St. Augustine High School

Covid-19 update – 5/18/2020

 

From the Principal – Mr. James Horne

Saintsmen and families,

Summer is here, but not yet.

You can feel it, as soon as the weather gets nice.  Parents feel it.  Administrators feel it. The students and the teachers certainly feel it — something about the end of assignments and essays, submission of the big research project, the arrival of summer heat and the approaching final day of school— once impossibly distant but suddenly tantalizingly close.

The poet T. S. Eliot once said that April was the cruelest month.   I think he should have chosen May instead.  For students and teachers alike, particularly now, it is tough to be focused on online learning while summer blossoms.

However, we are not yet done.  We must finish the race of the academic year.

As we sense the joys of summer, let’s remain focused on the great race of the school year and commit to finishing strong and continuing the tradition of excellence that is St. Augustine High School.

Seniors, your year-end pick-up will happen on Tuesday, May 26^th – this will also be a day we host a short Graduation information session.  This pick up and graduation info session will happen, even if the graduation is postponed, which seems increasingly likely.   We will employ appropriate social distancing, require masks and provide sanitizing stations.  Students will be distributed their belongings (caps and gowns, awards, yearbooks, and more) and rehearse the graduation and find their individual seats in our precautionary and spacious seating arrangement.  Students should arrive at 9:15am (with a mask) …. And proceed to the field where  we will begin promptly at 9:30am. 

Freshman, Sophomore and Juniors, your year-end pick-up (academic awards and yearbook) will happen as follows:

Tuesday, June 2^nd

Freshman pick up 8-10:30 am

Sophomore Pick up 12-2:30 pm

 Wednesday, June 3^rd

Junior pick up 8-10:30 am

More details coming soon

*** Families with more than one student at Saints can come to an assigned time and pick up for all students at once.

 

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

Summer School Update

Our current plan is to open summer school on campus June 15, 2020.  If the phased reopening stalls or regresses we have several contingency plans that our administrative team is considering. More information will be provided in the coming weeks about the expectations for summer school.  We are excited to potentially be back on campus and many of our classes are starting to fill up. If you have any questions regarding summer school please feel free to contact John O’Beirne at jobeirne@sahs.org

This entire situation is so fluid that our plans and thinking change daily.  What isn’t changing is our TRUTH, that the best work at Saints is done on the ground in face to face educational environment.

 

From the Chaplain and Director of Service  – Fr. Max Villenueve and Bro. Bobby Baiocco

Service Hours – Students will NOT be held accountable to complete their service hours this year due to restrictions caused by the pandemic.  We are hopeful we will be able to return to a normal Christian Service commitment next school year. If you have previously completed hours which you would like placed in your file for future reference please email a copy to Bro. Bobby Baiocco at bbaiocco@sahs.org  Thank you!

 

From the Assistant Principal for Academics – Mr. Gregory Hecht

1. To all our Saintsmen – Important reminder – There are NO FINAL EXAMS. Teachers will be basing final grades on the assignments and assessments given up to and including the final day of instruction.      

The final day of instruction for seniors will be Friday, May 22.

NO INSTRUCTION ON MONDAY, MAY 25 – MEMORIAL DAY

The final day of instruction for all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will be Friday, May 29.

On a personal note, I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations to the incredible Class of 2020.  You have endured a great deal and persevered through it all! You carry on in the true spirit of St. Augustine!  You are the keepers of the brotherhood and you will continue to live out the Augustinian core values of Unity, Truth, and Love, I have no doubt!

Just as your class was called upon to be historic, so I wish for all of you a life in which you follow no one else’s map. Remember, “impossible” is just a small word thrown around by small men and women who do not want to do the hard work to do the impossible.  I am exceptionally proud of you and convinced that you will do the impossible!

So, Class of 2020, I leave you with the following prayer:

 

Before you were even formed, God knew you.

While in your Mother’s womb, God named you.

At your birth, God’s breath filled you with life.

Today we celebrate what you have become at this moment in time.

