From the President Dear Parents and Students,
Our mission drives us to deliver a quality, Catholic, Xaverian-inspired education to our young men in a rigorous, yet compassionate environment – an awesome responsibility that we take very seriously. For us to do that this year, we will be greatly challenged as educators, most likely the greatest challenge of our educational careers. As always, our central focus this year will be on your son, but I ask that you keep in mind the many moving parts that make up this school – our teachers and staff, our supply chains, our nurse and trainers, our coaches, etc. As a community leader, we have a civic and moral responsibility to open and operate our school in the most meaningful and safe environment possible. In order for this to be successful, we all must adapt and enforce a plan.
At the moment, our best plan calls for Saint Xavier High School to open its campus to in-person (student) activities on Monday, August 17. Freshmen will pick up their iPads August 13-14. We will hold a student orientation program the first week that will be delivered in-person, and online, and will be designed to orient our students to the school year in general, but specifically how we will conduct instruction and activities. St. X will begin academic instruction on Monday, August 24. We are not yet prepared to release the actual logistics of the orientation or instruction schedule, but here are the guidelines:
Our policies and procedures have all been made using the CDC and other federal, state, and local health guidelines and have been reviewed by professionals for advice. We leaned heavily upon your survey feedback, and that of our teachers, which told us that the majority would like to see an in-person return, but that you will adhere to guidelines. I must share that I do not take lightly my duty to protect our employees. After all, those teaching your sons are the most important asset St. X has to offer. If we cannot protect our teachers, we will not be able to deliver high quality instruction – that's just a fact. Therefore, if you are not willing to comply with these guidelines (which are subject to modification as conditions and official guidance dictate) and are without an exception, then we cannot welcome your son back to campus. If you are not comfortable or do have an exception, we will discuss it with you and can make accommodations.
In closing, we will open Saint Xavier High School on August 17, and we will do it in a fashion that is both meaningful and safe. It would be nice to see the trends of this virus improve so we can communicate more confidently and definitively with you, so let's pray that happens. I hope you are clear on the path we are taking. We will have much more in the form of plan details and logistics in the coming weeks. As for athletics and activities, we are awaiting direction from KHSAA and other groups on those decisions.
Gratefully, Paul D. Colistra |