Dear SJCS Families,
It was a beautiful weekend to celebrate the official “end to summer” and a sign that the school year is in full swing! I am so proud of all of our new and returning students for adjusting to a new way of learning, a new way of playing, and a new set of expectations. Wearing face coverings most of the day and physically distancing ourselves and students is most certainly not ideal, but I can see so many wonderful things happening in our classrooms as I walk through the building.
As a reminder, the “County Color Code” system that was released by the Maine Department of Education still has Cumberland County listed as a green county. Even if that changes to yellow, we are still able to stay open for 5 days per week if the school and diocesan administration believe that St. John’s is at a low risk of an outbreak. We are taking each day one at a time and are praying for many months of uninterrupted education for our students!
Domino’s Pizza Fridays
Thanks to Domino’s Pizza in Brunswick, we will be able to sell pizza by the slice each Friday for our students at lunch time! It’s not a hot lunch program, but it’s a way to get the students a little something once per week. To sign up please go to your ParentWeb portal and under “Student” there is a tab to go to “Lunch”. Click “Web Order” to order your slices. Each slice is $2. You can pay online or send in money with your child. Students should not order more than 2 slices, and all orders must be in by the end of the day each THURSDAY so we can get the order in on time. Thank you to Dr. Trapp for the wonderful suggestion and to Mr. & Mrs. Jantorno Stelser from Domino’s for making this happen!
*This is JUST pizza, there are no side dishes, fruit, veggies, or drinks, so please send the rest of their lunch as you normally would in their lunch boxes.
Brunswick Residents Afternoon School Bus
Brunswick offers an afternoon school bus run to St. John’s students that live in Brunswick. This service will be starting on September 14 (NEXT MONDAY). The bus will bring our students to HBS for a bus transfer, and then will take your child to their normal bus stop (as if they were taking the bus home from the public schools each day). If you are interested in having your child take this bus, please contact Mrs. Snow.
Back2School COVID Screening:
This is going VERY WELL. You will continue to get a text message each morning to remind you to complete the survey. One question that has been coming up a lot is, “What if my child has a runny nose?” While we are not medical professionals, the direction we have been given is to let you know that less common symptoms of COVID, such as a runny nose, are not as worrisome as some of the more common symptoms (shortness of breath, fever, cough, etc…). Most children will have a runny nose at some point during the school year. If you feel like this is a change from their normal patterns, please keep them home. Otherwise, they can likely participate at school safely. If the Back2School site lists your child as “Not Cleared” and you have a question about it, please call the office and we can go through the symptoms together.
Face Coverings:
- Gaitors are still NOT working well. Students are either keeping them up too high, so we have a hard time to see their eyes and their ears are covered OR they slip down and the student is playing with it during class or outside at recess. I recognize that some of us spent money on gaitors – and they are not officially banned yet, but please do your best to send your child in with a face mask that has ear loops, as these ones have been working significantly better to stay up while students are playing and during class time. I do expect Gaitors to be taken out as an approved face covering in the near future (Maine Catholic Schools decision).
Morning Drop Off:
Primary Cohort will begin to drop off at the same door as everyone else. This will likely slow down the line some, but it won’t be long before things start to speed up again.
Fundraiser:
The 8th grade class is selling Fall Flower Bulbs to kick-off their fundraising for the 2020-2021 school year. The 8th grade raises money for their year-end field trip (we hope) as well as other small activities throughout the year. Flower Bulb orders are due on September 14.
If you have further questions, please let us know. I’m praying for another successful week for our families and for the other local schools as they begin to open their doors again to students. God has His hand in our lives; may He keep a watchful eye over our students, teachers, and families during these unusual times.
God Bless,
Shelly Wheeler
Principal
Peek of the Week – September 7, 2020
Monday, September 7
No School – Labor Day Holiday
Tuesday, September 8
Mass Uniform for ALL
SJCS School Mass – 8am (No guests, only students and faculty)
Cantors & Lectors – Grade 8
Livestream Available on Facebook: @SJCSBME
Grades 5-8 attend in person
Grades 2-4 attend via livestream
Wednesday, September 9
No special activities
Thursday, September 10
PTA Meeting- 6pm, Virtual (Link to be sent on Thursday)
Friday, September 11
Pizza Friday – Sign up in ParentWeb for pizza by the slice
*Reminder that LC closes at 5:00pm on Fridays
Coming Up:
Sept. 14 – Flower Bulb orders due
Sept. 22 – School Pictures – Mass Uniform required for pictures
Oct. 7 – Protecting God’s Children, 6pm – Contact Mrs. Snow for details
Oct. 9 – No School, Professional Development Day
Oct. 12 – Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day – No School
Oct. 21 – Early Release, 11:30am – Learning Center Available
Oct. 21 – Parent Conferences, Virtual, 12:30-7:00pm
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day – No School
Nov. 20 – End of First Trimester
Nov. 23-27: NO SCHOOL – THANKSGIVING BREAK
Dec. 16 – Christmas Pageant – Details TBD
Dec. 22 – Early Release, 11:30am, NO LEARNING CENTER AVAILABLE
Dec. 23 – Jan 3: NO SCHOOL – CHRISTMAS BREAK
