Dear St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School Families,
HAPPY SUMMER! You have all certainly earned the break this year --- students and parents. Thank you, again, for your amazing partnership during our fourth quarter as we partnered even more deeply. Your efforts paid off as our students continued to grow and ended the 2019-2020 year strong. Now, I pray you are enjoying some time for rest and rejuvenation with a break from work with just a little summer reading to keep those reading skills strong!
😊
On campus, we are excitedly preparing for an excellent start to the 2020-2021 year. Our plan is still to return August 12th with the chance to meet the teacher on August 11th. Even with this plan, we are also preparing for whatever may happen in a world that is uncertain at this time. Currently, we wait for updates from organizations which help with our local decision-making. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) and TCCBED (Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops Education Department) both plan to make announcements soon in which they will share recommendations and guidelines for reopening schools.
Later today you will receive a separate e-mail from me including a
parent survey
from TCCBED. Please take the time to complete this survey before June 30th. The results from this survey will help TCCBED form their recommendations for the reopening of schools in August.
This information, along with decisions made by Conroe ISD, will be considered when making our plan.
As a reminder, we are not required to follow the same plans as Conroe ISD. Because the size of our school differs greatly from our public school counterparts, we may be able to implement different protocols and procedures which allow for increased time on our campus. We are currently working on spacing in our classrooms, ordering no-contact thermometers, stocking up on sanitizers, and coordinating with facilities to ensure all rooms are adequately cleaned throughout the school day. Additionally, we continue to firm up our blended learning platforms and programs so that we may best serve our students and families in any future situation we may find ourselves in. Thank you for your continued support and prayers that our year may begin normally in August with our Dolphins in our classrooms ready and eager to learn!
New Members of the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School Staff:
- Mrs. Kari Faw – Kindergarten Teacher
- Mrs. Yvette Flot – Pre-K4 Assistant
- Mrs. Lauren Harris – Pre-K4 Teacher
- Mrs. Sarah Hernandez – Kindergarten Assistant
- Mrs. Martha Insignares – Middle School Math Teacher
- Ms. Mary Macora – 2nd Grade Teacher
- Mrs. Keri Meyer – 1st Grade Teacher
- Mrs. Hilda Serrano – Beyond the Bell
- Ms. Kaitlyn Schmidt – Counselor
- Mr. Ken Wetzel – Assistant Principal, Middle School & Auxiliaries
Additional Staffing Changes:
Mrs. Lexie Lyons will lead our PACE Program serving our students with learning differences.
Mrs. Heather Blakesley will increase her hours as she expands our Enrichment Program to continue to serve all of our students and teachers at every grade level.
Middle School Advisory teams:
6th Grade: Martha Insignares & Kristi Parks
7th Grade: Robert Barnes & Kelly Sturgeon
8th Grade: Nestor Cayanan & Sarah Turner
EXPANDED ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
- Expanded Enrichment Program - We are thrilled to announce that our Enrichment Program is expanding next year. Mrs. Blakesley will be full-time providing additional support for our teachers as they enrich lessons and meet the needs of all learners. She will also have the opportunity to provide additional enrichment extension lessons in the classrooms for students of all grade levels!
- Art Club – This club will be offered for our 3rd – 5th grade students. Mrs. Ettman will meet weekly with students to introduce them to new forms of Art giving additional time to develop their artistic skills and let them continue to improve their ability to express themselves through art.
- Rosary Club – This club will be led by our Christian Ministry Leadership Team, Mrs. Blouin and Mr. Cayanan. 2nd – 8th graders may join together and pray the Rosary on Tuesday mornings in the library beginning at 7:15 am. Students will then be able to go directly to class.
FAMILY HANDBOOK UPDATE:
As you may remember, many updates were made to last year’s Family Handbook. For that reason, this year’s handbook will have primarily minor changes. We have included the 2020-2021 Family Handbook below and on our website.
I am SO excited for our school year to begin in August. I have missed seeing our families and I know the students have missed being at school. 2020-2021 will be a great year with teachers committed to the continued educational and spiritual growth of all of our students. Next year’s theme is “
BELIEVE
”. We have never needed a strong faith more than now. Thank you for believing in our teachers, administration, your students and yourselves as we trust that our God will see us through this and make us stronger on the other side. Be looking for more information as the new school year approaches! Looking forward to seeing you in August!
Only by His Grace,
Veronica D. Tucker
Principal
