Coronavirus Updates

We will be posting information and updates about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and our school’s planning on this page.

If you have any questions, please contact the school office at 818-889-9483.


April 6, 5:00 PM

Welcome to Holy Week. There are resources for all age ranges as well as links to streaming of all Holy Week services. Please check the parish’s website for details as well as the letter from Archbishop Gomez.

Important updates from LA Archdiocese’s Dept. of Catholic Schools as of Friday, April 3rd:

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WILL CONTINUE DISTANCE LEARNING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC

In a video message Archbishop Gomez expresses his gratitude to teachers and praises their dedication as they cope with changes during this challenging time

Senior Director and Superintendent of Schools of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Paul Escala, announced that distance learning at catholic schools would be extended until further notice, following guidance from public health authorities and civic leaders. The Archdiocese had previously announced Catholic school closures with distance learning through April 20.

“In light of the evolving messages we are receiving from civic leaders, I want to provide you with an update from the Archdiocese about the status of our school year. From the start of this crisis, we have followed guidance from county public health officials to determine when we can resume on-campus instruction – this remains the case. Based on the current ‘Safer at Home’ order, we anticipated a return to campus on Monday, April 20th. After consultation with public health officials this week, we expect this order to be extended again, though, we have not been given a date. Instead, we’ve been advised to communicate that a return to in-person instruction will resume when it is safe to do so.We do not know if we will return to campus before the end of the school year and preparing for this reality is now essential. While it remains our hope to return to campus as soon as possible, the health and safety of our students and educators is our top priority.”

In a video message, Archbishop José H. Gomez expressed his gratitude to all Catholic School teachers and encouraged them to continue their ministries in face of the challenging times while they also stay at home taking care of their own children. “I’m very grateful to all of you as you continue your ministry in the schools,” said Archbishop Gomez. “It’s probably a totally different experience because you are home and you may be with your children and it’s difficult to spend the time and concentrate to be able to provide this extraordinary help to so many students in our Catholic Schools.”

*Note from Mrs. Schulte:

In a follow up Zoom meeting for principals with Dr. Tony Galla, the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools, he explained that the Archdiocese spans multiple school districts from Los Angeles to Santa Maria and following local public school districts is not feasible. The word Dr. Galla used for the return to campuses was “indefinite.” Not sure this is helpful for those of us who like clear plans. The main focus is that we will not return to our school campuses until it is deemed safe.

We had a Google Meet staff meeting this AM and the Administration and faculty have agreed to focus on planning for remote learning through the end of the school year with hopes that we may be able to be back for late May/June. The staff’s hope is that any time back will allow us to be together again and to celebrate the Class of 2020. I do promise to the Class of 2020 and their parents/families that we will have a Graduation Mass with blessings, awards and diplomas, hopefully in June but maybe a bit later. I know the same will apply for 2nd Grade and their First Communion Mass. We will have this celebration as well, although the timing may be different.

Update on Remote/Distance Learning:
We are now starting our 4th week of remote/distance learning. The students and faculty are settling into a routine. I have been able to visit several Google Meets and the students are doing great and learning the art of taking turns and listening to each other. We are aware that sometimes a student’s ability to logon is affected by the number of people in your home that are on devices. Most internet carriers are offering added services with educational discounts. Please look into that if needed. If having added devices in your home would help, the school still has about 60 devices to loan. We are glad to work that out for you. We will be looking at adding in other subjects to remote learning when we return from Easter Break. The faculty is working with Mrs. Enos and Mrs. Perez on activities and instruction for Music and Spanish Enrichment. Also, science curriculum for our 2nd to 4th graders. It is a process that involves some creative collaboration and we appreciate your support.

At the faculty level meetings last week, we discussed a need for some Google Meet etiquette to help guide and protect our students. We ask parents to review these basic rules with your children:

  • Google Meets are for school-specific discussions, presentations and lessons.
  • The teacher is the “host” of the meeting and students must follow their guidance as if they were in class together.
  • When a Google Meet ends, students must sign off before the teacher will leave the meeting; i.e. we would never leave students in a “classroom” unsupervised.
  • Students must mute their devices until called on via instructions from their teacher.
  • We expect students to treat each other respectfully. This is not a time for goofy antics and sound effects nor unkind words in a chat box. This would also include wearing silly items or costumes. It distracts from the learning.
  • Google Meets are for the invited SJS members only. Students should not invite external users. This would be more of a concern with our junior high students.
  • It may help students to better focus if their meeting set-up is more “school-like,” i.e. at a desk or table and in an area with less distractions. We have seen some great set-ups with students doing this (headsets and all).

