Conference Sign Up Reminder
If you have not signed up for a Fall Parent/Teacher conference for next week, please do so now using this link: https://saintjamesschool.net/fall-conferences/
Fall parent/teacher conferences are required for all students.
Please Vote for the SJS Scarecrow!
The Saint James School Scarecrow is up on Main Street! Please help us win the Facebook Favorite competition by clicking this link and liking the picture our our scarecrow on the town’s Scarecrow Facebook Page.
Special thanks to retired SJS teacher (and current School Board Member) Mrs. Kathy Camposeo for the fantastic artwork on the minions and Gru’s face!
SJS Children’s Mass This Sunday
This Sunday, October 11th at 9:00am, Saint James School will host our second children’s Mass of the new school year. All Saint James School students and their parents are invited to attend in a show of support for our school! One of our 6th grade students will be doing the readings. Unfortunately, we won’t have students serving in other capacities at this time due to the current safety protocol. Please remember masks are required in church.
Saint James School students are encouraged to wear their school uniforms. This is a great way for the Saint James Church parishioners (many of whom very generously support our school) to see the exceptional students they are investing in.
All Saint James School families are welcome regardless of faith or home church.
No School This Monday 10/12
As a reminder, there is no school this coming Monday, October 12th, for the Columbus Day Holiday. We also have 12:05pm dismissal days scheduled for October 21st (parent/teacher conferences), October 22nd (parent/teacher conferences), and October 23rd (teacher workshop). Aftercare will be in session on the 21st-23rd.
Mass for Sunday, October 11
Here is the link to the Saint James Parish Mass for Sunday, October 11th, 2020 for families that don’t wish to attend in person.
Virtual HSA Meeting Tonight
The Saint James Home & School Association (similar to a PTA/PTO) will hold its second meeting of the new school year this evening, Thursday (10/8) via Zoom from 7:00-8:00pm. We strongly encourage parents to attend to learn more about the HSA and to hear about what events are upcoming in the next few months. If you are unable to attend the Zoom call but would like to volunteer to help at various times throughout the year, please reach out to our HSA President (parent volunteer, Jodi Talaga) at hsa@saintjamesschool.net.
The Zoom information is as follows:
Topic: HSA Meetig
Time: Oct 8, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 761 4849 8886
Passcode: n4KJ95
Cherrydale Fundraiser Ends Tomorrow
Tomorrow is the last day for Cherrydale Fundraiser orders to be place, as well as our final “Oinksterz” turn-in day.
A huge thank you to everyone who participated – your support makes a difference!
Attendance Reminders & Clarifications
Dear Parents/Guardians:
As we continue to best meet the educational needs for all our students, we have determined that some clarifications regarding protocols for attendance and reporting of absences is necessary. This includes all students — those who participate in remote learning as well as those who are in-person learners.
1. Parents/Guardians must call the school nurse (option #3) to report any and all absences, regardless of the reason, by 8:00 am. This includes remote learners.
2. Students who are absent from school for personal reasons (i.e. vacation/travel) should continue to keep up with missing classwork, but are not allowed to attend classes virtually. Their absence from school will be noted in the school’s daily attendance report.
3. We really appreciate how diligent our parents/guardians have been these past few weeks in keeping students home from school at the sign of any illness (even if students are not experiencing the “high-risk” COVID symptoms). These students, and students who are remaining home due to a COVID-related issue (quarantining due to close contact with a COVID-positive person, experiencing COVID-related symptoms, or awaiting COVID test results), but are otherwise able to attend school, may sign in remotely and attend classes virtually. A parent/guardian must call the school nurse to report the student’s absence from in-person learning (please do not email the teacher or the school office of the absence).
With devices now being sent home nightly, it is possible that K – 3 students needing to stay home (not for personal reasons) can be part of the remote learning on their first day of absence. If the decision is made too close to the start of the school day, teachers will not have time to upload the materials to the Seesaw platform. Students can still live-stream from home beginning at 8:00am as long as all other remote learning protocol are followed.
Please do note, however, if the student is truly not feeling well and is not able to remain online with their class for a full day, they really do need to take the day as a “sick day”.
**It might be helpful to familiarize yourself with the “Student Expectations for Remote Learning” (click to open), also found in the parent/student handbook. in case your student needs to attend class remotely.
**Students who are traveling or are on vacation, will be marked absent, and are expected to complete the classwork posted in their Google Classroom. They may not attend classes virtually. Please refer to the parent/student handbook for additional information regarding attendance and school policy.
**Reminder: Students (in-person and remote) are tardy if they are not in school when the bell rings at 7:55 am.
