Dear Prince Families:
As we return from our spring staycations, the faculty and staff are poised and ready for a strong finish for the last five weeks of school. I have been surprised at the number of excellent preparatory schools who, due to various limitations, have reverted to “pass/fail” classes. It bears repeating that the hardware and software previously implemented in grades 6-12 as a part of our strategic plan, PACS 2023, have been critical to our success. To continue on a trajectory of advancement, the changes below are implemented to enhance students’ performance moving forward.
To Middle and High School Students and Parents:
Principals and teachers have communicated that classes will continue to meet Monday through Thursday with Friday morning now a time for students to complete assignments. Friday mornings will be used by teachers to plan for the upcoming week, and students will receive an email from each teacher each Friday BEFORE noon containing the goals and assignments for the following week. Starting at 12:30 each Friday afternoon, all students in grades 6-12 will participate in mandatory fifteen-minute classes with each teacher as the written instructions received earlier that morning are reviewed, and students are given the opportunity to ask questions.
If you are a parent of a middle or high school student, your student should be “online and in-class” on Friday afternoons between 12:30 and 3:05 to listen to their teachers explain expectations for the following week, and I encourage you to ensure they attend these classes and ask questions. These change have been instituted in response to parent surveys and staff observations with the following three goals: (1) enhance communication between teachers and students to reduce students’ anxiety, (2) provide more class time for students to complete assignments, and (3) provide teachers with more planning time as their working hours have increased due to the need to develop/deliver and post/grade content online.
To the Parents of Seniors:
Our faculty and staff remain committed to ensuring that high school graduation for the PACS Class of 2020 is a celebratory event, especially in the wake of memories the class will not make these closing weeks of school. On Wednesday of this week, you will receive an online survey with different graduation options to review and answer with your senior. The options presented are the collective efforts of our administrative leadership team, and I would like your opinions and preferences on these options before a decision is made. I have communicated to many graduating classes in the past that a high school graduation ceremony is just as important to parents and family members as it is to the graduates, so it is only appropriate that as partners in your students’ education, we seek your preferences for this important event.
To All Parents:
The collective performance of our family-school community has risen to meet the challenges presented us, and our shared belief in the transformative power of Jesus Christ celebrated today, Easter Sunday, is an agent that binds us together as a school like few other schools can. We have a well-constructed plan to complete this school year, and as a faculty and staff, we have the creative spirit and endurance to complete the final steps of this unexpected journey alongside you. To Him be the glory.
With warm regards and in His service,
