St. Augustine High School
Covid-19 update – 3/17/2020
From the Principal – Mr. James Horne
Saintsmen and families,
Welcome to our new normal for the short-term …. online class delivery via CANVAS. I want to thank our faculty and staff who have done a marvelous job in this chaotic transition. The Saints faculty is the best and have done a great job transitioning their instruction, resources and assignments so we encounter minimal downtime, if any. We understand there will be questions around many issues. Please be assured that answers and additional information will be forthcoming in our regular response plan updates. This is the first of those communications. We will communicate facts and changes to school plans/activities and push notifications to the community using CANVAS, social media sites, and the website.
Campus hours this week will be 8am-2pm. Campus will only be open to faculty and staff. There will be exceptions for those needing the school’s chaplaincy, academic/college counseling, or business office services. If you are in this group during the closure you can connect via email or phone and schedule an appointment.
Thanks, and please bear with us while we ALL (faculty, students and parents) transition through this new way to deliver the St. Augustine High School curriculum.
From the Assistant Principal for Academics – Mr. Gregory Hecht
As we transition to our online learning environment via CANVAS, please keep the following in mind:
- Students are REQUIRED to log in to each class daily and check for updated information, assignments and instructions. Please keep in mind that CANVAS allows teachers to see when a student has logged into a class and it records the duration of their stay and any interactions.
- Many teachers will be providing specific dates and times for certain assignments or teacher interactions, so it is imperative that all students stay engaged and communicate with their teachers as is warranted. Do not assume anything! If a student has questions or does not understand something, they should raise their ‘virtual’ hand by e-mailing their teacher(s) via their CANVAS class.
- If a student is taking two classes in the same department, students should notify those teachers and the department chair. Teachers have been made aware that they might have students in this situation and they (teachers) are being asked to be as accommodating as possible.
- If you are a student with documentation on file with the school that stipulates extended time, our teachers have been encouraged to be flexible and we ask that you work directly with your teacher(s) to find a reasonable way forward on assignments and assessments.
We are also aware that there are questions surrounding Advanced Placement testing and we will continue to provide updates to you as the College Board makes information available to us here at St. Augustine. As of today (3-17-2020), Advanced Placement testing is scheduled to take place as planned. This is, of course, subject to change.
From the Assistant Principal for Student Services – Mr. John O’Beirne
All students,
IF you were not here this past Friday, March 13, you MUST clean out your locker. We will be cleaning and disinfecting areas of the school starting this Thursday, March 19, 2020. Please arrange a time with Student Services to visit campus to clear your locker of textbooks and all materials before 2pm on Wednesday 3/18/20.
From the Assistant Principal for Auxiliary Services – Mr. Michael Haupt and from the Athletic Director – Mr. Matthew Linville
With respect to athletics moving forward, Saints will follow CIF guidelines. Teams will not practice or compete while the school is closed; this includes practicing at alternative sites. For all intents and purposes, “no-contact period” guidelines will be in effect-coaches may not coordinate, schedule, direct or plan team activities (banquets, meetings etc.) and there can be no parent or student-organized or led practices. Also, if athletes participate with a club team during this hiatus, they will be ruled ineligible for CIF play upon our return. San Diego Unified and City Conference have already announced cancellations through Monday, April 6. As a member of City Conference, we will be abiding by that April 6 date for all league games, unless otherwise notified.
From the Director of Counseling Services – Dr. Jerry Rey
In this time of distance learning for academics, the Counseling Department would like to continue to offer academic, college, career, and personal counseling services as needed in ways that meet the needs of each individual student and/or family. We will be offering the following services:
- Individual meetings on campus, or via phone or video conference, by appointment only for any students or parents wishing to meet with a counselor.
- Available to seniors for advice on admissions decisions and financial aid offers. We will be contacting seniors via email or phone in early April regarding admissions decisions.
- For Junior students and families, please make an appointment with your assigned counselor for your Family College Meeting if you have not already done so. These meetings can be on campus or via phone or video conference.
- For Freshmen and Sophomores, we will be contacting you via email and Scoir for academic and career counseling issues.
Regarding scheduled SAT and ACT Test dates: Both College Board and ACT, Inc. have cancelled their March, April, and May test dates. The June 6 SAT and the June 13 ACT test dates are currently still planned to occur. If you were registered
for March, April, or May dates you will be contacted by the testing company soon to reschedule or to request a refund. We will keep you updated as the situation unfolds in the coming weeks.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
Events Update
The following is a list of events that, as of March 16, have been cancelled or postponed:
March 20 – Junior Mass and Brunch-CANCELLED; Boat Dance-POSTPONNED
March 24 – Border Days-CANCELLED
March 25 – New Family Night-CANCELLED
March 27 – Senior Mass with OLP-CANCELLED
March 31 – Kairos-CANCELLED
April 2 – Spring Play-CANCELLED
April 3 – Saints/OLP Art Show-CANCELLED; Spring Play-CANCELLED
April 4 – Hogar Infantil -CANCELLED; Spring Play-CANCELLED
April 5 – Mother Son Brunch-POSTPONED– more information to follow.
April 7 – Border Days-CANCELLED
April 8 – Stations of the Cross-CANCELLED
April 23 – Spring Concert-CANCELLED
April 28 – Sophomore Retreat-CANCELLED
We understand there will be questions around many issues. Please be assured that answers and additional information will be forthcoming in our regular response plan updates. We will continue to be diligent in communicating facts and changes to school plans/activities and push notifications to the community using CANVAS, social media sites, and the website.
Thanks, and please bear with us while we transition through this evolving health crisis.