Many thanks for all your feedback and support. Please feel free to reach out with any question or concern. We are navigating this process together. Take good care of yourselves and your families. Wishing you a blessed and holy Easter.


April 1, 6:00 PM

Welcome to Day #11 of remote/distance learning. I know teachers are rolling out Google Meet times with the students and I have been able to “pop in” to a few and it is so good to see your children.

You can tell that they are excited to see each other as well. There is a bit of a learning curve with these video meetings and teachers and students, alike, are really working hard at “Google Meet” etiquette.

It is a skill to get a whole group of students to mute their devices and then learn how to ask or answer questions one at a time and not over each other. I am proud of everyone’s efforts.

The official return date from the LA Archdiocese is currently Monday, April 20th, but I do expect that to be extended and the faculty is planning accordingly. We know that we will be in this mode of learning for a while. Will keep you informed as we receive updates.

I want to thank each of you for your support and patience. We know that juggling your children’s learning along with working remotely at home and just managing being all together all the time is challenging. Know that we will get through this together.

Financial help and support:
In light of supporting each other, I have discussed with Fr. Jim as well as the new principal, Mr. Freel, about what is needed for families financially during this crisis. Please know that the school depends on tuition to support operations (especially salaries and benefits for staff). However, we need to do what we can to be realistic and supportive. No doubt, having to cancel the last two major fundraisers for the year (Jaguar Jogathon and PTG Casino Night) will be a hit to the school’s bottom line.

For the current school year’s tuition:
If this current crisis is affecting your family’s jobs and income, we are willing to work together on making needed adjustments. Please see the attached form to be completed for us to review and work out a plan for you. The school does still have some reserved financial assistance to give, but other options can be extending or adjusting current payments. Please reach out if you need this assistance.

For the 2020-2021 school year:
Due to the current unstable economic environment and all the unknowns, there will NOT be an increase in tuition for the 2020-2021 school year. Tuition will remain at $7,100.00 for one student along with discounts for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th children. The faculty and staff’s salaries/hourly rates will also remain the same for 20.21 so the budget will be balanced. We are raising the General Fee from $550.00 to $600.00 to account for added costs for textbooks and consumables. We will bill this fee when things have calmed down (probably in June).

If you feel that you will need financial assistance, the school does have an annual allotted amount of assistance to give. It is a requirement of the school and parish for the Smart Tuition Aid process to be completed to be considered for this assistance. Fr. Jim and I will be reviewing these requests in early May for 20.21 grants. See attached guidelines for this process.

To help with budgeting planning for the 20.21 school year, the school does need to have a fairly firm enrollment number of who will be returning. Please complete this quick online survey. No money is needed at this time, we are just looking for you to say yes to Fall 2020. The preliminary budget for the 20.21 school year is due downtown in mid-May (I know that sounds a bit crazy).

I wish the news and updates were a bit more positive.

Tuesday, April 7th Noon to 5:00 PM
  • Kinder to 4th: drop off of completed work in bins by the front office. Pick up of added packet materials on backpack hooks.
  • 5th Grade pick up of added religion book.
  • *Adults only on campus
EASTER BREAK will be Friday, April 10th through Sunday, April 19th – break from remote learning and teaching for students and faculty.
I have had some great conversations with parents along with some supportive e-mails during this crisis and, as with any challenge, there are rays of hope. A few things that I have seen or heard:
  • A stronger sense of being neighbors…in our own neighborhood in Encino, folks are checking in on each other, especially elderly neighbors.
  • I see more families just out walking and riding together (with a lot more dads present).
  • Being able to Google Meet with my family back east (my grandson is wondering why Mimi and Papa are on his Apple TV).
  • Fr. Jim and his committee honoring social distancing but still moved forward to ensure that a good candidate for principal could be hired.
I am always so amazed and touched by this school community and the SJS faculty and staff. We may have our differences but this community always pulls together when needed. Miss you all.

March 25, 6:00 PM:

Please know that we are keeping you and your children in our prayers. The #1 priority right now is the health and safety of our children and families. We are all adjusting to what “Safer at Home” looks like for each of us.

