Information & Resources: COVID-19

Dear SHC families,

Thanks to all the parents and guardians who joined us for Back to School Night (Sept. 3), the Frosh Counseling Meeting (Sept. 9) and/or the first Parent Association Meeting (Sept. 9) of the year. It’s been another unique week with weather and air quality. The smoke-filled skies create a powerful visual to reflect the difficult and important work we share in protecting and supporting ourselves, our families and our school community. I am incredibly grateful for your effort and sacrifice. My prayer is for each one of us, walking this journey together, to see with eyes of faith and trust in a God who loves us and is willing to suffer with and for us. In a special way, we ask God’s blessings on all those affected by the fires in California.

Stay safe, be well, and may God bless you.

Students On Campus
Under the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) Out of School Time (OST) Programs Public Health Directive (Sept. 1, 2020), we will be having some students on campus for specific reasons and meeting specific requirements. All of these offerings are optional and are not required of any student or family.

Bay Scholar Learning Hubs (September 8)
In collaboration with Bay Scholars, a non-profit organization that “promotes a life-altering experience connecting promising youth with transformative educational opportunities at Bay Area Catholic college-prep high schools,” we began to provide a space for about 25 students to do their distance learning from classrooms on our campus. We are only able to provide this opportunity under specific guidelines and for specific SHC individuals/families.

Physical Education Conditioning Pods (September 21)
We are planning to invite some 10-12 grade students on campus to participate in exercise and conditioning. We will begin with programs that ran camps in the summer months and have experience with the necessary COVID-19 mitigation protocols. All Pods will be outdoors and consist of stable groups (students and adults).

9th Grade Physical Education Pods (October 12)
We are planning to bring 9th grade students enrolled in first semester PE/Health on campus at the beginning of the second quarter. Classes will include yoga, strength training, core development, golf, badminton and pickleball. All Pods will be outdoors and consist of stable groups (students and adults). Alternative exercises and assignments to be completed at a distance will be provided for any who do not want to participate on-campus.

School Schedule Update
As previously communicated, we will continue our Distance Schedule through at least October 9, the end of the first quarter. In terms of planning for the second quarter, some new information and processes have recently been communicated by the state and local public health department.

The State of California recently changed its approach to how and when schools might open for in-person instruction. On August 28, the state moved from a monitoring list that was updated daily to a tiered assessment (four levels) that is updated weekly. Shortly thereafter, SFDPH announced on September 4 that the waiver process for schools to apply to reopen was going to be expanded from K-6 schools/students to K-12 schools/students. After the holiday weekend, on September 8, SFDPH clarified and updated their communication that the process and forms for high schools interested in applying for a waiver to reopen for in-person instruction were still being developed and would be sent out later this month.

We want to keep you updated with the information we receive. As our public health officials and elected officials continue to refine and update their orders, directives, and guidelines, we will continue to refine and update our own. While we look forward to having more and more students on campus, we are proceeding with a commitment to student, faculty, staff and family health and well-being as a priority.

Sincerely,
Gary J. Cannon, EdD
Principal

Dear SHC families,

We are looking forward to having you in our virtual classrooms tonight for Back to School Night. If you have any technical issues, please email support@shcp.edu and we will respond as soon as possible.

I wish you all a restful Labor Day Weekend! Please note the school is closed on Monday, September 7. Classes will meet Tuesday through Friday next week. Founders Friday will resume on September 18.

Stay safe, be well, and God bless you all.

Back to School Night 2020: TONIGHT
The SHC Faculty extend a warm invitation to our parents and guardians for Back To School Night 2020, happening TONIGHT from 6-8:30 pm. Please click here for instructions to join, which direct parents and guardians to the links posted on each of your child’s Schoology course pages OR the document your son/daughter shared with you earlier this week. The evening’s schedule follows.

*Note that not all students have a block 7, 8, or 9, and that only the 9th Grade students enrolled in First Semester PE/Health classes will meet at Back to School Night.

Class Block / Meeting Time
Block 1 — 6-6:10 pm
Block 2 — 6:15-6:25 pm
Block 3 — 6:30-6:40 pm
Block 4 — 6:45-6:55 pm
Block 5 — 7-7:10 pm
Block 6 — 7:15-7:25 pm
*Block 7 — 7:35-7:45 pm
*Block 8 — 7:50-8 pm
*Block 9 — 8:10-8:20 pm

Virtual Retreat Opportunities
Juniors and Seniors received information via email about upcoming retreat opportunities. Both retreats will be entirely virtual, and will take place outside of academic class time.

