-21 school year, please apply at
TADS.com
under financial aid.
God bless your families this weekend and go Blues!