See attached letter from the Superintendent of schools for the LA Archdiocese, Mr. Paul Escala.  The anticipated return date to school, as of this Splash, is Monday, April 20th.

Also attached is an update from Archbishop Gomez regarding all liturgical celebrations, including Mass. It has been announced on the news that all Catholic churches are closed.

SJS Remote Learning:
We are now into our 2nd week of being out of school and it definitely seems longer than that. We had a three-day weekend after our accreditation visit and then all of life changed that weekend.

The faculty came back on that Monday, March 16th and began to plan remote learning for the school. Parents came in on Tuesday and picked up books, workbooks and packets. Active remote learning started in earnest on Wednesday, March 18th. I think it seems like so much more because of the needed social restrictions. I, literally, drive to and from work.

I believe there are two goals for our remote learning:
1. For the teachers to create lessons and work for the student that keeps them engaged and on track as much as possible.
2. To learn to add in online components that allow the students to interact with their teachers as well as each other (this social piece is as important as the learning).

Our Plan:
The school will be using Google Meet/Hangout as the school’s online interactive platform (in addition to 5th to 8th continuing to use Jupiter Ed). The faculty was trained on Google Meet on Monday, March 23rd. The teachers are already practicing setting up meetings and creating videos to share for feedback with each other.

Some of the uses of Google Meet will be for pre-recorded lessons and others for active discussions (our goal is for it to be a mix of both).

Examples: Miss Vitelli would like to have an 8th grade class discussion next week about the book the class is currently reading, To Kill a Mockingbird. Mr. Fremed would like to record an algebra lesson on upcoming new material. Mrs. Cole would like to read to her Kinder students. Each of the teachers is coming up with creative ways to use this platform.

We have created school email addresses for all students (all email is a part of our G-Suite subscription; powered by Google).

Each student will have an e-mail such as: FirstNameLastName@stjudeschool.org. Using this platform will allow teachers to create a secure and safe meeting place for our teachers and students.

We have had a few parents working on trying to connect our students using other platforms such as Zoom. I have learned that some of these platforms work great for college-level instruction and certainly for businesses. I attend Zoom sessions frequently with other principals and supervisors with the LA Archdiocese. However, these platforms are not regulated. We have found that Google Meet/Hangout is a much safer platform for K-8 students.

The plan is for the faculty to start using Google Meet with their students, in a variety of ways, starting on Monday, March 30th.

Ultimately, it is my responsibility, as principal, to keep our students safe in all ways whether we are actively on this campus or together virtually. I appreciate your understanding and support.

Other updates:

Teacher hours:
The faculty will be available to you and your students during regular school hours (between 8am and 3pm). They are checking email regularly and trying to respond in a timely manner. I do expect my teachers to take evenings and weekends off to recharge and connect with their own families.

School office hours:
Mrs. Frawley and I will be in the school office Monday to Thursdays, normally between 8am and noon. Please call ahead if you need something from the campus. We still have laptops to loan if needed. Fridays the campus will be closed. Mr. Carlos and Miss Martha are deep cleaning all areas of the campus to be ready when the students return.

Pick-up and drop-off of work and materials for Kinder to 5th Grades: Tuesday, April 7th between noon and 5pm
The teachers will have added packets, textbooks or workbooks for the students to pick up as well as have bins for the drop off of completed work to be reviewed. Again, we would like this to be parents only if possible. Materials in bags will be hanging on their backpack hooks outside each classroom. Turn in bins will be on tables outside of the office.

Staffing:
Mrs. Johnson, part of our Jr. High staff and 6th Grade HR teacher, is extending her family leave until the end of this school year. With all that is going on, she will be staying home with her two little ones. Miss Pantoja will be her replacement for the balance of the 2019-2020 school year.

Event Updates:
Mrs. Howard, our webmaster, is keeping the SJS website calendar current. She is posting all info and updates regarding the coronavirus on a special page under the parent portal (password is “splash”).

All events that were scheduled to happen before Easter have been cancelled. We hope to reschedule the Jaguar Jogathon when we are back in school. We are looking at other events in late April as well as May and will give updates when we have more information about the return to campus such as the Spring Drama show “The Lion King” and especially any events for our graduating Class of 2020.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. We are all navigating our way through this very unique situation. Take good care of yourselves and each other.


March 23, 9:00 AM:

Mrs. Frawley and I are on campus till about noon today, if you still need to borrow a laptop. We still have lots to loan.  Please call first.