The Fall Junior Retreat will be offered four times in the fall from 7-10 pm on Thursday evenings. The Senior Retreat will begin Thursday evening and run from 7-9:45 pm and continue Friday with two sessions. The morning session will run from 9-11:30 am and we will finish out in the afternoon from 12:15-3 pm.

Juniors and Seniors should consult the email to sign up for a date that works for them. If you have questions, please contact Mr. O’Regan for the Junior Retreat, and Mr. Schmitz for the Senior Retreat.

Founders Friday - Sept. 4

• 10:30 am: First Semester, Bl. 7 PE/Health
• 11:30am: First Semester, Bl. 8 PE/Health
• 1:15-2 pm: ACTIVITY FAIR: All students are encouraged to find out about all of this year’s clubs and student organizations, and attend the virtual Activity Fair. If you are new to a club, feel free to pop into the Zoom link listed. If you are a member from a prior year, you are welcome to fill out the appropriate signup sheet. All links can be found on the Founders Friday Schoology page.
• 2 pm: Frosh Fam Time
• Office Hours
  • 9 am — LOTE
  • 10 am — Math
  • 11 am — Religious Studies
  • Noon — Science
  • 1 pm — Social Studies & College Advising
  • 2 pm — English

Technology Shout Out: Update for Chromebook Users
We recently discovered an issue that some Chromebook users were having with Zoom Breakout rooms. Our Director of Information Technology Jerry Vigil created a solution for our faculty to use while also working with Zoom to address the issue directly. Yesterday evening, Zoom created a patch that has been applied and seems to have resolved the issues. We will continue to monitor and do all we can to provide strong support for our students and faculty. Thank you to Mr. Vigil for addressing this issue and for helping Zoom improve their product and services.

Dear SHC Families,

Congratulations on making it through the first several days of the 20-21 school year! It has been an unique start for all of us. Thank you for all you’re doing to make the experience a positive and enriching one for your children, our students. 

As the United States Postal Service has been in the news recently, I’m reminded of their unofficial motto: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” In our context, I think of you and what our unofficial motto could be: “Neither COVID, nor fires, nor air quality, nor rolling blackouts, nor Schoology disruptions, nor Zoom software updates, will stay these parents from ensuring that their children are engaging in learning.” Today, for those faculty who were teaching from their on-campus classrooms and their students, we added an unexpected fire alarm/drill - still we persevered! Thank you for all you’re doing on behalf of your sons and daughters. A few updates and reminders are shared below.

Stay safe, be well, and God bless you all.


Back to School Night 2020
The SHC Faculty extend a warm invitation to our parents and guardians for Back To School Night 2020, happening online next Thursday, September 3, from 6:00 to 8:30pm. Please use the Back to School Night links posted on each of your child’s Schoology course pages OR the links your son/daughter will share with you next Monday to join each course. (The students do not yet know that they will be helping us with the invitation, but they are strong collaborators!) The evening’s schedule follows. *Note that not all students have a block 7, 8, or 9, and that only the 9th Grade students enrolled in First Semester PE/Health classes will meet at Back to School Night.

Class Block / Meeting Time

Block 1 — 6 - 6:10 pm
Block 2 — 6:15 - 6:25
Block 3 —6:30 - 6:40
Block 4 — 6:45 - 6:55
Block 5 — 7 - 7:10
Block 6 — 7:15 - 7:25
*Block 7 — 7:35 - 7:45
*Block 8 — 7:50 - 8:00
*Block 9 — 8:10 - 8:20

While our counselors and advisors will not be part of Back to School night programming, they have been and will host meetings such as the Frosh Parent & Guardian Counseling Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 9th, from 6:00 to 7:00pm (links forthcoming), and are happy to work with individual parents who email them directly.

Founders Friday

9th Grade Students
A reminder that those enrolled in PE/Health for the first semester are required to attend these classes on Founders Friday at the following times. Links for both PE and Health are posted on the course Schoology pages.

Block 7: 10:30 - 11:15

Block 8: 11:30 - 12:15

Frosh Fam time starts promptly at 1:00pm and ALL 9th graders are expected to attend. Students have received an email from their Frosh Fam leader.