 

And so we pray,

God of our beginnings,

We thank you for the gifts of these graduates.

Their excitement, their awesome wonder and curiosity.

Their open speech and encouraging word.

Their contributions have blessed and challenged us,

and we have become richer and a more diverse community because of them.

 

As they step forward into the world that awaits,

Comfort their fears with the full knowledge of your divine presences.

Strengthen their resolve to walk in the footsteps of Jesus,

as modern-day disciples in a world that needs their spirit.

 

Guide their feet as they move through life,

protecting them from the pitfalls of darkness,

while they help to lead future generations

into the warmth and promise of your light.

We ask this blessing upon each of them.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Amen.       

CONGRATS TO THE CLASS OF 2020!

2. To Seniors and their Parents:

In order to let St. Augustine know where to send final transcripts,  please carefully review the information from Dr. Rey, Director of Counseling Services, below. 

3. REMINDER: VIRTUAL PEER TUTORING STILL AVAILABLE

In an effort to provide additional support for our students, current National Honor Society (NHS) members have offered their time to provide tutoring for their fellow Saintsmen.  If your son is struggling in a class, please contact his counselor to be paired with a peer tutor.  Our NHS members will provide virtual tutoring in a variety of subject areas and they look forward to working with their Saints brothers.  We hope this additional layer of support will help your son finish the school year strong.  

TO ALL ADVANCED PLACEMENT STUDENTS – AP EXAMS CONTINUE THIS WEEK

It is imperative that ALL AP STUDENTS review the details of the new examination protocols.  AP students   MUST know their AP account Username and Password and verify that they are able to sign into to their account BEFORE the date of their examination (s).  This is a VITAL step as St. Augustine High School DOES NOT have access to ANY student Usernames or Passwords and WILL NOT be able to assist students during the examination days. Students must have their 8-character AP ID. You can find this in your exam confirmation email, your exam e-ticket, or My AP.

GOOGLE CHROME IS THE PREFERRED BROWSER AND IF YOU HAVE GRAMMARLY ON THE DEVICE YOU WILL USE, YOU MUST UNINSTALL IT AS IT WILL CREATE PROBLEMS DURING THE EXAMS.

INTERNET EXPLORER WILL NOT WORK! 

YOU MUST LOG IN TO YOUR EXAM 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE DESIGNATED START TIME.

Make-up exam request: If you have any issue on exam day that prevents you from testing successfully, you’ll be directed to an online AP Makeup Testing Request Form where you can describe what happened and request an e-ticket for a June makeup exam. You can also access the form at www.cb.org/requestmakeup.

You must have your original e-ticket when filling out the form.  Submit the form to directly to College Board within 48 hours of your original exam date.  They will review your form and send you an email approving or denying the request the week of May 25. If approved, your makeup e-ticket will be sent two days before the makeup test. Do not call AP Services; the pandemic has closed call centers and you will simply hear a message directing you to fill out the form and await the approval email.  Rest assured that you will receive approval for any of the following types of issues you encounter, or similar ones: sickness; significant interruptions from family members; battery failures; power outages; technical disruptions. Note: simply running out of time to submit a response on exam day is not a valid reason to request makeup testing.  Students that already have known conflicts with the May dates should not fill out this form. They can test in June simply by not using their May e-ticket – they will automatically be issued a June e-ticket.

FROM THE COLLEGE BOARD – REGARDING TESTING IRREGULARITIES:

Today we reached the midway point of the two-week primary administration. We couldn’t be more proud of the hundreds of thousands of students who showed up for the opportunity to claim the college credit they worked for all year, despite widespread school closures.

Students have taken nearly 2.2 million AP® Exams, across 15 courses. After the first week of testing, our data show the vast majority of students successfully completed their exams.

However, some students have encountered challenges submitting their responses, and we’ve been listening closely to each student, parent, or educator who reports a problem. Beginning Monday, May 18, we’re changing processes to address some of these concerns.