Faculty and Admin will be participating @ 10am in a remote training on how to use Google Meet so we can have class discussions, contact with parents as well as staff meetings virtually.

We are looking at added ways to expand on-line learning and contact.   We will also be looking at how we will disseminate and collect written packet work (mainly from Kinder to 4th) in a safe way.  We have some ideas. We will keep you posted.


March 20, 12:30 PM:

Some guidelines for SJS Remote Learning:
I have asked my faculty to take the weekend to relax and not be connected.
Please do the same with yourselves and your children.
We need to figure out what new “Safer at Home” weekends look like (and we need weekends). I plan on doing yard work!
I will be on campus Monday 9am till about noon if anyone stills needs a laptop.


March 20, 10:30 AM:

SJS Remote Learning School extended to April 19th. Faculty being trained to add more features for remote learning. Will keep you all updated about the continued plan via the Splash.

If you need a laptop, please call first or stop by today before noon. Also glad to give you copy paper if needed. We have lots of school supplies not being used right now, glad to share. We will continue to stay in touch.


March 19, 2:30 PM:

Many thanks for your ongoing support and understanding as we navigate and learn what remote/distance learning will look like for your children/our students. We know that these are anxious times and things are changing daily (even hourly).

I have been updated by staff and parents as well as checked in on what our local school districts are doing (Conejo, Las Virgenes, Simi and Oak Park). Please know that what the school can do about the closure dates is different from how we closed the school for the fires. We have to follow directives from the LA Archdiocese’s Department of Catholic Schools and I know they do take guidance from the public schools in the archdiocese, especially the largest school district, LAUSD.

Our initial time away is still March 17th to March 31st.
I will send out information immediately with any changes in those dates. Faculty is planning through the end of the Easter Break which is a good educated guess at this point.

We have been reviewing what was initially given to parents on Tuesday and know that we do need to do some tweaking and adjusting. We will be sure that there is not any assignment/project that requires you to either leave your home or order any outside materials. We ask for your patience as we continue to adjust and modify.

Please know, we are aware that families need to stay home for safety.

We have had several questions about other platforms that will be added to our remote/distance learning. We are being trained Monday on Google Meet (already part of the educational resources we have available to use). I understand it is very similar to ZOOM, which several of you have recommended to the school and is used often in the business world. The 5th to 8th grade team is using expanded aspects of Jupiter Ed as well as 6th to 8th’s continued use of Edmodo.

We completed task #1 for ensuring remote learning which is making sure every student will have a school-designated Gmail address to use.

Update on planning:

  • The faculty will be in on Monday and will be working in a few classrooms to give us space from each other and will be learning and practicing Google Meet.
  • We also will be developing a longer-range plan with details of our remote learning and will send out to families early next week.
  • We will discuss whether or not to give us all (faculty and students) a break from learning during the traditional Easter Break. I know we are all very conscious of the preciousness of instructional time and what we know we are missing.

Loan of devices:
Please know that the school has Lenovo laptops/chargers to loan to you. Please call the office and we will arrange a time for you to come and pick up a device. Friday, Mrs. Schulte will be on campus from 9:00 AM until noon. Monday, we will be on campus from 8:00 AM until about 2:00 PM.

Financial obligation:
Please know that tuition is still a needed obligation to the school. We are truly a non-profit and the income from tuition is essential to paying staff. Please call or e-mail Mrs. Schulte if you need to make adjustments due to changes in employment and income. So many people are affected right now for a wide range of businesses and services. We want to be sensitive to what each family is experiencing. I have talked with Smart Tuition to be aware of what kind of adjustments we can easily make to help families.

Ongoing Faith connection:
As many of you are aware, Archbishop Gomez has suspended attendance at Masses for the next few weeks. A livestream is available each Sunday from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels. Watch live on the LA Catholics Facebook page. The English Mass is celebrated at 10:00 AM and the Spanish Mass is celebrated at 12:30 PM. Daily Mass is also livestreamed at 12:10 PM. Masses are also live-streamed from various churches across the archdiocese. Also visit the main site for the Archdiocese at: www.lacatholics.org.

Virtual Spirit Week:
We know how much we all are craving being connected to each other. Mrs. Schultze is now our designated School Spirit Coordinator (a new job title). Please see attached schedule for the Virtual Spirit Week. I hope as many as possible will participate. Mrs. Schultze is also starting a Shutterfly account to offer activities for keeping physically fit together.

