Dear SMA Community,

I pray daily for all of you in this time and thank you for helping to face these challenging times together. May God bless and protect us in facing this pandemic. We have been proactive in trying to meet the needs of our parish and school community for the long term. It begins with the heroic efforts of our parish and school staff. I am grateful for the amazing efforts of our staff and families in implementing the distance learning that began two days after the decision to suspend on-site gathering.

As you may know, in order to alleviate the financial devastation for our parishes and schools which the virus has produced, most of our parishes have applied and received funds from the Paycheck Protection Program under the Cares Act. The goal of these loans is to stabilize our parishes and schools and to preserve the jobs of our employees until the tremendous shortfalls caused by the stay-at-home effort abate.

For our schools, the loan funds will be spent immediately for payroll, benefit and other forgiveness eligible costs during the next eight weeks. It is vital that these funds be used in the following ways: providing funds for any budget shortfall for the current year that exists, the establishment of a reserve fund designed to enable the school to meet the economic and/or enrollment challenges that will come over the next school year, and finally, individualized financial assistance to school families who have been impacted by the pandemic and need tuition reductions.

As I began this letter with the idea that we are in this together, it also reminds us that we are together with others beyond our own parish and school community. To that end, we will be sharing a portion of our funds beyond the PPP with some of our more challenged Catholic schools in the diocese. This is a tangible sign of our unity in mission and ministry.

Please know that your commitment to this effort is so appreciated. Our witness to faithfulness amidst the challenges posed by this pandemic will bear great fruit for our families and community in the long term. I pray that all will be blessed with Eternal Easter joy in this time of challenge.

All my best in Christ,
Rev. Patrick J. Mulcahy

Dear Parents,

Happy May to one and all! It feels like spring is finally upon us. What a great opportunity to spend time outside in our yards or safely on our beaches and trails. We began this month with a beautiful school Mass last Friday honoring Mary. The May Crowning definitely looked different than in past years. Many thanks to all of the families that stopped by the junior yard to drop off flowers and to Fr. Pat, Fr. Joe and Deacon Jim for assisting us in our celebration.

Our teachers and students continue to work diligently each day as we inch closer to our final days of this school year. Last week I explained the procedure we will be following for TK-5th grade report cards. This week I will be addressing our middle school reporting procedure. I am pleased to announce that we will be utilizing the same report cards that have been distributed in the first two trimesters of this school year. Teachers and students have been working to cover as much curriculum as possible during these past weeks of distance learning. Some of our teachers have even reported to have covered more material than in past years. I encourage parents and students to continue to check School Speak on a regular basis to keep up-to-date on grades in all classes. Please remember that teachers hold regular office hours to assist students that have questions and to address parent questions as well.

In next week’s newsletter I will be addressing the upcoming end of the school year plans for collecting textbooks and school materials as well as distribution of student personal effects and yearbooks.

In closing, please take the time to read a letter from our pastor, Fr. Pat that is included in this week’s newsletter. Have a wonderful week!

Blessings,
Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

As we continue our Distance Learning journey together I will continue to keep you informed and as up-to-date as possible on new information and upcoming events. I apologize for the length of this message, but there is so much to share with you!

This week I will attempt to clarify the end-of-trimester/year grading procedures for TK-5th grades. These grades are utilizing the Standard Referenced Report Cards. Teachers are still teaching standards that are required to be covered at each respective grade level. Therefore, the same report cards that you are familiar with will continue to be used. All standards that are covered will be assessed and then reported out to you. If, for any reason, a standard is not assessed or a student has not completed work that enables the teacher to authentically access the standard an NE(not evaluated) will be assigned. Rest assured that your children are benefitting from creative and engaging lessons from their teachers. I have witnessed so many successful lessons first hand. When planning, teachers are constantly revisiting the standards yet to be addressed. In next week’s newsletter, I will address the middle school reporting procedures. Additionally, I will be sharing our plan to get your child’s personal belongings, report card and yearbook to them during the first week of June. Many thanks again for your patience, support and cooperation.

We continue to celebrate our Students of the Month! This wonderful tradition has been on “hold” until we got things settled down a bit. We have made some necessary adjustments to get all virtues covered so as not to neglect the importance of any of them. During the weeks of May 4 and May 18, part of a Zoom meeting will be designated by your child’s teacher to recognize students to be honored for exhibiting specific virtues. There will be two students recognized each week. Week of May 4th…Cooperation and Service and week of May 18th…Stewardship and Gratitude. At the end of each of these weeks a special Zoom meeting will be held for myself, recognized students, their families and classroom teachers to share our feelings of gratitude and appreciation. It may not be the same as in person, but we can still express our sincere love for these wonderful examples of Christian leadership.

I am pleased and excited to share information regarding this Friday’s school Mass and May Crowning. Remembering this month of May as a celebration of Mary as the mother of Jesus, we will continue the tradition of a May Crowning. I will be present in the junior yard from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. with the gate on Kline Street open for any families desiring to bring flowers and place them by our Blessed Mother. Once you do so, please exit out the side gate nearest the kindergarten classroom to allow for social distancing protocol. I also ask that masks be worn during your visit. Please note that unfortunately, this is not an opportunity for gathering to visit with friends you have missed, but a way for us to show our solidarity in prayer during these difficult times. Mary is truly a role model of faith and strength when faced with the trials that life offers us. At 11:00 I will bring your flowers over to the church for Mass. I strongly encourage you to watch the Mass as it is Live Streamed at 11:20 on Mary Star Of the Sea Parish FB page. Following the Mass, it will be uploaded to the parish and school websites. If you have a statue of Mary at home, please participate by presenting flowers to her or even a mini May Crowning of your own as we do so at the beginning of Mass. At the end of Mass Fr. Pat will lead us in a Prayer of Reconsecration to Mary. Please see the prayer directly following this message. I will have additional copies in the junior yard along with complimentary rosaries (while supplies last) on Friday. Many thanks to Fr. Pat and all of his support to continue to minister to our students and families during these past several weeks. we are truly blessed to have him here.

Continued thanks for your support. Please know how very much you are all loved and appreciated!

Blessings,
Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

Alleluia! He is Risen! Welcome back one and all! I hope “re-entry” went well for everyone. The much needed break was definitely a nice opportunity to “recharge”. As we continue on this distance learning journey, I encourage you to remain consistent with daily routines, remembering that there will be some days that are more difficult to navigate than others. Be gentle to yourself, your children and their teachers. This is not easy for anyone. I caution all of us to be careful not to compare classes, teachers and distant learning programs within our own school or different schools. Classes have their own personalities and learning styles that best fit them. Therefore, no two teachers will follow the exact same instructional strategies. To compare a junior yard class experience to a senior yard class experience is like comparing apples and oranges. Additionally, school sites are unique in their own ways as well. Programs and procedures that work well for one school may prove completely ineffective in another. I urge you, as always, to keep an open line of communication with your child’s teacher. Please know that they are there to assist you with any questions or concerns that you may have. I am also available for you as well. Beginning next week, all teachers will be offering “office hour/half hour Zoom meetings” each week for parents to attend to get assistance or clarification on class work or procedures. My goal is to attend as many of these meetings as possible so that I can also answer any questions you may have for me as well. Please note that these meetings are not mandatory. They are an additional form of communication that we are making available to all of our parents to provide support to you during these stressful times. It has been a joy seeing the smiling faces at the Zoom class meetings. Please know how much we miss you and your children. I look forward to the day we can all return to our wonderful school and the joyful sound of children’s voices fill the air once again.

Blessings,
Francie Moss