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Covid-19 Update
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March 15, 2020March 25th Update
Good afternoon Eagle Nation!
It is with a heavy heart that I am reaching out to you this afternoon as Gov. Walz had to make a difficult decision in closing schools and asking educators to implement Distance Learning through May 4th. Although this is not the outcome that we were hoping for, OLP is ready to rise to the occasion and continue to provide an excellent Catholic education regardless of the obstacles that lay before us.
I know that there will be many questions in the coming days as we tackle Distance Learning together and what that means and looks like for us as a community. Below are a few highlights I would like to point out as we move forward.- I ask that we are all patient with each other as Distance Learning is new to all of us. There will be bumps in the road and we will troubleshoot as needed. Do not hesitate to reach out to me or your classroom/advisory teacher with any questions.
- The purpose of Distance Leaning for ELP through 8th grade is to continue learning and progressing our students through the curriculum as if they were in the building.
- OLP is looking into refunding families who are paying for Extended Day services while the school building is closed (3 PM-6 PM preschool through 8th grade). We will provide more details as we finalize plans.
- If you have been financially impacted by the effects of COVID19 due to job loss and are concerned about tuition payments, please reach out to me directly at pberry@olpmn.org.
- Currently, OLP does not have the resources or staffing to provide childcare for our families who are considered 'essential workers'. That being said, we are working with two other surrounding Catholic schools to collaborate programming. As time progresses, OLP may be able to institute child care but please plan on other care for the time being. OLP is doing everything we can to find a solution for families who need child care due to their required work outside of the house.
God Bless,
Paul Berry | Principal
Good morning-
It is a privilege to partner with you in the education of the children of our community. As a Catholic school, we are not confined only to the pursuit of academic excellence. We take seriously our responsibility care for the physical and spiritual needs of every child in our school. This commitment has caused us to consider very carefully how we might best serve our families during this time of state and national emergency related to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Following guidance from the Center for Disease Control and other health educational experts across the state and country, the Archdiocese has strongly recommended that all Catholic schools pause this week to make plans for the likelihood of broader school closure. We are announcing that Our Lady of Peace Catholic School will close on Tuesday, March 17th and for the duration of this week for teachers and school leadership to plan together how to best meet the academic, physical, and spiritual needs of the student body. This closure impacts all school-related activities, including extracurricular and sporting practices and events.
We know this is hard news. We are working on gathering resources for those of you who may need additional support during this time. We are actively learning from the many states in the region, along with almost half of the Catholic dioceses in the United States, who have decided to close their schools for a varying duration in an effort to respond prudentially and reasonably to the changing circumstances of the national emergency.
Please continue to monitor your email for further updates. OLP will release another communication by end of day Monday, March 16th with more details regarding our long term distance learning plan for the coming week and post-spring break if necessary.
Thank you again for your patience and support.
Sincerely,
Mr. Berry