From Mrs. Zorger

/in /by

Dear Saint James School Families,

I hope this finds you well and that you have been able to enjoy some relaxing summer days.

As you are aware, this upcoming school year will look different than school years we have planned for in the past.  I am excited for the opportunity to have our students begin the school year present in the building.  For those of you not comfortable with a return to classroom at this time, we will have a distance learning option available.  My first and foremost priority is the health, safety, and well-being of our students, faculty and staff.

In the past few weeks, we have been working on how to safely bring our students back to in-person instruction at the end of August by evaluating our facilities and resources.  On June 29th, The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) released their requirements and guidance in a document titled “Adapt, Advance, Achieve: Connecticut’s Plan to Learn and Grow Together”.  Equipped with this information, we established a Return to In-Person Instruction Strategy (RIIS) committee to develop an action plan for our school.

Our RIIS committee members include Father Cavanaugh, Pastor of Saint James Parish, Bridget Zorger, Principal, Lisa Anderson, Assistant Principal, Rich Yirga, Facilities Manager, Janis Vignati, School Nurse, Laura St. Jean, Pre-Kindergarten Director, Jeanne Jones, 4th grade teacher, David LaMonica, Chairperson of SJS School Board & current parent, and Amy Guenther, Director of Advancement.

I am grateful for your participation in our first survey that was emailed earlier this week. Please note the surveys will close at noon on Thursday.  The data collected from the surveys will provide us with an initial understanding of our families’ intentions and concerns.

Along with understanding the requirements and guidance stated in the CSDE’s plan, there are many details that our RIIS committee will be working through.  In addition, The Archdiocese of Hartford Office of Education, Evangelization and Catechesis has also put forth requirements and guidelines. Each school in the diocese will need to submit a plan by July 31st.

Once a preliminary plan for our school has been developed, information will be shared with our school families.  Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate through this unique time preparing for the upcoming school year.