All Students
SHC Hot Ones premieres at 2 pm. This week’s conversation features Mr. Rocha interviewing Mr. Lim and Ms. Villa from the Admissions Office.

When they are not participating in other Founders Fridays’ activities, please encourage your children to attend office hours. Faculty plan units that require work and engagement throughout the week, including Friday and some weekend homework. Office hours provide an opportunity for clarification, questions, and academic support. Moreover, it is another opportunity to connect, unite, and build community with peers while supporting their own learning.

Office Hours

9 am — LOTE
10 am — Math
11 am — Religious Studies
Noon — Science
1 pm — Social Studies & College Advising
2 pm — English

Parent Association Survey for Planning
Please take a few moments to complete the Parents Association survey linked here (and posted on the Parents Association Schoology page) by Friday, September 4th. Your responses will help determine the programming for this year’s monthly Parents Association meetings.

Information on Student ID cards
The recent State Law SB-972 requires the following information to be listed on the back of Student ID cards in the State of California: a Crisis Text Line, a National Domestic Violence Hotline, and a National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. As some students will be taking pictures tomorrow and receiving their Student ID cards, we wanted to make you aware of this law and the information printed on these cards.

Cohorts for future on-campus, in-person/hybrid learning
For your future planning purposes, below are the cohorts, by grade, for when we are able to be back on campus. We found that dividing the cohorts at different spots alphabetically for each grade level yielded the most class sections that will have 16 or fewer students in a class meeting. What follows are the names for each dividing point by grade level. Based on these divisions, there are some sibling pairs that would fall into separate cohorts. We will contact those families individually about which cohort they have been assigned.

Blue Cohort
9th Grade: Adelman, D. to MacNamara, A.
10th Grade: Abbot, I. to Lee, J.
11th Grade: Aclan, S. to Lew, D.
12th Grade: Alapati, I. to Johns, I.

Green Cohort
9th Grade: Madden, S. to Zhong, M.
10th Grade: Li, K. to Zwolinski, J.
11th Grade: Lewis, K. to Zhao, A.
12th Grade: Jones, E. to Zogaric, H.

An Important Closing Note on Race and Justice
We have all seen footage of the recent events in Kenosha, Wisconsin - a police shooting of Jacob Blake, subsequent protests and the shooting of protesters by a 17-year-old boy. These painful realities impact us all, including our students. We encourage you to talk with your children about these issues and have them reach out to their school counselor or a trusted teacher, moderator, coach to talk.

In April, we communicated the following to the entire SHC community:

"Our mission statement calls us to "provide the finest education in an inclusive Catholic community of faith.” In order to achieve this mission, our education must include clear and effective teaching on inclusion, anti-racism, equity and justice. We endeavor to inculcate in our students the intrinsic dignity of each person throughout our curriculum and our co-curricular programs. In order to more effectively realize this fundamental aspect of our mission, we are establishing a task force that will: 1) Help guide professional development in equity and inclusion required of all faculty during the coming year; 2) Liaison with school administration to focus on promoting equity and inclusion in academics, co-curriculars, and campus life; 3) Research and help select professional partner organizations that can assist in on-going professional development and student development in this area; and 4) Collaborate with the WCEA/WASC Accreditation Visiting Team to help define and articulate future goals, steps, and resources to promote a culture of inclusion and respect that pervades our entire campus and community.

Later in the Spring, we created a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group that Dr. Angelic Bailon is coordinating. In the weeks leading up to this academic year, we included professional development for all our faculty and staff with an external consultant. We know that many of our faculty have integrated the difficult realities experienced this week into their curriculum and classroom conversations. As we continue through this year, and in the years to come, we are committed by our mission to address issues of equity and justice throughout our curriculum and programming.

Dear SHC Families and Students,



Based on the current health indicators and our communication with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) and in consultation with the Brothers, Daughters, and Archdiocese of San Francisco, the school administration has decided to extend the use of our Distance Schedule through October 9, 2020, the end of the first marking period.



In making these decisions, we are attempting to balance our desire to be on-campus and in-person as soon as safely possible and the need for families, teachers, and the school to plan ahead. We want to offer some degree of stability and certainty to the extent that we are able. At present, we think making decisions approximately one month in advance for about one month at a time will strike this balance. Thus, we aim to have our next schedule update go out about one month from now, approximately mid-September.



