Preparations for Return to In-Person Instruction 

Dear St. Francis Parish School Family, 

We have never been so grateful and proud of your accomplishments.  I know that you – our students, faculty, and staff – have worked tirelessly and adjusted rapidly to distance learning.  In many cases you had to modify your daily routines and work life to adjust to the challenges social distancing brought us.  I recognize this was not easy and applaud your resilience and commitment to making academic excellence a priority.  Together we worked tirelessly to ensure our students were taught their full curriculum without interruption.  

Due to our commitment to classroom technology, our SFPS students seamlessly transitioned to a successful distance learning model using platforms such as Google Classroom and ClassDojo. The distance learning experience has shown us the need to continue developing even better resources and teaching methods that will engage our students and provide quality instruction.  We know it is important to return to in-person instruction to regain the highest quality educational experience consistent with our mission and values, and we have begun working towards that goal. 

SFPS is focusing on the health and safety of our students and staff as we prepare for reopening, hopefully as scheduled in August.  We thought it was important to share our reopening preparations with you now, rather than waiting until every aspect is worked out.  We will receive specific guidance from the Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Fresno.  This document, along with state and local public health authorities’ recommendations, will guide our planning process.  Fortunately, our relatively small classroom sizes puts us at a great advantage to successfully return to in-person instruction during the pandemic. Small class sizes allow us to adhere to physical distancing guidelines while maintaining a learning environment where students will continue to develop socially, spiritually, and intellectually.  

Expect some necessary, but temporary changes at our school in the coming months as we strive to protect the health and lives of the most vulnerable among us.  Our SFPS Staff has been working to procure equipment for improved hygiene practices, to explore possible modification to class size and schedule, evaluate different ways of using campus spaces, and enhance our use of technology to provide instruction.  Some of the changes we expect to implement include; temperature pre-screening of staff, students, and visitors, rigorous hand washing practices, and methods to maintain 6-foot physical distancing.  To the extent possible, and as recommended by the CDC, it may be important to create smaller student/teacher groups to limit the mixing of student groups throughout the day. This approach minimizes the chance of a wider community transmission of coronavirus in the event any student, teacher or staff member or a member of their household tests positive and becomes ill with COVID-19 symptoms.   

We need to continue to be flexible and open to new ways of managing our school days for a while longer.  Our intentions are to make our plans student-centered to give our kids the best support we can possibly provide while balancing all the constraints of our ongoing situation.  We all need to be prepared to shift back to the distance learning model if local public health conditions require it.   

We will provide updates of our reopening plan as soon as we have them.  We want to work collaboratively with our school community to have a successful and comprehensive plan.  We are certain that we will be able to balance expectations, protective measures, and financial constraints during these unique times.  Please click here for helpful resources identified by our school counselor, Mrs. Othart.  She can be reached at dothart@stfrancisparishschool.com for additional assistance.