Educational sites and activities:
My son sent me the attached list, which has some great ideas for added enrichment and support at home. There is internet support from Spectrum, great ideas with PBS and recommendations for virtual field trips.

I would like to end with saying that I am grateful for the words of support we have received from parents, both in person on Tuesday, and since you have been home.

The SJS community is strong and I know because of that we will get through this together. Continued prayers for us all.


March 17, 6:00 PM:

Thank you for your wonderful cooperation today with the pick-up of materials. It was a great success. Know that we are here for you, so please feel free to email with questions or concerns.


March 16, 2020 6:00 PM:

Hoping everyone had a safe weekend; we know that it was definitely a bit surreal. Each day since last Thursday, things have changed in a very fluid manner. I was traveling up north on Friday and received a request for an all-principal conference call to let us know that schools would be closed from March 17th through March 31st (and we don’t even know if this will be the final end date).

The faculty was on campus all day today planning for remote learning. We participated in a wonderful webinar that provided a great template and tools for creating a learning plan that would have a variety of different components to help keep our students connected to their learning and to also assist parents who will be helping to guide and direct this learning. Please know the faculty will be readily available via email and possibly other formats as we begin this adventure into uncharted waters.

Here is the plan moving forward: Tuesday, March 17th – Noon to 4:00 PM will be the designated time for the pick-up of student books, materials, instructional work and 2nd Trimester report cards.* P

lease be conscious of the amount of people arriving and stagger your entrance to the campus accordingly. To honor our local, state and national requests for social distancing we are asking that students do not come onto the campus. If you need to drive here with them, we will have our TAs available to watch your children while your cars are parked. We are asking that this pick-up time is short and to the point.

Please bring a large tote bag or box to take home these materials (there will be a lot to bring home). You may ask other parents to pick up your child(ren)’s books and work for you but we cannot give them the report cards. We appreciate your understanding. For the most part, faculty will be working remotely during this time period (to keep us all from being together on campus as well). We will be frequently monitoring email and Jupiter Ed accounts (5th to 8th) so that we are readily accessible for questions and concerns during this educational transition.

*If these hours will not be possible, please give the office a call and we will work with you. Wednesday, March 18th through Tuesday, March 31st: Campus is closed.

Mrs. Frawley, Mrs. Coulter and Mrs. Schulte will be working limited hours but please feel free to call or e-mail and we will get back to you in a timely manner. Our goal during these days off is to deep clean the campus. Desks, chairs, lockers and carpets will be cleaned. All areas possible will be wiped down or disinfected. We want you to come back to a campus that looks, feels and smells clean. All school events planned for this period have been canceled including:

  • Outdoor Ed for 6th Grade this week
  • Tuesday’s St. Patrick’s Day Mass
  • Kids’ Raffle the week of March 23rd to March 27th
  • Jaguar Jogathon on Friday, March 27th (may be rescheduled)
  • Tuesday, March 31st 2nd Grade Eucharist workshop
  • 8th Grade Easter Break DC trip

One last request: Easter Basket materials Our student school families were going to assemble Easter baskets for the parish’s Loaves and Fishes program. If you purchased any of the items assigned to your child’s grade (see attached), please drop off in the classrooms and we will try to create as many baskets as possible for the parish. We will update you as we receive new information from the Department of Catholic Schools. We are keeping you all in our prayers.  We will get through this together.


March 14, 2020 7:00 AM:

We appreciate your patience and flexibility with the fluid changes in your children’s education as we plan for school being closed. See the attached letter from the Archdiocese’s Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Mr. Paul Escala, regarding the upcoming closures of the schools effective March 17th to March 31st. As with everything else regarding this crisis….this may change, but we will keep you updated as we have new information.

Our school is a day behind the schedule stated in the letter since we already had a school holiday planned for Friday, March 13th. Our first day of remote learning will be Wednesday, March 18th. Monday, March 16th: No school for students Faculty will be on campus for a day of planning. We will be watching a webinar on remote learning and working on lesson plans for this first week of remote learning. We will be assessing our on-line capacity as well as a system for loaning of devices to families as needed.

Tuesday, March 17th: No school for students Faculty and staff will be on campus starting at 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM for parents (and students if you feel comfortable with that) to pick up needed workbooks/textbooks as well as their first instructional packet. If you need another arrangement, please e-mail Mrs. Schulte or call the office and we are glad to work that out for you.

