Holy Family Cristo Rey Parents,
Recently, the Alabama State Department of Education published the “Roadmap to Reopening Schools.” While many of the recommendations are not binding for Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School, we have been waiting for the release of this information as a resource for our reopening plans. We intend to not only meet the guidelines and recommendations from the CDC, Department of Education, and others but also exceed them as we establish the best path forward for our Holy Family Cristo Rey community.
As we plan to open the 2020-2021 school year in rapidly changing times, we take counsel and direction from the Alabama Department of Public Health, Alabama Department of Education, Jefferson County Department of Health, City of Birmingham, Cristo Rey Network, and many members of our communities who bring expertise and care to the many concerns we all hold.
Priorities & Considerations
As we make decisions about how to open for the new school year, we have committed to a number of priorities to guide our planning:
- Protect the health and well-being of our scholars and staff, aware that the pandemic is disproportionately affecting the various communities we serve and represent.
- Ensure that academic and workplace learning maintains high standards, recognizing that optimal learning occurs with students and teachers in school rather than mediated by technology at a distance.
- Ensure that there is continuity of teaching and learning systems and schedules (academic and CWSP) available as scholars, families, staff, or communities are variously affected by COVID-19. This continuity means that we will have more than one of the following options operating at any given time:
- Return to normal operations aware that individuals or communities may, by reason of illness or exposure, have to distance.
- Create a hybrid teaching and learning experience that prioritizes in-person engagement while preserving the ability of teachers to support students at a distance.
- A fully online system of synchronous (real-time such as Zoom) and asynchronous (pre-recorded) course and counseling resources for any potential length of time.
We plan to open school in-person on August 24, 2020, and have been working hard this summer to make sure we can welcome scholars back to campus as safely as possible. The option to have your scholars participate in distance learning only will be available. We expect to share our comprehensive reopening plans with you soon.
For now, we are working to provide a safe, secure, and college-preparatory learning environment for our scholars. Stay healthy and safe this summer, and please pray for Holy Family Cristo Rey and the City of Birmingham community.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bethany Knighten
Principal
