August 7, 2020 - Ark of Angels Preschool Update
+
M

Dear Preschool Families,

We are looking forward to welcoming our preschoolers to Ark of Angels! Thank you for your patience as we work through this rather unique start of the school year.

Miss Jean Tynen and Miss Sarah Miller are preparing for another wonderful year at St. Croix Catholic’s Ark of Angels Preschool. In addition, Mrs. Connie Korf is joining the Preschool Team to oversee state licensing requirements. We are grateful for their dedication and care for our little ones.

Please watch for a mailing to your home address within the next few weeks with a few important forms to bring during Welcome Back Week. In the meantime, we would like to provide some high level information regarding the start of the year.

  • Welcome Back Week will be the week of August 31 - stay tuned for more information. There will be a time for a parent and child to visit the classroom, as well as an opportunity to drop-off required paperwork and receive more information about our Preschool.
  • The first day of school will be the week of September 8-11 (depending on your child’s chosen class schedule).
  • Drop-off and pick-up will be curbside on 2nd Street. A teacher will walk with your child from the vehicle and bring them into the building.
  • Only visitors with a scheduled appointment will be allowed to enter the school building. 
  • Preschoolers are not required to wear masks. 
  • Teachers/staff will be wearing masks/shields at all times.
  • While we know that preschoolers, given their age and development, are not able to keep physical distancing practices, in an effort to limit contact, we will maintain a 1:10 teacher/staff to student ratio in each of the two preschool areas/rooms. To clarify, a student may interact with each child in their class sometime throughout the day in the classroom or at recess. As usual, our maximum capacity is 20 students, with a 1:10 teacher/staff to student ratio. While students are able to move from room to room, each space will only have 10 students at a time and students will be encouraged to work in small groups or independently.
  • Most of SCCS’s protocols for returning to the school buildings in a safe and healthy way will apply to Ark of Angels Preschool. For example:
  • We will be asking families to perform a health screening each day before leaving home for school and to follow the guidance of the MDH Decision Tree.
  • An increased cleaning and disinfecting schedule is in place, including midday cleaning of frequently touched surfaces and bathrooms, as well as procedures for disinfecting learning materials. Students will have a container with an individual supply of pencils, scissors, crayons, markers and glue.
  • We are planning for increased outside time (even for lunch), weather permitting.
  • Hand hygiene: Students will wash their hands upon arrival, before and after snack/lunch, after recess, after bathroom use, and prior to leaving for the day.
  • Students will be taught good respiratory hygiene. Thank you for your support from home!
  • Procedures will be put in place should a child show symptoms of illness while at school. We will follow MDH guidance for these procedures. Should a positive case of COVID-19 be confirmed, we will follow guidance given to us regarding communicating to those affected while respecting the privacy of the individuals involved.
  • If you would like to review previous communications sent out by SCCS regarding the start of the school year, visit the SCCS website.
  • Please use this Google Form to ask any further questions. 

Finally, we are committed to prudently discern and regularly evaluate what is in the best interest of our precious little ones and our staff. Should it be necessary for our kindergarten through eighth grade students to move to distance learning for a length of time, we will send a separate communication to our preschool families explaining the possible options for preschool, including addressing the question of tuition. 

While the preschool routine might look a little different this year, the preschool staff is very busy planning an exciting program where our little ones will still be able to use their creativity in play, develop friendships, and learn curriculum. Preschoolers will be able to experience engaging unit themes, Letter and Number of the Week, special science topics, Saint of the Week, classroom pets, outdoor learning activities, as well as many other adventures. An exciting year is being planned for our St. Croix Catholic AoA Preschoolers; what great hands they will be in as we strive always to provide a safe and healthy, faith-based, and nurturing environment for those most precious to the Lord Himself! 

May God bless you as Our Lady, cause of our joy, keeps you.

In Christ,

Sister Maria Ivana, O.P., Principal