Dear Parents of our School and PSR Students,
To say that we have been living in “unprecedented times” since mid-March is certainly an understatement. COVID-19 has affected all of our lives as we do our best to navigate through unchartered waters. Our school administrator, faculty, Parish School of Religion (PSR) Director and many more have been meeting regularly and planning to put together a strategy for the safe return of students, teachers, catechists, volunteers and all those involved in our St. Patrick School and PSR Formation Classes. Much has been discussed and accomplished in putting together a plan that keeps the health and safety of everyone paramount in all we do as we prepare to return to school and PSR classes. You are encouraged to please go to our school website www.stpatskent.org or parish website and click on the Christian Education dropdown tab to learn in greater detail all we are doing to safely begin our daily school and Sunday PSR classes. Many of your questions and concerns can be answered there, I am sure. Below are general guidelines from the Office of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Youngstown. These guidelines also apply to our PSR sessions. For more details, please go to www.doy.org
Know that my daily prayers and with you, your families and the entire faith community of St. Patrick Parish. Please do not hesitate to call me (330-673-5849) our school principal, Mr. Howard Mancini (330-673-7232) or our PSR Director of Religious Education Ms. Carol Wallington (330-677-4453) if you have any questions or concerns. Stay safe. May God’s blessings be with us.
Fr. Richard Pentello
Schools in the Diocese of Youngstown are planning to reopen our buildings this fall for in-person instruction. A Return to School Plan has been designed to assist our schools in providing a safe and successful return for all students.
The items in the plan provide the framework for all of the schools in the Diocese of Youngstown. Schools must apply these guidelines for their own unique building. They will provide parents with information needed for the start and operation of school that fit the unique needs of their buildings. The Diocese and the schools will monitor the situation and be responsive to make and communicate any changes in protocol as we progress through this school year. Amendments and adjustments are inevitable in our current climate and we ask for your patience and support as we navigate a very different school year.
This year will continue to present challenges to families and schools and call for our sacrifices, as we are still in the midst of this pandemic. Some of the items in this document will be inconvenient. But they are necessary if we want to keep each other safe and keep our schools open for learning.
The guiding principles used for the creation of this document are:
- The health and safety of our students and staff is our foremost responsibility. In the current situation in the United States, there is no risk-free environment. But our policies are carefully developed to mitigate the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
- As institutions of learning, respect for science and the evolving knowledge gained about Covid-19 as provided by the Center of Disease Control and our Ohio Health Department as well as other research organizations will be used now and in the future to inform our decisions. Schools will consult with local health departments when making decisions related to issues caused by Covid-19. Directives of the Governor will be followed.
- Catholic schools are committed to delivering an excellent education rooted in our Catholic faith, regardless of the mode of delivery. While our intent is in-person classes, we will have active plans ready for the possibility that we may need to plan for brief periods of remote learning.
- A hallmark of our Catholic schools is the experience of Christian community built on relationships. In-person classes allow for a fullness of this experience. Faith and community are still woven into remote learning. Catholic Social Teaching grounded in the scriptures emphasizes the human dignity of each person as well as the responsibility to act for the common good.
- All are learning to live in the time of history in which we find ourselves. While it may not be the times we wish, we are still charged with building the kingdom of God in our world.
