Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year! Inservice week has been invigorating and uplifting. Faculty and staff met on Zoom on Tuesday, and Mrs. Tsagalakis sang our new theme song. By the last verse, we all felt that momentum, Together We Can!
New families, we welcome you on board with socially-distanced warmth! We also welcome our new preschool teachers, Ali Baber and Tasha Boldon. Ms. Baber is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Teaching. She has several years of Early Childhood teaching experience having taught students from preschool to first grade. Ms. Boldon graduated from Winona State University with a Bachelor of Arts, and this year she completed her teaching certificate online. She has also taught preschool for many years. Over the past week, they have been meeting with Mrs. Castillo and Miss Halley to prepare for an engaging and educational school year!
We are looking forward to Orientation Week. Teachers are excited about meeting their new students! To confirm your child’s homeroom teacher, please access your family account in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. While I realize you may have a class placement request, we may not have accommodated your request. We are committed to having classes that are well balanced and diverse, understanding that each child brings their unique spirit to the classroom experience.
To open our school year and kick off Orientation Week we will have a virtual Mass on September 1, at 9am, which will be live-streamed on the St. John Parish Facebook page. We invite you all to watch and pray along with us for a successful school year. Every child deserves a “first day of school!” At 12:20pm, we will begin our outdoor, physically-distanced Meet ‘N Greets, at which you and your children will meet their teachers. I am sure that some kindergarten children may want to wear their new uniforms! Make sure you sign up. Enjoy a few minutes of a ‘getting-to-know-you’ chat and then it’s business! You will learn about the daily schedule and the platform – Google Classroom or Teams 360 – that teachers will use for online learning. Teachers will also pass out textbooks and materials, and you will have an opportunity to pick up a computer if you need one. In your Welcome Packets, you will also find information about MAP testing (grades 2- 8), a letter from Ms. Shaw, the school counselor, and a letter about communicable diseases.
Classes begin September 8! Be sure to check the schedules and have your children ready for the morning meetings! For information about the Remote Learning Plan, take a look at the RLP page.
Together we can act with justice, love with mercy, walk humbly with God,
Bernadette O’Leary