To help support your students during testing, please share the information below with them.

 Submitting Exam Responses –

 We share the deep disappointment of students who were unable to submit responses.

• Beginning Monday, May 18, and continuing through the makeup window, there will be a backup email submission process for browser-based exams.
• This option will only be available for students who were not able to submit in the standard process—and they must then email their responses immediately following their exam.
• These students will see instructions about how to email their response on the page that says, “We Did Not Receive Your Response.” The email address that appears on this page will be unique to each student.
• Any student testing between May 18–22 who can’t successfully upload their response through the exam platform or send it to us by email, will need to request a makeup exam.
• To protect the security and validity of exams, we’re unable to accept submissions from students who tested May 11–15. However, these students can feel confident that the email option will be in place for them during the makeup exams.
• Email submissions will not be available for the World Language exams.

 Setting Up Your Students for Success –

Given the wide variety of devices, browsers, and connectivity solutions students have access to, we’re unable to prevent every possible local error from occurring during the exam. In advance of the administration, we created a testing guide, Exam demo, and test day checklist to help students avoid potential issues. It’s important that students review this information and know to:

• Locate their e-ticket, which is emailed two days before each exam
• Use a recommended browser, update it to the latest version, and disable plugins
• Keep an eye on the time and begin their submission at the 5-minute mark

Additional tips to help your students succeed are available here.

Students taking World Language and Culture exams, which begin on Monday, May 18, must:

• Download the free AP World Languages Exam App (WLEA)
• Set their device to “Do Not Disturb”
• Check to ensure they have enough storage on their device

 World Language students should also watch the exam walk-through video, and check our website for more guidance.

 Thank you for all you continue to do to support your students during this challenging time.

With gratitude,

Advanced Placement Program

Exam Start Times: Local times vary depending on a student’s geographic location.	Hawaii Time: 6:00 a.m. Alaska Time: 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time: 9:00 a.m. Mountain Time: 10:00 a.m. Central Time: 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time: 12:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time: 4:00 p.m. See more time zones	Hawaii Time: 8:00 a.m. Alaska Time: 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time: 11:00 a.m. Mountain Time: 12:00 p.m. Central Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time: 2:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time: 6:00 p.m. See more time zones	Hawaii Time: 10:00 a.m. Alaska Time: 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time: 1:00 p.m. Mountain Time: 2:00 p.m. Central Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time: 4:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time: 8:00 p.m. See more time zones
Mon, May 18	Chinese Language and Culture	Biology	Environmental Science
Tues, May 19	Music Theory	Psychology	Japanese Language and Culture   Italian Language and Culture
Wed, May 20	German Language and Culture	English Language and Composition	Microeconomics
Thurs, May 21	French Language and Culture	World History: Modern	Macroeconomics
Fri, May 22	Comparative Government and Politics	Statistics	Spanish Language and Culture

If you are taking an AP world language exam:

Checklist items about handwriting or typing responses, attaching and submitting responses, and the exam timer do not apply. If you are taking an AP Music Theory Exam, checklist items about typed responses do not apply. 

If you are taking the AP Music Theory Exam: 

I have a recording app or recording software (such as Voice Memos, GarageBand, Recorder, Audacity, etc.) on my device and know how to use it.

I have 2–3 paper copies of the AP answer sheet template for Question 1, part writing.

If you are taking a spoken world language and culture exam (AP Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish Language and Culture): 

I’ve downloaded the AP World Languages Exam App from the Apple App Store (to an iPhone or iPad) or from the Google Play store (my iOS or to an Android device), practiced with the app, and given gave the app permission to use the microphone.

I have confirmed that my device can access the internet by Wi-Fi or cellular data, has at least 30MB of available storage, and is charged to at least 25% battery power or is plugged in.

I am in a location with no or limited background noise where my voice can be recorded clearly.

I have closed the AP World Languages Exam App on my device before the start of the exam.

