Greetings,

I pray this note finds you happy, healthy, and holy as we enter summer break. I want to start by thanking all of our students and their families for partnering with us as we implemented eLearning beginning Wednesday, March 18th. The feedback that parents provided during online instruction to me as well as our wonderful staff was very positive overall. I have regularly been reminded of the great work our faculty and staff have done and the renewed appreciation for those that work in the education field.

At the same time, we also recognize that our immediate move to online learning occurred without advanced preparation or last-lasting reflection. As we continue to plan for a variety of scenarios for August, please understand that it is our goal to physically return to school with all students on Wednesday, August 26th for the first day and remain in school for the entire school year following state, local, and Office of Catholic Schools guidelines. As we all know, this is not completely in our control, but we have formed a Return to School Committee and we will be meeting weekly to review scenarios, discuss state and local update, and develop a Health Plan that will be sent to the Virginia Council for Private Education. New information will be provided to families as it is released.

I would like to inform you that Ms. Germek (fourth grade) and Mrs. Lalli (Geometry) will not be returning for the 2020-2021 school year. Ms. Germek has accepted a position in Prince William County and Ms. Lalli will enjoy some additional time at home with her four young children. We wish Ms. Germek and Mrs. Lalli all the best in their future endeavors and please join us as we keep them in our prayers today and all days. Mrs. Conlan, our second-grade instructional assistant, will also not be returning to SJES in the fall. For the 2020-2021 school year, Mrs. Daugherty will split time in both first and second grade as an instructional assistant.

Student lists for our advanced math track (5-8th grade) and Honors Literature/Creative Writing (6-8th grade) have been distributed. The final assessment criteria for these programs will occur the final week in July for those that have been conditionally accepted to the program. Our summer ThinkStretch Program will be offered once again for our K-4th grade students. Please take full advantage of this opportunity to maintain your children’s skill in reading, writing, and math over the summer break. Two sessions will be offered outside at the Pavilion on Thursday, June 25th and Thursday, August 6th. More information is set to go home at the end of this week regarding specifics and our plans to comply with summer program guidelines distributed by the state of Virginia. We remain hopeful that we will be able to reward these students with a ThinkStretch Assembly in September.

Enjoy the beautiful weather and may we continue to pray, learn, and serve,

Mr. Macdonald