Message from Chair of the Board, Rick Petrella
My Dear Friends,
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the 2020-21 school year. We know that it has been an uncertain time for us all and, as Chair of the Board, I am extremely proud of the way that we have worked together as a Catholic community for the past several months to prepare for a safe return to school.
I am proud of the great work our Board has done to communicate the many changes that we have seen in education since the declaration of the pandemic last March. I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the questions, input, comments, and suggestions provided to the Board. This collaborative approach has helped the Board prepare and provide different learning options for our Catholic community that are both safe and inclusive for this unique school year.
I want to also thank our parents for their patience and understanding throughout this pandemic and the ever-evolving requests and changes that they have been asked to endure since March.
I wanted to further express my deep appreciation for our leadership teams, staff, and union partners for their hard work and commitment to our students. Together, your efforts have enabled our Board to be well-prepared and ready to welcome our students, whether in-person or virtually.
We recognize that this will be a unique and fluid situation in the days and months ahead, but this Board is ready to adapt and continue the focus on creating safe and healthy schools. We have, and always will be, committed to providing transparent regular information to our community and will continue to work hard to answer your questions in a timely manner. This commitment remains in place as we move forward and throughout this new school year.
We have been very busy over the past few months preparing for September’s return and have had many changes to ensure that our schools are as safe as possible. These changes include but are not limited to:
- PPE requirements for staff and students
- Self-assessment requirements for everyone entering a school
- Enhanced cleaning standards and protocols
- Establishment of new nutrition break and playground routines
- Improvements to ventilation and monitoring processes
- New signage and other structures to promote social distancing
- A staggered entry to the school year
- Hiring of new staff
- Establishment of a virtual elementary and secondary schools
- Protocols to manage and alert families of positive cases of COVID-19 within our schools
We hope that these safeguards, along with our other new practices, will help keep our students, staff and community as safe as possible as we venture forward together. I do ask that you ensure that your email contact information on file at the school is accurate as email will be the primary method of communication to families over the coming months and as we continue to navigate this pandemic. Also, continue to visit the Frequently Asked Questions section of our website as we continue to answer questions and assist families.
We ask for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary to protect us and help us during these difficult times.
God Bless
Rick Petrella, Chair of the Board