Wednesday, March 18th: First official day of remote learning We will be able to share a more detailed plan of what the remote learning will look like by the end of day Monday.

March 18th through March 31st: school campus will be closed to students The school office will be open (hours to be determined) for Mrs. Frawley, Mrs. Coulter, and Mrs. Schulte to run the business side of the school. Faculty will be on campus (again limited hours) creating the on-going lessons plans. We certainly will be available to answer e-mail questions. We are also looking into other possible ways to have on-going communication with our students.


March 13, 2020 3:45 PM:

Mrs. Schulte has been in communication with the Archdiocese about the Coronavirus and how schools are being affected. At this time, we would like to inform you of the following updates per the Archdiocese: Monday 3/16/20: No School, staff will be preparing lesson plans for at home studies. Tuesday 3/17/20: No School, however the school will be open from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM to collect at home work from your teachers and any personal belongings. You will also receive an initial plan of action packet for our school community. Report cards will also be distributed. This will be the only day/time for you to be on campus. School will be closed through March 31, 2020.


March 12, 2020 10:00 PM:

St. Jude the Apostle School’s administration and staff, in conjunction with the LA Archdiocese’s Department of Catholic Schools, continues to actively monitor the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and update our response based on guidance from the Archdiocese and state and local Public Health agencies. As many of you already know and have shared with us, many of the local school districts and private schools will be taking time this week and next week without students to plan for this revised learning situation. The situation is very fluid and evolving each day (even since we all ended school Thursday).

We want to assure you that the priority of our staff is the health and safety of our students. Based on the recommendation from the Department of Catholic Schools, there will be a student-free day on Monday, March 16th to provide our faculty time on campus to prepare for online and other remote learning to ensure our students continue their learning in the event that school closes.

The plan for Tuesday, March 17th is to have the students return to campus for school so that the teachers can explain and demonstrate what the revised learning will look like. As of now, school will be open Tuesday-Friday next week. Wednesday will still be a half-day due to an already planned faculty event. There will be daycare when school is in session.

The Archdiocese is also recommending, based on public health guidance, to limit non-essential events and to employ social distancing. For now, that will include school masses, field trips and other school events. As of today, mass on Tuesday, Outdoor Ed for our 6th graders and the 3rd grade’s Chumash field trip are cancelled (Chumash actually emailed and cancelled this trip Thursday). We are working to see if these events can be postponed to a future date. We will receive updated information about the 8th Grade DC trip on Monday.

The administration’s goal is to communicate clearly and transparently as we plan and receive added information and guidance. We will provide you with additional information and updates as events unfold. This is an unprecedented event and we appreciate your patience and understanding. We do have a school holiday today, March 13th, and a weekend ahead to allow some time to absorb all that is changing.  Please take good care of yourselves and your loved ones.


March 12th, 2020 12:45 PM:

We are in close communication with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Department of Catholic Schools and are staying up to date with all communication from the California Department of Public Health. As of yesterday (per the attached notice from the LA Archdiocese) we have been informed that at this time there is no closure of schools or parishes.

The following is a guideline that was sent out to schools: Events/Gatherings: At this time, we are advising school leaders to follow the previously shared guidance from the California Department of Public Health. Use your professional judgement and discretion in deciding whether or not to facilitate planned events/gatherings in accordance with the guidance from the state. While we are not advising schools to cancel planned events, schools should consider cancelling non-essential gatherings.

Planning ahead: Out of an abundance of caution, Fr. Jim and I discussed school masses and the St. Patrick’s Day Mass for next Tuesday, March 17th, will be postponed. Next Wednesday, March 18th, there will be no school for children (it was originally scheduled as a noon dismissal day).

The faculty and staff will be on campus to work together and plan our options for a possible school closure. Since we are Kinder to 8th…we need to devise plans for supporting curriculum that fit each of the different developmental age ranges. What Kinder and 1st can do from home is very different than what Jr. High can manage. Mr. David Busse and Mr. Rick Bodan, our tech consultants, will also be assisting in knowing what our capabilities are to use a variety of on-line educational options (we do have some in place already).

