School Newsletter: April 24, 2020

​“Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.”  -  C.S. Lewis

April 24, 2020

Dear Star Parents and Families,

I hope you had a very blessed Easter and restful Easter Break. I would like to thank those of you who have taken the Parent Survey. If you haven’t had the chance to take the survey, there is still time.  We really do want to hear from you. The feedback you provide will help teachers and staff make adjustments to create a learning platform that will best benefit you and your students. Unfortunately, there are some difficulties we are unable to fix; however, the teachers will continue to work hard to make the online learning as manageable as possible. To access the survey please go to  (https://forms.gle/qYqB9j6hvPiFXmWA6) . 

There have been some changes made in reference to your students homework collection. The teachers have noticed that some students have had some difficulty submitting work on time. As the incomplete work begins to stack-up, students will begin to struggle to manage the stress of keeping up with daily work in addition to late work.   In an effort to alleviate the stress,  teachers will only accept late work during the week the work was assigned. Assignments outstanding after 9:30 am on the following Monday will be marked with the grade of 25% and no longer eligible to be submitted. 

Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic School has adopted a Third Trimester “do no harm” grading format, modeled after the policy established by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction of WA.  In summary, the policy states that the grades received during the third trimester will not negatively affect the final grade. For example, if a student was receiving a “C” in a class prior to the shutdown, the final grade for that class will be no lower than a “C”. Teachers may issue an “Incomplete” for the third trimester grade; however, the incomplete will not factor into the final grade. No student will be penalized due to the unique situation we are currently in. Students in good standing the first two trimesters will not be held back due to their third trimester grades.

Unfortunately, along with many events this year, our Faith Rally has been cancelled. We are presently working on refunding those who had ordered t-shirts. The religious socks are still on order as they can be worn on future Spirit Days and Faith Rallies. The religious sock fundraiser is also helping our SCRIP sales.

This year’s SCOPE auction is still being planned for the 15th of May. This is, of course, dependent upon Governor Inslee’s plans for what occurs after May 4th. If we are still under a “stay at home” order after May 4th, the SCOPE team will be shifting gears to an online auction. Please keep an eye out for updates about the plans for the auction. Thank you to the families who have met their auction donation commitment. For those who still need to donate, please let us know how we can help.   Also, the raffle ticket payments and stubs need to be submitted to the Parish Office by Monday, May 11th.

As this school year draws to a close, the office staff and I are working to complete the registration for the up-coming 2020-2021 school year. Many families have yet to indicate their intentions for next year. If you are unsure about re-registration, due to the COVID-19 closures and employment difficulties, please email me kkealy@starofthesea.net to discuss possible accommodations that can be made.  We want to make sure all of our students have a place in their class next year.

Information and directives are continually changing, but we are working hard to keep you informed. Once again, I cannot thank you enough for your patience and understanding during these difficult times. In the end, all of our efforts are for our children, and, as C.S. Lewis said in the quote above, they are the most important work!

God bless and stay safe!
​
Kevin Kealy, Principal
Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic School