Dear Parents,
Happy New Year! On behalf of the staff at St. Mary School, we hope that all families enjoyed a restful and relaxing holiday, and that you were able to connect virtually with family and friends during this Holy Christmas Season. Our hope is that you are blessed with health, harmony and happiness in the year ahead.
We are extremely appreciative of our staff, students and parents for their positivity, flexibility and resilience during these trying times. A huge debt of gratitude also goes to all of our doctors, nurses, hospital employees, first responders, and our federal and provincial leaders for all they are doing to keep us safe and healthy. I know many of our parents work in these areas and we are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.
As you know, all Elementary schools will be closed to students from January 4 – 8, 2021 and students will participate in remote online learning from home. Prior to the Christmas break, teachers did a great job preparing their students to be able to log into their virtual Google Classrooms and to navigate Google Meets.
- For students who have not yet entered their teacher’s Google Classroom (this includes new students to SMY), the classroom teacher will contact them to provide the class code, or invite them into their classroom and students will accept the invitation.
- Teachers will post a daily Agenda each morning on their Google Classroom which clearly outlines what times of the day will be synchronous learning (time for direct instruction or for extra help and support) as well as asynchronous learning (time for students to work independently).
- all students are expected to join the Google Meet at 9:00am to meet with their teacher, begin with prayers and announcements and review the schedule for the day. The Google Meet link can be found on the top of the Google Classroom homepage.
- Student attendance will be taken daily.
- Throughout the week, 180 minutes of synchronous learning in FDK and 225 minutes of synchronous learning in Gr. 1-8 will be expected. Please keep in mind synchronous learning can include Google meets and live interaction via chat or email.
- The daily schedule will follow the regular class timetable that students are accustomed to. French, Physical Education and Music teachers will also be meeting with students synchronously this week.
- We expect all students to follow our school code of conduct when participating in Google Meets.
Our goal is to provide continuous educational opportunities and practice for students while our school is closed but also to eliminate as much stress as feasibly possible for students, parents, and teachers. While it is our responsibility to continue to educate our children, we also want to compassionately take into consideration the variety of difficulties that our families are enduring during this time.
We are working to get it right –the workload, the required amount of synchronous time with students, the expectations for learning, and a balance of work time, down time, play time, and family time. To that end, teachers are considering a few key principles as they plan their remote lessons, keeping in mind that their professional judgment and their knowledge of their students should drive their decisions.
Teachers will:
- Focus on core skills and key curriculum expectations. This means that we are attempting to move students along with curriculum goals.
- Present lessons in a synchronous way. Students will find it helpful to participate remotely by being present for all synchronous lessons throughout the day. Follow the daily agenda posted on the Google Classroom.
- Provide clear directions and offer feedback for improvement.
- Teach and communicate with compassion and flexibility. This is perhaps most important as we know significant physical, emotional, and financial strain are new realities for our families. Teachers will adjust the quantity and type of work they are assigning as they assess student work and progress. Flexibility along with compassion for everyone’s life situation is key for us. While we do need your help to provide encouragement and an environment conducive to learning in your home, we do not expect you to teach the lesson or curriculum.
We are so very grateful to our St. Mary teachers for creating positive remote learning environments with instruction and guidance that is appropriate to the age and grade of their students. With that, we are especially grateful to parents. We know that balancing work, family, and school isn’t easy for anyone.
In closing, one of the main focus points for the St. Mary staff and students during the 2020-2021 school year has been “growth mindset.” A growth mindset unlocks our ability to learn and grow especially during challenging times. Little did we know how important this growth mindset would be for all of us during this time! Because of this experience and our growth mindset, we believe we all will be stronger when we come out on the other side of the COVID-19 Pandemic! History is being written! We hold the pen! Together, we will write the BEST story for our children!
Please contact your child’s teacher or us if you or your child needs support.
Take good care,
Mrs. D’Andrea, Principal
Mrs. Crocitto, Vice Principal