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"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe!
Plans to give you a future full of hope."August 29, 2020
Dear Parents and Students of Saint Andrew School,
It is my great pleasure to welcome Saint Andrew School’s 401 students to the 2020-2021 school year! Much work has been done over the summer months to ensure the facilities are prepared for both in-person and virtual learners. Our teachers, dedicated to the mission of Catholic education, attended several professional development workshops in order to provide for the needs of their students in these blended classrooms. Our maintenance crew toiled long and hard to ensure a safe environment for all. While many of us may be a bit anxious to see how this goes, there is an air of promise and hope.
God provides! It’s a message that has come to me in many ways in my career. However, sometimes He makes us wait for the right person to come along. Staff openings have been filled with teachers committed to building a culture of Life and a civilization of Love through faith and knowledge. New members of the faculty include: Mrs. Marianne Albanese in PreK3; Miss Laura Monzo in KA, and Miss Rebecca Ahearn in 2B. I am happy to welcome these teachers to SAS!
Classes convene for students in grades 1 through 8 on Monday, August 31st. Students should wear the spring uniform (shorts or skorts) or the dress uniform (grey trousers and plaid jumper/skirt) each day except on gym days. Preschool and kindergarten parents have received special times for classroom visits from the teachers and should follow those instructions.
Students will need to bring a snack, water bottle and lunch. They will eat lunch before going home for the afternoon. In order to adhere to recommendations for preventing the spread of Covid19, water fountains will be off limits and students are not permitted to share food or utensils. Please be sure to pack a lunch that includes two napkins; one to be used as a place mat and another to be used to wipe face and hands, along with any utensils the child may need.
If you drive your child to school, please adhere to the following traffic pattern:- For both the Fr. McShain building and the Fr. Hughes building, traffic flows along Mason Avenue from Huey Avenue to Highland Avenue.
- Traffic flows along Foss Avenue from Highland to Huey.
- The passenger side of the car should always be on the side of the school so that the students can exit the cars without having to cross the street. We have many students, and none that we want to see injured!
- A map indicating the flow of traffic is attached.
- Helpers will be outside the courtyard area of the Fr. McShain building to assist the child out of the car.
- In order to keep the line moving please pull up as far as possible in the no parking area.
- Students entering the Fr. Hughes building should use the School Lane door closest to Foss Avenue. Mr. Salvatore will be there to greet the students as they enter.
Arrival time is between 7:50AM and 8:00AM. Students will go directly to their classrooms. Staff members will be available to show students the way. Due to Covid19 precautions, all will wear a mask. Parents are not permitted to enter the buildings. Please note that CARES is not available the first week of school. Parents interested in CARES services should meet with Miss Conway on Wednesday, September 2nd at 6:00 PM in McGettigan Hall.
Dismissal time for August 31st, September 1st and September 2nd is at 1:00. Adults picking up car riders from the Fr. McShain building are asked to park the car on side streets near the school and walk to the edge of the schoolyard until a teacher calls for you to meet the child. The drivers will be asked to show identification before the child is released. Drivers are not permitted to park on School Lane as this is where the buses wait. Also, please be mindful and respectful of our neighbors by not blocking their driveway entrances. Bus transportation is provided by the public school districts. All of the districts are providing busing; however, please note that William Penn School District does not provide busing on early dismissal days.
Full days for all students begin on Tuesday, September 8th. Students in Kindergarten through grade 8 arrive at 7:50 and are dismissed at 2:45. Morning CARES opens at 7:30. CARES children in PreK4-Gr. 4 will go to the gym; Grades 5-8 will report to McGettigan Hall. Students in Grades 5-8 arriving prior to 7:50 should use the school yard doors to enter the building.
Back to School Night provides the parents with an initial meeting with your child’s teachers. The teachers will share essential information about curriculum, what to expect in each grade and the teacher’s expectations of the students via a recorded messag. The link to the recording will be sent to you via email on Wednesday, September 2nd. Parents with children in several grades will need to follow the links to the individual grades.
Home and School will offer the hot lunch and pretzel orders again this year. Orders will be accepted monthly online beginning in October. All lunches will be boxed. Bernie's Pretzels is individually wrapping the pretzels for us. Information regarding Home and School membership will be coming soon!
Once again, SAS will offer Science Explorers, Chorus, Piano, The Knight School, and Instrumental Band. Some programs will be in-person while others are virtual. Look for more information regarding these clubs and activities in the upcoming days.
Together, we build a culture of Life and a civilization of Love our world so sorely needs! I look forward to seeing the children on Monday morning. After all, it is for them that we do what we do. It is all good, for it is of God!
May God be praised in all we do!
Helen McLean, Ed.D.
Principal
