St. Augustine High School

Covid-19 update – 3/23/2020

 

From the Principal – Mr. James Horne

Saintsmen and families,

 

“Necessity is the mother of invention” …… and regarding our SAINTS EXPERIENCE, this has never been truer.  Students are finding new ways to engage with their studies, their classmates and teachers.  Teachers too, are using video resources, discussion/chat boards and streaming lessons: methods with which they have previously had little experience.  We are even celebrating our weekly mass via Facebook Live.

I want to thank our faculty and families for the patience you have demonstrated and for your enterprising spirit that will ensure we navigate these turbulent times.

Our first week delivering online instruction proved successful and the most common compliment we received was “great communication”.  Whether teacher/student, parent/teacher, or student/student this will be the key to moving forward and finishing our Spring semester.  Keeping open the lines of communication will foster student engagement, parent/guardian understanding and a sense of support for our underlying mission; the development of fine Christian Men in mind, heart and body.

Campus hours for the remainder of the school closure will be Monday – Thursday 8am-2pm.  Campus will only be open to faculty and staff. Those needing the school’s chaplaincy, academic/college counseling, or business office services can arrange for a video conference or phone meeting.  If you are in this group during the closure you can connect via email or phone and schedule a designated time to meet. 

This pandemic is a disruptor on the largest of scales.  It has disrupted our daily routines on every level, but we will return to normal …. sometime.  Until then, thanks for your support and continue to flex with us while we ALL (faculty, students and parents) transition through this historic time at St. Augustine High School

 

From the Assistant Principal for Academics – Mr. Gregory Hecht

As we enter the second week of our distance learning and look ahead to the end of March, please keep the following in mind:

1. I want to thank all the students, parents and especially the teachers, for their herculean efforts that enabled us to transition to our learning environment essentially overnight! If we all continue to keep the lines of communication open and be attentive to the questions and concerns from all parties, this venture will continue to be successful!
2. The third quarter comes to a close this coming Friday, March 27. Although we are in an online environment, the standards and learning expectations remain the same as they would if we were all here on campus. Students should continue to put forth their maximum effort and do their very best with each assignment.                   ALL students must stay engaged with CANVAS and their respective classes on a DAILY basis.
3. As was done back in February, this weekend the entire St. Augustine High School campus will undergo a rigorous disinfecting utilizing the CLOROX 360 system. Please see the following link for more details on the process.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOKX4220Bqc
4. To all our Saintsmen – please heed the requests of all our medical professionals and government representatives to practice good hygiene habits (vigorous hand washing with soap and water, utilizing hand sanitizer, etc.) and social distancing protocols (keeping six feet apart from others, avoiding crowds, etc.).      Each Saintsman has a moral obligation to do his part to tamp down the spread of the Corona Virus and prevent others from becoming infected.  Remember that you can be a carrier and NOT have any symptoms so please follow the recommendations and help keep everyone safe and healthy! Thank you.
5. The College Board has issued the following statement regarding Advanced Placement Exams:

College Board Statement:

Your health and safety are our top priorities. We know the coronavirus has created new and unexpected challenges.

Here’s how the AP Program is supporting you and your school:

• We’re developing a new at-home testing option.
• We’re providing live and on-demand AP courses for free

Based on the number and length of school closures, it’s clear that the usual way AP Exams are given at schools won’t be possible.

Some students may want to take the exam sooner rather than later, while the content is still fresh. Other students may want more time to practice. For each AP subject, there will be two different testing dates. The full exam schedule, specific free-response question types that will be on each AP Exam, and additional testing information will be available by April 3.

Taking the Exam

We surveyed 18,000 AP students to see if they still wanted the opportunity to test this year. Their answer: a resounding yes.

