July 17, 2020
Dear Parents, 

It is with great excitement that I welcome you to the 20-21 school year. We have been busy getting ready to reopen campus. I am looking forward to welcoming your daughters back and help them adjust to the “new normal.”

I take great solace in the words of Madeleine Sophie in her cry for courage and confidence. With the ongoing (and ever changing) conditions of the pandemic, I think we will need both courage and confidence moving forward, nonetheless, we will move forward together as a community. Our students need to learn and they need to be together and feel the love and support of the Sacred Heart Community. Rest assured we have been working diligently this summer to develop protocols that will make school safe for your daughters’ return.  

We have many new safety protocols in place, including a slightly revised schedule to allow for staggered passing times between classes, so that fewer people are in the hallways at any given time. Please note our new start time is 7:55 a.m. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 11th and 12th graders will dismiss at 3:20 p.m., and 9th and 10th graders at 3:23 p.m. On Wednesdays 11th and 12th graders will dismiss at 2:33 p.m., and 9th and 10th graders at 2:36 p.m.

As I stated in my previous letter we will begin school with orientation on Wednesday, August 12. All students will enter campus through the front gates and come to the Colton Fine Arts Center through the doors closest to St. Charles Avenue. Upon arrival we will take the temperature of each student and assign her to a meeting space. All should wear masks. Students do not need to wear their uniform and do not need to bring anything with them. We will use both sides of the Colton Fine Arts Center, and classrooms on the second floor to safely accommodate the size of the student groups.  

Orientation Schedule
Students should arrive for their scheduled time and will have to depart campus once they have concluded .
  • 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.: Senior Orientation 
  • 10:15 a.m. -11:15 a.m.: Junior/Sophomore Orientation
  • 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Freshmen Orientation
  • 12:30 p.m. -1 p.m.: Freshmen bring your lunch and get to know your homeroom. We will eat outside (weather permitting).  
  • 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.: Freshmen Laptop Distribution (Second Floor Homeroom Classrooms)
  • 4 p.m. -5 p.m.: New Parent/Freshmen Parent Orientation Meeting via Google Meet. We had originally planned this as an in person event, but will now conduct the meeting virtually. Parents will join using the code ashnewparentorientation. We will send a reminder to you closer to the date.

The first day of school is Thursday, August 13. It is a regular A day, and will begin our normal rotation of A and B days. Students can arrive as early as 7:20 a.m. Upper School students will enter either from the large gate (by PJs) on Carondelet or the front gates (on Saint Charles Avenue). Upon arrival we will take the temperature of each student, and she should move directly to homeroom; there is no congregating in the hallways or student lounge. All students will need to wear masks (solid color or ASH themed) throughout the school day. When we open school in August, the lockers and locker rooms will be closed. Students should bring their A day materials to school on an A day and their B Day materials on a B Day, along with their lunch if bringing from home. Each student needs to bring her own writing tools.  

Last, I want to highlight some important changes to the 2020-2021 Upper School Handbook Parent Student Handbook, particularly when it comes to arrival and departure times:
  • The exterior gates and doors will not open and no student will be allowed on campus before 7:20 a.m. Students who arrive prior to 7:20 a.m. will be locked outside the gates.
  • Students will be required to leave campus by 3:45 p.m. unless they are in a school sanctioned chaperoned, supervised activity. Those students in a chaperoned, supervised activity will be required to leave campus as soon as their activity concludes. No student or students will be allowed to stay on campus unsupervised for any reason.

These modifications, and many others that we are making inside the gates, have been planned in alignment with guidance from the city, state and health officials. During orientation we will review with the students in detail the safety protocols that we will be utilizing - how we will maximize the space on our campus, distance appropriately, and how some of our behaviors will need to change. Conscientiously and consistently following all of the protocols will give us the best chance to remain healthy and on campus together.

We are eagerly anticipating your daughters’ return to campus, and look forward to coming together, safely, as an Upper School community. Please reach out to me if you have any questions prior to orientation.

Sincerely,
Julie Boyd
Upper School Division Head
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