We want to reiterate that our faculty have been and will continue to develop online teaching as our primary instructional delivery method (or as the primary vehicle for sharing curriculum and developing skills). We will continue to prioritize connecting with students in various ways and providing a continuity of learning no matter what schedule is used as we adjust to an ever-changing pandemic. Daily attendance for all classes will be taken at the beginning of each class period. Founders Fridays offer more opportunities for connection. We are planning a variety of spirit-building, faith formation, and online social activities to engage students beyond the digital classroom. Some of this programming will also take place in the Founders Programming time noted on Monday - Thursday afternoons.



In addressing the current context, we are called to unite as people of faith and hope, modeling these virtues for our students, your children. Please encourage them to keep to an established routine throughout the week and to ensure they are getting enough sleep. Encourage them to go outside and to exercise each day, if possible. As a matter of public health, we encourage you all (in consultation with your primary health care provider) to get the flu shot this fall per CDC and SFDPH recommendations. 



The challenges we all face are real and difficult. We are proud of you and our entire community for your endurance and unity as together we navigate this pandemic. Thank you for physical distancing, wearing masks and practicing healthy hygiene (e.g., washing hands). Our ability to return to on-campus, in-person learning depends on following these protocols going forward. Let us continue to pray for one another and those most severely impacted by this disease.



Be safe, be well, and live Jesus in our hearts, Forever.

Sincerely,
Gary J. Cannon, EdD
Principal

P.S. At the suggestion of some families, we will be sending out a Google Form for anyone who wants to connect with other SHC families in their neighborhoods. While the school will not be involved in setting up any student “learning pods” (virtually or in-person), we are happy to connect families who may have some interest in supporting one another in this way. We ask that everyone comply with all health orders and directives from the SFDPH (see below regarding “learning pods”) to keep yourselves, each other, and our community safe.



The SHC form will ask you to fill out your name (parent/guardian name), the school year of your child/children (9, 10, 11, 12), your zip code, your email address, and a phone number (optional). If you choose to participate, you will be granting us permission to share this information with the other families in your zip code who participate. No one is required to participate. This is completely voluntary.



Learning Pods (per SFDPH)
SFDPH has released a tip sheet for parents and caregivers who are forming learning pods. As of August 2020, indoor gatherings with people outside your household are not permitted. This tip sheet gives you information and resources to help you assess the risk and benefits of joining a Learning Pod and provides guidance on reducing risks if you choose to participate.



Tip Sheet: Reducing COVID-19 Risks for Learning Pods:
https://www.sfdph.org/dph/aler...

Please check the following sites for regular COVID-19 updates:

• https://www.sfcdcp.org/communi...

• https://sf.gov/topics/coronavi...

• https://www.sfcdcp.org/infecti...

• https://data.sfgov.org/stories...

• https://oewd.org/assistance-gu...

As we noted in our July 1 communication to all of our current families, “new information and changing circumstances may require us all to adjust our schedule, both at the beginning and throughout the school year.” As of Friday, July 17, San Francisco County has been newly placed on the state’s Monitoring List. Governor Newsom and the California Department of Public Health have declared that no school may conduct in-person learning until their county is off the Monitoring List for at least 14 days.

Our planning for fall included three schedules that use the same structure and times for consistency, simplicity and adaptability. At this point, we will utilize our Distance Learning schedule to begin this school year (view schedules). To most effectively plan and to provide as smooth an opening to the school year as possible, we are committed to using our Distance Learning schedule until at least September 4.

As also stated in our July 1 communication, our faculty are developing online teaching as our primary instructional delivery method (or as the primary vehicle for sharing curriculum and developing skills). We will continue to prioritize connecting with students in various ways and providing a continuity of learning no matter what schedule is used as we adjust to an ever-changing pandemic. Daily attendance for all classes will be taken.

Please note that the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has finalized their decision to delay high school sports until December or January (CIF info).

As we have consistently reinforced in all our communications, SHC students, faculty and staff, and families have a shared responsibility to protect one another. As service-oriented leaders committed to living the Gospel, we are called to walk this journey together and to focus on the common good. Thank you for physical distancing, wearing masks and practicing healthy hygiene (e.g., washing hands). You all continue to be in our prayers.

Be safe, be well, and live Jesus in our hearts, Forever.

Sincerely,
Melinda Lawlor Skrade, PhD
President

Gary J. Cannon, EdD
Principal