AP students should also be sure to consider the following in preparation for the exams at home:

• Do you have a clean, well-lit place to conduct your exams?
• Have you reviewed the revised exam schedule and noted the new dates and times for your exams?
• Do you have a power source handy for your device if your battery gets low or runs out during the exam?
• Is the software on your chosen device up to date?
• Do you have a backup device?
• What is the plan if the Wi-Fi drops out?

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

Summer No-Contact Period

The CIFSDS has begun discussion with our governance groups regarding the mandatory 2-week summer no-contact period.  Potential modifications and/or a waiver of the no-contact period are being discussed.  We anticipate presenting a proposal for modification/cancellation of the no-contact period to be discussed and voted on at the May 20, 2020 Board of Managers meeting.

Fall Season of Sport

As we move through the progression of restrictions this spring, governance groups have begun to discuss the potential impacts on the 2020 fall season.  No one knows when restrictions may begin to be eased but we are discussing contingency plans should we have late starts, shortened seasons, etc.  The CIFSDS office is in close, regular communication with the state CIF, Superintendents, our Board of Managers and Conference Presidents.  We will keep you updated as we receive information.

Athletic Physicals

Athletic physicals scheduled for late May at Saints have been postponed until Saturday, July 25, 2020.  July 25 is the Saturday before Fall sports are planning to start this year; we understand that this may be a tentative date, as the recommendations for social distancing are fluid. 

 

From the Director of Counseling Services – Dr. Jerry Rey

The Graduation Survey in Naviance is a crucial piece to finishing the senior year.  (Please note that this is NOT the same as the Senior Exit Survey you are doing on Google Forms for your English class assignment.)  Whether you are attending a 4-year college or a 2-year college in the Fall, this survey is necessary for the following reasons:

• We must know which college you will be attending next year so that we can send the final transcript in June.  If you have not yet decided on your college, please complete the other areas of the survey, and then enter the final college as soon as you know.
• We need to know all the colleges you were admitted to, denied, and waitlisted so the information is available to future Saintsmen (anonymously).
• We need to know the value of all the Scholarships and Grants that you will be using at the college you attend in the Fall.
• We use this summary information in the Counseling Department Report to the Board of Directors so they can make informed policy decisions as Saints moves forward.

Directions for Graduating Seniors:  Please log into your Naviance account and go to About Me > My Surveys > Surveys Not Started > Graduation Survey.  Please be as thorough as possible with the requested information.

Naviance upgraded the password requirements several months ago, so if you have trouble logging in to your account please click on the “Forgot your password” button.  If that does not work, please immediately contact your counselor and ask him/her to check your email address and reset your password. 

Please note:  This survey is your formal request to have your final transcript sent in June.  If you need your transcript sent, please complete the survey!  (Again, if you don’t know the college yet, please let us know as soon as you make the final decision.)

**We understand that this has been a very difficult time since the end of classes on campus, and that the senior class must be feeling a great sense of loss for the activities you were looking forward to as your senior year progressed.  We thank you for your attention and cooperation on this year-end survey, and we want to honor your years of hard work and your achievements.  We wish you the very best as you move on to your next adventure.

 

Events Update

May 21 – Underclass Awards Ceremony-CANCELLED

May 22 – Senior Class Awards Ceremony -CANCELLED

May 22 – Senior Classes – Last Day of Instruction

May 25 – Memorial Day – No classes

May 26 – Grade 12 – End of year items pick up (Yearbook, awards, etc)

May 29 – Baccalaureate and Graduation 9:30 am – Tentative

May 29 – Grades 9-11 – Last Day of Instruction

June 2 –   Grade 9 & 10 – End of year items pick up (Yearbook, awards, etc)

June 3 –   Grade 11 – End of year items pick up (Yearbook, awards, etc)

June 15 – Summer Session Begins

June 26 – Baccalaureate and Graduation 9:30 am – postponement option

 

Questions? – email us …. The Faculty and Staff email directory can be found here  https://www.sahs.org/faculty/

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 …  pray for us and know we are praying for you.