Dear Parents,
Happy Educator Appreciation Day! We here at St. John are very grateful to you, our partners, our fellow educators! You are getting your children to the Zoom, Google, and Teams classes. You are encouraging them to read and do their math. Today one of our teachers shared a lovely story about a student who was struggling with fractions. Mom and dad decided the kitchen was the place to learn. A recipe was chosen, a meal was prepared, and fractions were no longer a challenge! Collaboration works!
This week, I joined the eighth-grade meetings and listened to plans for the first-ever St. John virtual graduation. I am so proud of these soon-to-be graduates and their flexibility and perseverance. I visited with the seventh-grade students who are planning their Missionary Discipleship service projects. They are serving our neighbors locally and globally by planning a food drive for families who usually receive free and reduced meals at the public schools. They are also taking on the job of reminding us to remember our Unbound friends. I watched first-grade‘ star of the week’ students lead calendar time with their teachers, and I traveled through time when I Zoomed into Mrs. Kelley’s fifth-grade class. I landed in Colonial Boston! She was in costume as were some of her students. Others had virtual backdrops depicting the history. Impressive!
The morning meetings with the Principals are not as exciting, but we are supported and guided by the Office for Catholic Schools. We discuss everything from online learning, to assessment, to budget, facility sanitation, graduation and college credit, and now the Governor’s Plan for recovery and what it means for our schools. All we know for certain is that we must plan for uncertainty!
The Governor’s plan lays out four phases with three weeks between phases. Data and metrics will determine when the state can move from one phase to another and those dates are subject to change. As we plan how we will close this school year, we are thinking about the Fall. Will we be planning for a “normal” opening or continued closures? The data will direct those decisions. We will keep you informed as we hear news.
In the meantime, join us on the St. John Parish Facebook page at 3pm tomorrow, where Mass will be live-streamed. We will celebrate and crown Mary, the Mother of God. Fr. Crispin has invited Mrs. Jessup and Mrs. Mansfield to reflect on how Mary impacts their lives.
God bless you all, team!
Bernadette O’Leary
