| Dear Parents, Greetings and welcome to the first newsletter of the 2020-2021 school year! In just a short time, Tuesday, August 18, we will be back in school. Being back to school looks very different this year as we begin with at least three weeks of distance learning. The current plan for the Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, is to open our schools buildings on September 8th. That is, of course, dependent on San Francisco coming off the watchlist set up by Governor Newsome. If San Francisco County remains on the watchlist we will not be able to open for in-person learning for those that wish to return. We understand the difficulty this causes as you try to plan ahead but unfortunately it is beyond our control. Here at school, we have been busy preparing for the new school year, ordering textbooks and supplies, cleaning the school building inside and out, painting, and making some limited repairs. Classrooms are ready to welcome back the students whenever this happens. Many classes have moved to a different learning space as we separate students into smaller cohorts to allow for adequate social distancing. Meanwhile, teachers have developed new curriculum maps in the areas of Math and English Language Arts, (ELA) for this school year with an emphasis on using Focus Skills to close COVID-10 learning gaps. Focus Skills are standards based and fundamental to student understanding, involving concepts students must master in order to advance to the next step. Because Focus Skills are prerequisites for future learning, focusing instruction on these skills provides the greatest return in terms of student growth. These curriculum maps will be shared with you in order to help you better understand how we plan for the year ahead. They will guide student learning whether through distance or in person learning. To further ease the transition between distance and in-person learning, teachers have set up weekly schedules that will mirror what happens in the classroom when we return. -
8:15-8:30 Student sign in to Zoom. Students signing in after this time will be marked tardy. -
8:30 Classes begin -
Follow the daily schedule for each grade level. -
2:00-2:30 Closing meeting -
2:30-3:00 Teacher office hours Specific times have been set for each particular subject area. Students and teachers will be on Zoom for some of that time Schedules and curriculum maps will be available on our website. Schedules will also be distributed to students when they pick up their books and supplies on Monday, 8/17. Here's what you can do to help your child/ren prepare for the start of school. -
Designate a specific area in your home for school time, ideally a desk or a table. -
Assemble all school supplies in one place. TK-3rd grade students should set up their cart as already described. Carts will be brought to school when we open in person. - Plan a schedule with your child so that they are ready to sign in before 8:30am each day. They need to be dressed, be finished eating, have a water bottle, and be at their learning space ready to begin.
- Zoom time is for students and teachers. Parent participation is reserved ONLY for technology assistance, not for academics. Please allow your child to learn and grow.
Please refer to the updated 2020-2021 School Calendar. To help our students transition back to school and distance learning, we designated the first week of school as minimum days with 12:15 pm dismissal for TK-3, and 12:30 pm dismissal for grades 4-8. | 
