Dear SPC Families,
Thank you for a fun Catholic Schools Week! This year was certainly unique, and we have a lot to celebrate, primarily the reliance of the teachers and students in making this year a success! Thank you for your continued support of St. Paul of the Cross; we are blessed!
Celebrating the Spirit Parent Appeal:
Our Parent Appeal has been going strong! Thank you to all of you who have been sending in your pledges. We are currently at almost 20% of our financial goal of $80,000! With 100% participation, we can do this. Please keep those pledges coming! To make your gift online, please click on the Celebrating the Spirit webpage. Don't forget to see if your employer will match your gift; it can double your donation.
A Special Thanks:
I would like to thank Mr. & Mrs. Gleason for their thoughtful donation of these wonderful new yard signs. They want to give a sign to everyone who would like one!
From Mrs. Gleason:
Our SPC teachers have been here for our children and said, "Yes, we can," even when it wasn't clear how. They have worked through the complicated, the uncomfortable, and the uncertain, all for our families every day to make sure our kids don't miss a beat at the next academic level.
This Catholic Schools Week, as a special gesture of gratitude for what has been a heroic effort to keep our school open, we have ordered yard signs for everyone who would like one. The signs will be coming next week, and we will have them for you at drop-off or pickup. We'll send the notification ahead of time.
Upcoming Calendar Reminders:
February 12th - No School Professional Development Day
February 15th - No School Presidents Day
From the Archdiocese: Spring Break (sent to families on 2/3/21)
Since the beginning of the school year, safety has remained our top priority. Therefore, the Office of Catholic Schools strongly encourages all school families to enjoy Spring Break locally this year and avoid any out-of-state travel. Doing so best positions us to continue with in-person learning uninterrupted for the remainder of the school year. It also helps to keep our communities safer as our local health departments and state authorities work out their COVID-19 vaccination plans. Due to these reasons and others, we are not considering moving to virtual learning after spring break at this time.
As you plan for Spring Break, please keep in mind the travel-related quarantine guidelines distributed on January 20th. If you have any questions, please contact your school principal.
Considerations for Post Spring Break at SPC:
I have communicated with the Office of Catholic Schools that based on the initial survey in January, the vast majority of our families (52%) have plans to travel. I know people have travel plans already made, and the lack of remote learning for eight school days after Spring break presents a significant challenge for families and schools. We are faced with challenges for a return to school after Spring Break that involve the Aspire test schedule and balancing the demands of classrooms that may be at less than 50% capacity. Please note the following:
- Should a travel ban still exist in April, ANY family who travels will be required to quarantine.
- There will be no synchronous remote learning offered to the students; they will have to complete learning asynchronously through Seesaw or Schoology.
- We will also have to adjust the ASPIRE testing window, given that we need to limit the number of makeup exams.
- I am well aware that there were families that were not honest about their travel plans after Thanksgiving. It was very disheartening given the tremendous sacrifice that has been made by so many to remain in person all year. I hope that this does not happen after Spring Break.
- For us to plan accordingly, please complete this survey.
COVID DASHBOARD 2-4-2021
Announcing the SPC Speaker Series:
We are excited to share the SPC Parent Speaker series will begin in February. We highly encourage parents in grades 4-8 to attend the Cyber Safety presentation. If you have any specific questions for either speaker, please email those to Ronda Quinn, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Presentations will be recorded.
Liz Repking, Cybersafety Consulting
When: February 18, 2021
Time: 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
The objective is to educate parents on the dangers their children face every day in their online life and provide them with strategies to parent in this hyper-digital age.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqdOCoqDsqGtYtrLpEMppPKXkQm0pxlBjt
Dr. Caroline Adelman
Flattening the Emotional Roller Coaster:
Coping with Uncertainty during Covid.
Presenter: Dr. Caroline Adelman
When: February 24, 2021
Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIoce2qpz4oHdHoqvwpXqXdLF2A46Q3nSWW
Peace,
Dr. Erika Mickelburgh
Principal
REGISTER NOW for the Spring Session 2021 of Chess-Ed's Virtual Enrichment Program!
Registration for Chess-Ed’s virtual 10-week Spring Session is well underway. Our 55-minute virtual lessons are offered every weekday after school, at 4, 5, and 6 pm with Beginner, Novice, Continuing, and Advanced program levels to appeal to students with a wide variety of chess knowledge and skills. The Spring Session runs from 2/22/21 to 4/30/21 and is open to all students in all grades.
For more information and to register, go to www.a-spring-virtual-chess-ed.eventbee.com.
Chess-Ed instructors look forward to seeing your chess enthusiast this Spring. JOIN TODAY!
Please download the Spring Session Chess-Ed flyer here.
The yearbook committee has started working hard on this year's yearbook. We are looking for photos from the first day of school. Please feel free to add any photos to this shared folder. We will be asking for other photos throughout the school year to add to the yearbook.
First Day of School Photos for Yearbook
FROM THE PARISH
We have an active and vibrant parish and encourage everyone to read the weekly bulletins for Fr. Britto's weekly letter and stay informed about all upcoming events and programs.
Please click here for the latest bulletin.