PRINCIPAL’S CORNER

Monday, March 16,2020 dawned like any other day at the end of a very mild winter.  The birds were building early nests, the spring flowers had already started blooming and there was evidence everywhere that things were changing.  Yes, they were changing but not in the manner that would have been expected.

Where were the children?  Where were the teachers?

Home, of course, beginning their first day of distance learning.  This has been a spring different from any that most of us can remember.  With the onslaught of Covid-19 everything turned upside down.  Normally busy streets were empty.  Stores were ordered shut and those that were allowed to remain open had strict distancing requirements and rationing of goods as shelves became emptier and emptier.  Masks, gloves and quarantine became the order of the day as within days the only place one was expected to be was home for the duration.  

All this should have spelled disaster for education and the school year.  But St. Joseph’s was ready.  Before we left school for the last time on March 13th we had  polled our families as to internet and device availability.  We used class time to introduce our students to Google classroom and had even conducted mock lessons using this invaluable tool.  Packets of work had been prepared for our youngest students and both they and their parents knew to check Class Dojo regularly for assignments and ways of showing completed work. We were ready.

From the very first day of the school closure our teachers from preschool through eighth grade have been teaching, students have been learning and turning in work and the school year has continued.  By the end of the first week our teachers were experimenting with Zoom classes ( which are now part of the regular weekly learning schedule) and balancing out workload so as not to overwhelm students, student’s families or themselves.  

But school is more than lessons and assignments.  We have made sure that there have been Field Trip Fridays and Easter vacation not to mention weekly School Spirit days.  We are looking forward to our first virtual Field Day and even a virtual dance party for our families as well as a celebration of our 8th grade graduates on the last day of school. 

Why?  A Catholic school is about faith and community as much as it is about lessons and grades.  We start every day, as usual, with prayer.  We have Faith First Fridays and prayer services that are virtual. Our Prayer partners have Zoomed and we share thoughts and pictures with each other.  We will attend Mass as a school via YouTube on Ascension Thursday and will conclude the year with a prayer service.  Why?  Because that is just who we are.

Our parents are amazing.  Our students are amazing.  Our teachers and staff are amazing.

We are a community of faith looking forward to the 2020-2021 school year. Consider being a part of us.  We are St. Joseph the Carpenter School.