COVID-19 Updates

Good Afternoon St. Finn Barr Families,

Attached is a letter from the Superintendent of Archdiocesan Schools, Ms. Pamela Lyons. In this letter, Ms. Lyons shares that the Archdiocese has extended our Remote Learning period.

As we move forward, we would like to ensure that we collect accurate data in the event that we would apply for a waiver. Applying for the waiver would be one step in the process of opening the school campus when it is safe to do so.

The next steps would include:

• Parents will complete a survey for St. Finn Barr Catholic School.
• St. Finn Barr Catholic School will disaggregate the data and apply for the waiver if criteria are met for an application

Right now, we are focused on maintaining a strong Remote Learning Program and taking the right steps along the way as we plan for the safest way to deliver lessons to our students.

Thank you for your continued support and patience as we navigate this school year.

Best,

Ms. Megan Kimble
Principal
St. Finn Barr Catholic School
Preparing young, diverse minds for the future
stfinnbarr.org

September 1 Superintendent Letter

Important update from Pamela Lyons, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, regarding school closure status for the remainder of the school year.

While we would love to return to our beautiful school campuses in May, we have decided to follow our public school counterparts and close our campuses in San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo counties through the remainder of the school year. The health and safety of our students and teachers are of paramount importance. As we implement distance learning for the rest of the school year, know that we are committed to ensuring that your children continue to achieve academically and grow in their faith.

End of Year School Closure Letter

End of Year School Closure Letter SPANISH

On March 10th, the Archdiocese of San Francisco's Department of Catholic Schools made the difficult decision to close all Archdiocesan schools through March 25, 2020. On Monday, March 16, six counties in the Bay Area, including San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin, ordered a mandatory shelter-in-place. Due to this new order, the Archdiocese of San Francisco will be extending our school closure through April 17, 2020.

Closure Extension Letter March 25

Dear Parents & Guardians,

We have been notified by the Superintendent of Schools that the schools of the Archdiocese will be honoring the Shelter-in-Place order from San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin counties by keeping our school buildings closed, and remaining in school through Distance Learning through April 7.

We will notify you of any changes or further information.

Blessings,
St. Finn Barr Catholic School

Dear St. Finn Barr families,

I am writing to you today regarding an Archdiocese of San Francisco update on COVID-19. As you will understand from the attached letter from the Department of Catholic Schools, the Archdiocese of San Francisco has determined that proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of our school community members are necessary. As such, St. Finn Barr Catholic School and all other schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, will be closing all school buildings March 12-March 25th, 2020.

It is important that St. Finn Barr children continue to receive quality academic content during this time. We will be implementing the Archdiocese of San Francisco Distance Learning Protocol in order to maintain academic progress for students. This protocol has been distributed to all Archdiocesan Catholic elementary schools.

We are asking that all school children make arrangements to bring all school books and necessary resources home from school by Wednesday, March 11. We appreciate your support in making sure that children have the necessary materials at home to continue the learning progression. Each student may require an additional tote bag for school on Wednesday, March 11 in order to accommodate the materials for home use. Parents of students who have not been on campus have the option to pick up materials for their children during the school day.

Please know that the health and safety of our schools is paramount to the Archdiocese of San Francisco. We look forward to partnering with your family in this amended protocol for the coming weeks. Weekly updates to parents will be posted to the website (www.stfinnbarr.org) to continue opportunities for communication. Please refer to the front page of the website notice “Distance Learning” for quick access to the classroom webpages for details on assignments.

During this time we recommend practicing social distancing with the goal of reducing the occasions where numbers of people come together and potentially are exposed to the virus that is circulating in the community.

Thank you in advance for your understanding. We pray for our community members to remain healthy and well during this pandemic time.

Gratefully,

Mele Mortonson
Principal

Dear St. Finn Barr Parents:

Thank you for your patience as we’ve worked to formulate a plan for our school. While we still do not have any confirmed cases within our school community (students, families, and staff), we are in the process of requesting a precautionary school closure this week to mitigate any potential SFB school-related transmission of COVID-19. I anticipate the parameters of this closure to be established by the end of the school day tomorrow, so I ask that all parents refer to the school website and their email for updates.

Pending the start and length of the closure, the details regarding remote learning will unfold with more detail towards the end of this week. For now, faculty members have made available through their www.stfinnbarr.org class pages some basic guidelines for absences and starting guidelines for remote learning by grade level. These will inevitably evolve once closure timelines are set.

Let us continue to pray for all impacted by this challenging situation.

Sincerely,
Mele Mortonson

St. Finn Barr School will remain open on Monday, March 9. While there are no suspected or confirmed cases in St. Finn Barr students, families, or staff, overnight we received information of a student at Archbishop Riordan High School who tested positive for COVID-19. This school is in close proximity to St. Finn Barr and we have families with students who attend the school.

We are following the SF Department of Public Health’s recommendations of “social distancing” in light of COVID-19: All athletic practices and games have been cancelled, students will not attend parish Mass on Tuesday morning, the 8^th grade science museum has been postponed, and there will be no after Mass social this Sunday, March 15^th.

Recommendations for students, staff, and families include:

• Do not attend school when sick.
• If you have a child with chronic health conditions, consult your doctor about school attendance
• Prepare for school-wide closure.

The school will continue our regular health practices along with some adjustments to limit social exposure:

• Students will attend classes, recess and after school programs
• Desks and common surfaces will be disinfected as appropriate throughout the day, at the end of each day, and before transitions (grades 6-8).
• All classrooms are equipped with hand sanitizer and tissues, and students always have access to hand-washing stations with soap in the school and Goode Hall bathrooms.
• All lunches (Mon-Fri) will be eaten in the classrooms for at least the next two weeks (no gathering in the school cafeteria)

Today, the faculty will meet to explore remote teaching and online options 1) for families who choose to keep their children home during this time while school is in session and 2) in case of a school-wide closure. Due to the diverse nature of our community and the immune compromised among us, SFB parents are supported in their decision to keep their children home from school during this time – please expect a survey to assess your technology options in the home, and to receive an update regarding our excused absence policy in light of this unusual circumstance.

Please refer to the school website www.stfinnbarr.org and/or the email account you have registered with the school office for updates.

As a community of faith, let us pray especially for the sick, health care providers/researchers, public health officials, and all community leaders during the weeks to come.

Archdiocese Closure Extension Letter - 3/25/20