On Wednesday morning, Chicago Public Schools announced that they will conduct full-time remote learning to begin the school year. At St. Laurence, we would like to reemphasize our commitment to providing our students a hybrid learning model for the fall.
We strongly believe that our hybrid model - which provides students an even mix of in-person and synchronous remote instruction - puts us in the best position to cater to the academic, emotional and spiritual needs of our students while also prioritizing their safety, along with that of our teachers. Our school’s unique layout allows us to keep cohorts separate, decrease movement and drastically minimize potential for exposure and transmission. Additionally, our groupings allow us to cut the number of students in the building in half. In the result of a positive case of COVID-19, we will be able to trace and isolate more easily. It also allows us to transition to full in-person attendance more easily, once this is appropriate.
In the event that the state mandates that we move to remote learning, please be assured that we will be well prepared to transition to our eLearning platform that received notoriety in the Spring. Despite not being together, we were still able to make sure the needs of our students were met to continue their growth in all facets - mind, body and spirit. Our dedicated teachers and administrators have prepared to teach in a digital environment for over three years through professional development, and we know that the eLearning product we provide our families is second to none. You can review everything we were able to achieve with our eLearning model here.
For years, we have committed ourselves to providing families the most valuable education in the area. Whether our students are learning remotely or in person, we will continue to honor that commitment.
Below, please find additional updates for the upcoming school year. You can find last week’s update here.
Class Schedules
Schedules will be shared via PlusPortals on Monday, August 10 at 10 a.m. PlusPortals is the software we use that allows parents and students to monitor grades, class progress and attendance. Any new families (incoming freshmen or transfer students) will be receiving an email on Monday titled “St. Laurence PlusPortals User Activation,” which will provide directions on how to set up your account. If you do not receive it in your main inbox, please check your spam folder. If it is not in your spam folder, please contact Mr. Wichert at bwichert@stlaurence.com.
In order to maximize in-person instruction for our students, elective options have been changed to specific grade levels. Therefore, students may be placed in an elective they may not have originally chosen. If you have any schedule questions, please contact the appropriate counselor:
Freshmen - Dr. Tom Pallardy tpallardy@stlaurence.com
Sophomore - Mrs. Agnes Kasboske akasboske@stlaurence.com
Junior - Mrs. Lauren Bennett lbennett@stlaurence.com
You will also receive an email on Monday with our digital Registration Agreement. All parents must sign this form to confirm approval of the schedule.
Viking Black and Viking Gold Assignments
Viking Black and Viking Gold schedule assignments were distributed this past Tuesday. If you did not receive your designation, please reach out to Mr. Clemens at jclemens@stlaurence.com.
Orientation
Here are some quick details for orientation:
- Students can wear Spirit Day attire for orientation. Please see the Spirit Day dress code below.
- Lunch will not be served on orientation days
- Students should bring their iPads to orientation
As a reminder, here is the orientation schedule:
Monday, August 17th
Freshman Orientation
Viking Black 9am-12:30pm
Tuesday, August 18th
Freshman Orientation
Viking Gold 9am-12:30pm
Wednesday, August 19th
Sophomore Orientation
Viking Black 9am-11am
Viking Gold 12pm-2pm
Thursday, August 20th
Junior Orientation
Viking Black 9am-11am
Viking Gold 12pm-2pm
Friday, August 21st
Senior Orientation
Viking Black 8:30am-10am
Viking Gold 11am-12:30pm
Uniform Rules
*Please note that all uniform guidelines apply to students whether they are learning in person or remotely*
For the first semester, students will only be required to wear their school uniform on Mondays and Thursdays. This policy is in place to ensure that parents have enough time to properly clean their child’s clothes. The full uniform dress code can be found here.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays will all be Spirit Day dress code:
The Spirit Day dress code for young men is always a St. Laurence T-shirt (or Spirit Shirt) TUCKED IN, gym shoes, and either dress pants or clean, neat jeans (no rips, tears, writing or decorations on the jeans including pockets are allowed). The Spirit Day dress code for young women is always a St. Laurence T-shirt (or Spirit Shirt) TUCKED IN, gym shoes, their uniform skirt, dress pants or clean, neat jeans (no rips, tears, writing or decorations on the jeans including pockets are allowed). NO sweatpants or leggings. Students may wear the regular school uniform on Spirit Days.
Shorts Policy
As a result of heat in the early months of the school year, students are permitted to wear shorts every day of the week through September. The length of shorts must extend below the fingertips of the student with their arms extended straight down. Students are still able to wear their uniform pants or skirt if they wish to.
Supply List
In order to help maintain sanitization throughout the school day, we are requiring all students to carry a roll of paper towels in their bookbag with them throughout the day. This will allow teachers to simply spray students’ desks with disinfectant while the student gives a quick wipe down. The St. Laurence maintenance staff will perform routine, thorough cleaning before, during and after school, however this will allow us to continue cleaning efforts throughout the day without interrupting learning.
Aside from paper towels, the only required supplies are your child’s iPad and a mask, which is required to be worn at all times throughout the school day. Any course-specific supplies will be communicated to your child by their teacher in class. Items such as folders, notebooks, pens etc. are still acceptable for use but are based on your child’s preference.
Appointment Scheduling
As we continue our efforts to decrease the amount of movement throughout the building, we are requesting families schedule all appointments (doctor, dentist, orthodontist etc.) on days in which their child is learning remotely. This will allow us to minimize entrance through the main office and student movement throughout the building. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!
Fall Sports Tryout Info
Online Spirit Shop Orders
If you ordered apparel from our online spirit shop, orders will be shipped early next week and should arrive at your home by the end of the week. This is due to a delay at the printer. As noted above, students will not have to wear uniforms during orientation, so the first date uniforms will be necessary is August 24th. If you have any questions about your order, please contact our BSN rep Mike Edwards at medwards@bsnsports.com.
Spirit Shop Open Next Week
The Spirit Shop will be open from August 10-14 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additionally, the shop will be open on August 11 and August 12 from 5-8 p.m. No walk ups will be available - you must sign up for a 10-minute time slot online.
PLEASE NOTE: the signup website lists times in Eastern Time, a feature we were not aware of. As a result, we are asking all families to disregard the time zone listing on the signup website. For example, if you sign up for an 8 a.m. time slot, please come to school at 8 a.m. CENTRAL TIME. You can sign up for a timeslot here. If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Becker at kbecker@stlaurence.com.
Physicals
Athletic physicals expire after 395 days, which means student-athletes must get a new physical every year. As a convenience, Dr. Brisbin and MidAmerica Orthopaedics are offering physicals on August 13th specifically for our student-athletes. The cost is $25. Click here to sign up for a slot (please note that this link works best on a desktop or on devices that do not have the Google Calendar app). Please refer to the parent email from July 23rd for full details. Please note, freshmen are unable to get these physicals.
Parking
Final details on parking, including a diagram that will include traffic flow, will be distributed next week.
