Welcome Back to School!

We hope you are enjoying the last of your summer vacation and have had a restful and happy break. Just a few reminders -

School will begin on Monday, August 30th at 7:50 am. Please remember to follow drop off procedures, taking directions for drop off and pick up from staff and volunteers. Again, please do not park and leave your car to walk students to the school entrance.
Drop off/pickup for Grades Pre-K-5 will be in front of school entrance, Grades 6-8 will drop off/pick up on church side, same as last year. Please follow the drop off/pickup procedures according to your youngest child. We are in the process of updating the transportation videos on the school website.
Kindergarten families, please place a large letter K in front window/dashboard and the staff will assist the student to the gym entrance where they will be met by kindergarten Teaching Assistant’s to guide them to class.
A new welcome banner, for outside, has arrived and we hope to have it up to welcome students on the first day of school.
Parent choice or mask requirements will be issued depending on the case numbers per 100,000 in Baltimore County with 7 and below a parent’s choice and 7.1 and above required facemasks. This information will be distributed to families on every Sunday night and will last for that week. Please see the AoB letter on Covid guidelines. If you do need to come into the school building, please follow the mask instructions for that week. We have the commitment of faculty and staff to keeping the building sanitized.
Any student/staff that exhibits Covid-like symptoms will either be sent home to be tested or tested (diagnostic) by the school nurse, at school.
Lunch will be free of charge for the 2021-2022 school year, thanks to a grant. Lunch will be served in the cafeteria (volunteers will be needed) however, we ask that you minimize visits to the school to limit the number of people in the building. Water fountains will be shut off (we are awaiting grant monies to change the water fountains to bottle filling stations), hand sanitizers, disinfectant spray and wipes will be placed in each room. Distancing of 3’ as well as the after-school cleaning crew disinfecting doorknobs, handles and bannisters will be occurring. As always, mask breaks will be given on any day masks are required.
Please keep your calendar open for Meet Mr. Keeley and Mrs. Belz September 2, 2021, at 10:00 am and 6:30 pm. We have sent out a survey for your preference.
I am awaiting to meet with Silver Knights to discuss bringing back chess club, coding, and the robotics club for after school. More information to come.
School wide mass will be celebrated 2x per month and we invite you to join us. If protocols change, we will adjust accordingly.
In the next few weeks, you will be receiving information on signing up for a new app called Pick Up Patrol (PuP). This app, which you may download to your laptop, computer, or phone, will allow you to set a default for dismissal but allow you to notify teachers if there is a change. This eliminates a great many phone calls and confusion at the end of day and dismissal. For example, you may notify the teacher that your child is to go to art club after school, there is a change in who might pick up, or if a child is scheduled for an after-school activity but you need them to go to car line or after care instead. I have used this app many times before and it is a very helpful addition to transitioning to a smooth dismissal. More information will follow.
Student absences may now be reported via our school website. Please click on any of the Parents tabs to view a Report An Absence option. Completing this form will send all necessary information to the School Office and onto your child(ren)'s teachers.
Back to School Nights are scheduled for Wednesday 9/8 and Thursday 9/9 starting at 6:30 pm. More information to come. Both nights are scheduled for in person.
We are planning on as many in person activities as possible, however, keep in mind that AoB guidance may change.
All classrooms have been updated with new BenQ interactive/wireless TVs and we are planning a parent technology night for parents to come in person (or zoom if necessary) to learn how to navigate Seesaw and Google Classroom to check work and assignments. As always, grades will be accessible by Power School.
I wish to thank you for the many welcoming emails I have received since becoming a part of your community. I have received a great deal of support from Fr. Jerry and Fr. Brendan as well as the front office staff/faculty. It has made my transition much smoother and easier.
I truly look forward to meeting and seeing the students. We will have the student school leaders lead prayers in the morning and I hope to have the students record or live stream announcements as soon as possible.

Wishing us all a very happy and safe school year. God Bless you all.
John W. Keeley, Principal