Holy Family Update

Dear families,

This morning, our entire Holy Family faculty and staff joined together remotely for a post Spring Break meeting to continue moving forward on our plan for virtual learning during this unexpected break in our academic year.  I will take this opportunity to outline three phases of our virtual learning plan:

Phase I
Phase I began last week and continues at the elementary schools today with our distribution of learning materials and supplies. We want to ensure our students are adequately prepared with needed tools and materials to participate in ongoing learning opportunities.

Phase II
As a team, we will work diligently throughout the week to get our virtual learning program up and running, with a goal of beginning our connections with students and providing more guidance on schedules by the end of this week.  This is new territory and we are committed to supporting our families, engaging our learners, and keeping our community together during this time apart.

Ongoing Communication
Holy Family will continue to address any considerations that impact our entire student body. You may have already heard from some of your teachers providing academic resources to engage with online. Please continue to follow their instructions.  As plans start to become more grade-level specific, we will turn your attention to communication from your schools and teachers.

Throughout this week, you can expect to hear a progress update from your child(ren)’s school(s) each day between 3–4 p.m.  Please tune in for these important instructions and updates!

Phase III
As we have mentioned before, at this time, all material we share is optional and supplementary. While we hope we won’t need it, we are preparing and will be ready for Phase III of our plan, which will transition us into virtual learning for all students for the remainder of the year.   

For now, you may want to start working on a few small tasks that will help your child(ren) be more successful in their learning at home:

Establish a Productive Learning Environment and Routine
Set up your child(ren)’s learning space in an area free of distractions. Find a quiet space and create a learning environment that includes access to school supplies and a strong internet connection. We recommend live or recorded sessions with teachers and classmates (via Zoom or Google Meet) take place in public spaces in your house (such as dining room, kitchen table, living room, family room, or den.)

Later in the week, we will provide you with virtual lesson schedules for each level which will be available in live, recorded and off-line formats, depending on your child(ren)’s grade-level and availability/access to participate. Our elementary schools are working on a shared virtual schedule, as are Wahlert and Mazzuchelli.  At this time, our teachers will plan to prepare two live or recorded touchpoints per week, at every level. Teachers will use the time in between touchpoints to plan activities, answer questions, and enhance their virtual instruction and technology skills.

If we have to move into phase III of our plan, we will transition into providing touchpoints three to five days per week.

Keeping a routine, including your child(ren)’s normal school day bedtime schedule will help to establish some normalcy in learning from home.  Be sure to incorporate breaks and opportunities to get outside when possible!  Beyond all else, enjoy the gift of extra time with your children.

Explore Existing Learning Management Platforms and Online Learning Resources
Students and families are accustomed to various learning management platforms at different levels. We will continue to use those platforms. If you have not already done so, please take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with the tools your teachers are using to facilitate two-way connections with students and families. Examples include:

Pre-K–3

• Google Classroom
• SeeSaw
• Class Dojo

4–12

• Summit Learning Platform
• Google Classroom
• Edmodo

An Important Note About Flexibility
I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge this is not a perfect situation. We recognize that not everyone is home with their children during the day and many who are have the additional responsibilities of working from home. We know many will not have the option to oversee their child(ren)'s learning experience during the day or connect to lessons at the time teachers are connecting – and that's okay! For these reasons, we will continue to build flexibility into our plan and the learning opportunities we share. We will provide both synchronous (real-time live interactions) and asynchronous (recorded, independent and offline) opportunities for students to take part in, as they are able. I invite you to use the resources we provide at the times and in the formats that best suit your family's needs.

Thank you for your continued support and patience as we roll-out our virtual learning plan.

Yours in Christ,

Phil Bormann
Chief Administrator

Visit the COVID-19 Updates webpage for more information and resources such as grab-and-go meal sites, archived communications, and more.