Free resources will be available through exam day to help you get ready. While we encourage you to wait until closer to the test to decide, any student registered for an exam can cancel at no charge.      For the 2019-20 exam administration only:

• We’re developing secure 45-minute online free-response exams for each course.
• The exam content will focus on what most schools were able to complete by early March.
• You’ll be able to take your exams on any device you have access to—computer, tablet, or smartphone. You’ll also have the option to write your responses by hand and submit a photo.
• Colleges support this solution and are committed to ensuring that AP students receive the credit they have worked to earn. For decades, colleges have accepted a shortened AP Exam for college credit when groups of students have experienced emergencies.
• We know that not all students have access to the internet or a device. We’re working on solutions to help students get what they need to show their best work. If you need mobile tools or connectivity or know someone who does, you can reach us directlyto let us know.

The exams will be secure. We’re using a variety of digital security tools, including plagiarism detection software.

Free AP Review Classes

Beginning on Wednesday, March 25, you can attend free, live AP review courses, delivered by AP teachers from across the country. These courses:

• Are optional, mobile-friendly, and can be used alongside any work your teacher may give you.
• Will be available on-demand, so you can access them any time.
• Will focus on reviewing the skills and concepts from the first 75% of the course. There will also be some supplementary lessons covering the final 25% of the course.

For updates on AP and COVD-19 click on the link:

https://pages.collegeboard.org/collegeboard-covid-19-updates

6. St. Augustine High School will continue to offer Mass every Wednesday… online! Simply click on the Facebook link on the upper right-hand corner of the school’s website (www.sahs.org) and join our online parish for Mass via Facebook Live every Wednesday morning.  This week’s Mass will begin at 9:30 a.m.
7. St. Augustine Spring Break will be April 9 through April 19.

 

From the Assistant Principal for Student Services – Mr. John O’Beirne

1. For those parents who paid for an event online and that event is canceled, we will be processing a refund. The refund will be made to the card or account used to book the event.  There is no need to contact the school for the refund. 
2. ALL Academic and Physical Education lockers have been cleaned out. We have tried to keep forgotten items in bags with locker numbers, but some things might have been misplaced.  If you would like the contents of your locker YOU MUST PICK IT UP BY WEDNESAY March 25, 2020 from the Student Services Office.   Thursday morning all left over items, including books, will be given to the less fortunate.  Please come by and get your books.  All items must go, there will be no exceptions. 

 

From the Assistant Principal for Auxiliary Services and the Athletic Director – Mr. Michael Haupt and            Mr. Matthew Linville

On Monday, March 17 the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Office and the 10 Section Commissioners held their annual scheduled spring meeting.  While the time may come when we have to cancel post-season events, today is not that day. In anticipation of further guidance and directives issued by federal, state and local government agencies regarding COVID-19, the CIF has not determined the future of spring sports events at this time and intends to reconvene with the 10 Section Commissioners on April 3 to revisit this issue.

 

From the Director of Counseling Services – Dr. Jerry Rey

In keeping with Governor Newsom’s “stay at home” order, the Counseling Department will be providing ongoing services through phone or video conferences only until further notice.  If you have an appointment scheduled with your counselor in the coming weeks, please communicate with the counselor via phone or email to arrange for the phone or video meeting. 

Junior Families:  We will continue scheduling Junior Family College Meetings in this manner.  As mentioned in earlier notices, please make an appointment with your son’s counselor if you haven’t already done so.

We continue to encourage students and parents to contact your counselor if you are experiencing any academic, college, or personal difficulties.  We may be able to make practical suggestions, intercede with teachers or colleges as necessary, or make referrals as necessary to assist you through this unexpected and unprecedented event. 

I am including a link to a short article with advice from a local family therapist regarding “Coping with Corona-geddon!”  She offers practical advice on dealing with the emotional fallout and ways to reframe our current situation.  Please remember that “social distancing” is not “social isolation”.  Stay in touch with your friends and family and encourage your sons to use technology effectively to form a support network for their academic coursework, and to maintain the Saints Brotherhood.  Here is the link to the advice article from the family therapist –

https://gem.godaddy.com/s/b5c6601?fbclid=IwAR0deU3stS-NEMWU4wq8G4MDwaUZmw2gX0xuzAgU6ir5SdBl2NROgrDdNsg

 

Events Update

The following is a list of events that, as of March 16, have been cancelled or postponed:

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.