Over the past few days, we have received e-mails from a variety of good sources (LA County Public Health, California Ed. Department) with good guidelines and resources to review. The admin team will be looking at school events and field trips and assessing each one and whether or not it should continue: school Masses, Outdoor Ed, Jaguar Jogathon, any upcoming field trips and the DC trip over Easter Break.

Please continue to adhere to the following guidelines: Keep your child(ren) home if they are sick. This is the best way to contain illness and prevent infecting others. The guideline of 24 hours fever free is good rule. If any information changes or if we receive updated guidelines we will contact all families by Anchor Splash or our text message system. We are continuing to remind the children of the importance of washing their hands and not sharing food or drink. Also, we have stepped up our disinfecting of the school. Mr. Carlos and Miss Marta have been wonderful.

Also, we will totally respect each family’s decision about whether to send your child(ren) to school or not. Families have a variety of different concerns to look at (who lives with you, your family’s health history, etc.). We will not be penalizing students for being out of school. We do expect students, whether at school or at home, to responsible for assigned work. We do want to ensure continuity to the overall curriculum for each grade level. We do ask when you contact the school regarding absences that you let the teachers/office know whether your child is truly ill or it is out of concern.  It will help us track the overall health of our community. As always, please feel free to reach out to the school office for any questions or concerns.


March 9th, 2020:

Areas still under research and planning are:

  • Review of field trips and overnight  class trips scheduled for our students: based on information from the LA Archdiocese’s Department of Catholic Schools, the Admin team is taking a look at each field trip as it comes up. We are coordinating with the providers of the trip experiences, the LA County  Department of Public Health and the CDC (Center for Disease Control) for updated guidelines.
  •  There are currently no restrictions on travel in the United States nor heightened concerns in LA and Ventura counties. We will keep parents updated as we have information.
  • If your grade level has a specific trip, information will come to you from the classroom teacher and the administration.
  • The Archdiocese has asked principals to begin plans for possible school closures and how curriculum would be addressed. The faculty and administration are reviewing possible options and will share soon.

We are continuing to focus on promoting good hygiene activities…reminding students to wash their hands, not share food, etc. Mr. Carlos, Miss Martha and the TAs are stepping up the cleaning of our commonly used areas: office, lunch tables, bathrooms. We thank those parents who have donated supplies. We do have a good supply currently on campus.


March 7th, 2020:

An update on how the school is addressing concerns about the Coronavirus. In science, the students have had lessons on the importance of washing their hands. They have had fun sharing with their classroom teachers the proper technique. We have stepped up our cleaning of desks, lunch tables, and our common shared areas such as bathrooms, the library, and front office areas. I have been receiving updated information from the LA Archdiocese as well as checking for updates and information with LA County Public Health (some great info on their site) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Additional Resources:

March 4th, 2020:

Please see information from LA County Department of Public Health.

Here are some of the guidelines we are implementing:
  • Ensuring that our common bathrooms are thoroughly cleaned and are fully stocked with soap and paper towels.
  • We will step up added cleaning of our common shared spaces-the front counter, health office, health office bathroom. Our volunteers already do this daily but we will do so more frequently.
  • Educational lessons on germs and bacteria will be presented in primary classrooms as well as science.
  • Review of good hand washing guidelines with all students. We have a laminated sign that we will be posting in all our bathrooms and above classroom sinks as a reminder.
  • We are working with our tech consulting company, Yotability, on guidelines for the school’s laptops and other devices.
Overall Approach: We realize that we are working with children, age range 5 to 14, and the best prevention is to teach ongoing good basic hygiene tips, both at school and at home. Looking ahead for possible exposure:  We will continue to  work closely with the parish, the LA Archdiocese’s Department of Catholic Schools (DCS), LA County Department of Health as well as the City of Westlake Village to determine whether school should be in session or not. Obviously, if any student or staff needs to be quarantined, we would make a decision that is reasonable for our own site. We will keep you posted as things develop. Ordered for the school:
  • Mrs. Frawley has ordered cases of spray cleaner with spray triggers to use in the classrooms based on the recommendation from Household Sanitary Supply.
  • Also ordered antibacterial soap pumps for those classroom sinks where students cannot easily reach the mounted soap dispenser.
  • Ordered Clorox wipes for desks, laptops and other hard surfaces.
We would appreciate donations of any of these supplies you may have for the school: hand wipes, tissues, Lysol spray and/or wipes, and hand sanitizer. Thank you.

Resources

Click here to add your own text

Click here to add your own text