September 2, 2020
Dear Parents,
It was a wonderful feeling to welcome our students back to school!! We are so pleased to see them all after missing them all these months. We thank you for entrusting your children to the safety of St. Joseph School, as we move forward in what has been and will continue to be a trying time for everyone. With God’s guidance and protection, we know we will succeed in our re-opening.
As expected here at St. Joseph School, our children, teachers and staff had a wonderful first day of school! We began our day with everyone spread out in the backyard of the school for prayer. We said a prayer of blessing for our school family, and recited our AMEN mission together before sending everyone into the building that was blessed before they arrived. We are all practicing with many new things, including appropriate masks, physical distancing, and using the UP staircase and the DOWN staircase to name a few.
We welcome our new students and their families to their new school home, and We welcome home our former students and their families, and we welcome our new students and their families. We are confident that our new families will find a home here at St. Joseph School as well.
We are all concerned for the health and safety of all of our children, our families and our staff. In light of this concern, we want everyone to know that the school has appropriate measures to ensure that we all remain safe. These are based on our school policies, and the health and safety recommendation of the Ledge Light Health Department, in keeping with State and CDC guidelines. Please refer to the guidelines we have sent to you, or sending to you for the first time if you have not yet received them. (Revisions will be made as new information is sent to us.)
Paperwork will be sent home on the first day of school that will require completion and or signatures. The “yellow card” is needed on the second day of school. The additional papers must be returned by Tuesday, September 8th.
Summer uniforms for students will be worn from September 1st through mid-October, weather permitting. All students with the exception of Kindergarten shall come to school with a backpack. This will hang on the backs of their chairs and will accommodate lunches and water bottles during the school day.
Due to the restrictions given by the Diocese regarding the numbers of person allowed in the Church at one time, we will celebrate Mass with a portion of the students on September 4th for teachers and students in grades 4-8 ONLY. I am truly sorry that for reason of accommodating the recommended numbers, no one else may attend at this time.
Aftercare will begin on September 8th. If you are planning to send your children to this program starting immediately after school, please notify the office and the paperwork for this will be sent home for your completion.
We ask that you review the school handbook, as you will be asked to sign papers indicating that you have done so. This can be found on sjsnl.com.
Last but certainly not least, I remind you of our St. Joseph School Mission. Each child’s success at St. Joseph is the responsibility of all in the school family. As the first educators of your children, this success is closely linked to all you do at home as, well as, to your continued support of our school’s mission, its policies, teachers, staff, and administration. Your trust in us as Catholic School Educators is of the utmost importance, as we work together, for the success of our children. The words, “Be it known to all who enter here that Jesus Christ is the reason for this school. He is the unseen but ever-present teacher in its classes. He is the model of its faculty and the inspiration of its students”, greet us at the front door. We are also reminded of and take seriously our AMEN, our Mission which states that we: “Accept each person as a unique creation in God’s image; Model Jesus as we make everyone feel welcome in this holy place; Educate each person for life; and, Nurture the diverse gifts and talents of the whole school family.” May these words be uppermost in all of our minds and hearts each day of this 2020-21 school year.
I am truly proud to be the principal of our wonderful St. Joseph School. I continue to hold you in my prayers, and ask that you keep me in yours.
Marianne Cote,
Principal