Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are at the end of our third week of remote learning and the staff and students have really climbed a steep learning curve to get into schedule with this new process. Once again, I thank our parents for their patience and support for the children and the staff. 

The virtue of the month is Obedience, which means saying “yes” to the loving will of God and those He has set over us. Some great examples of this virtue in real life come from Our Mother, Mary, St. Juan Diego, and St. Francis Xavier Cabrini. St. Francis Xavier Cabrini was asked by her local Bishop to begin a new order of religious Sisters in Italy. She and her Sisters felt called to work in the Far East and worked for years to go to China. After a meeting with Pope Leo XIII, he asked her to go the United States and work with the poor and downtrodden. She practiced obedience and went to the US where she founded numerous hospitals throughout the country. She became a US citizen in 1909 and was our first American Saint. She said “yes” to the loving will of God! Our students will learn more about obedience and how they may be able to practice this in their lives.

This past week, a remote learning survey was sent out to each grade level to gather information on what was going well and areas for improvement. Over 700 responses were received and actionable steps were collected. Here is some information that came from you:  

**About 90% of parents are working from home, 80% of respondents felt the level of rigor was appropriate, and 98% shared that the staff has been present in their office hours. 

**It was also shared that students and parents enjoy the live and recorded lessons with their teachers. 

**There are large numbers of emails being sent which leads to organizational issues. 

**The use of a weekly schedule being sent from the staff is very helpful.  

We will work on these areas going forward. Thank you for insight!

During the week, Mrs. Sieve and I have asked the teacher aides to reach out to all of our families in the school. They started their calls and will complete them before Easter, so if you see a call from an unknown number, it may be one of our aides calling to check in on you and your family. Your well-being is very important to us.  

We will have instruction on Monday, April 6 and use Tuesday, April 7 as a catch-up and independent reading day. There are a few tests scheduled for that day and students should attend and complete any scheduled tests or quizzes.  If your child is caught up in their studies and reading, then spring break will begin for them on Tuesday.  

In Christ’s Peace,
Kevin Vance
Principal

1. Pregnancy Center West/Baby Bottle Collection. As part of our Lenten practice of almsgiving, we sent home baby bottles to collect donations for the Pregnancy Center West. Please hold on to those bottles and donations until we meet again. Thanks so much!

2.  A gentle reminder to students to continue to complete your assignments and turn them in on time. Attend as many of the live sessions as you can so you can say hello to your teachers and your classmates. If you can’t attend the live session, make sure to watch the recorded session to complete your work or be introduced to a new concept.
 

3. Tuition payments can be sent to the attention of Barb Campbell in the parish office at 5222 North Bend Road, Cincinnati, OH. 45247. During this time of uncertainty, the Finance Council has extended the payment window for this school year to July 1 for those families who need an extension.  

4. Here is a nice website For some ideas of things to do with your children during this time  Activities with our children

5.  If you need a resource on how to support your child during this crisis, please use this link.

6.  The CDC has also provided a nice resource outlining common reactions to stress and what to watch for in your children as the crisis continues.  Please use this link.