Hi St. Joan of Arc School Family,
This is an important update of schedules regarding the start of the school year. The following information should be noted:
- The orientation day scheduled for Monday, Aug. 26 has been moved to Wednesday, Aug. 28. This will also be the first full day of school (8:30-3:00).
- There will be no school related activities on Monday, Aug. 26 or Tuesday, Aug. 27.
- I have already contacted the Chagrin Falls and Kenston Schools Transportation Departments, as well as the Goddard School to inform them that the first day of school will be Weds, Aug. 28. They are all ready to safely transport your students on the first day of school.
These schedule changes (which I truly apologize for, as I know all of our families have very specific schedules) come as an unfortunate result of a series of events involving preparation of the building for the school year. On the positive side of the coin, our facilities will have all new LED lighting, new ceiling tiles, and a cleanliness second to none.
For the first day of school, Aug. 28, the PTO will run orientation in conjunction with the beginning routines of teachers and students in their classrooms; families are welcome to start the day with us at 8:10.
- Parents will be able to drop off wipes, paper towels, tissue, printer paper, et c at a table outside at a designated located in front of the junior high doors.
- Families will then enter the school through the main entrance of the school, proceed to their child's homeroom (I will direct new families), and greet the teachers; students will then drop off their materials and get settled in the rooms.
- Next, parents can proceed to the library, where the PTO will have a series of tables for fee and paperwork drop off, information on committees, and more.
- The next stop for orientation will be the Art Room, where the uniform closet will be held and a representative with information on spirit wear will be present.
For those families who cannot attend the orientation time on Wednesday, we will have the grades K-5 Parent Night on Sept. 19 (6:30) and the grades 6-8 Parent Night on Sept. 26 (6:30).
Kindergarten parents, as your child's and your orientation to the classroom requires special consideration, you will be receiving a phone call from me this weekend discussing the orientation procedure in greater depth and detail.
The PTO Picnic scheduled for tomorrow after Mass will be a wonderful opportunity for me to answer any and all questions regarding these changes, so please let me know of any thoughts, ideas, or concerns that you may have.
Finally, I will be sending you all an "all call" phone message and text early this evening (the number that will come up on your phone will be the school number - 440-247-6530). If you do not receive these phone and text messages, please be sure to e-mail me the additional phone numbers that I need to add to the system. The phone portion of the communication tool will be used only in occasions of great importance, such as school cancellation on snow days. The text portion will be utilized from time to time by the school office, the good people of the PTO, and potentially to inform parents about important CYO events.
In closing, I thank you for your understanding and patience. The education and faith formation that your children will receive this year will be exemplary, and, as always, I am here to serve and assist you with anything you might need.
God be with you all,
Mr. Mitchell