Dear Parishioners:
This week, many public school districts have begun sharing outlines of reopening plans, including provisions for students to attend school only on certain days and part-time. Our OLM School Principal, Patrick McNabb, working with the faculty and the Catholic School Office and with the guidelines of the RI Department of Education (RIDE) and the Department of Health (RIDOH) have also been working on the plan to reopen our excellent parish school.
OLM School is planning a full in-person reopening for all students in Grades PK-8, beginning August 31. That, of course, involves many details of classroom arrangements, daily schedules, increased cleaning, and all of the elements that will ensure our students are safe and healthy in our building, with the guidance that we have received and continue to receive from RIDE and RIDOH. The goal in planning this reopening is that our students are in the school and safely and happily learning.
OLM School did an excellent job with the “distance learning” during the COVID-19 Crisis lockdown. They are now building on an outstanding foundation of vibrant faith faith-filled Catholic Education that instills values and teaches virtues while maintaining rigorous academic excellence. Our OLM School Faculty is a group of excellent professionals dedicated to their mission. Our students are a great group of budding saints and scholars. And the tremendous support and involvement our parents continue to make our school an outstanding in every regard.
If you know of anyone interested in attending an excellent school all day and in person this fall, tell them to apply to OLM School. We are getting many new applicants for admission, and our number of placements is limited. Anyone interested in more information or in applying should contact OLM School at 884-1618 or go online to the school webpage at olmschool.org and discover the OLM advantage!
We have also been planning the resumption of our OLM Religious Education Program for the fall. Fr. Barrow and I, along with our RE Directors, Mickey St. Jean, and Doug Green, are working on plans that include “distance learning” along with some in-person Catechesis. We also hope to schedule the celebration of our First Communion Masses in the fall. Confirmation Mass is Sunday, October 25. We hope that we can have that joyous celebration of the Holy Spirit as expected. In the next weeks, we hope to finalize all our plans for reopening school and resuming RE at OLM.
Of course, all of our projects, like everyone else’s plans these days are subject to change due to the nature of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sadly across the country, lots of schools are not planning on reopening for an in-person class, and many others are preparing just partial reopening of in-person courses.
However, we are committed to reopening our parish school as safely as possible so that our students can learn in-person for the entire school day. So please pray for our OLM Principal and Faculty as they continue to prepare for the reopening on August 31. And continue to pray for our OLM School young saints and scholars, that their summer vacation is a fruitful time of preparation for school this fall.
This year over 100 Catholic schools permanently closed due to the financial stress of the COVID-19 Crisis. A sad reality of the times we presently are living. Many of these schools were in urban areas that offered an educational choice for economically deprived families. University of Notre Dame Law Professor, Nicole Stelle Garnett, recently wrote an excellent article entitled, “Why We Still Need Catholic Schools.” In the article, she makes an exceptional case for Catholic Education. She states: “Catholic school students are more likely to finish high school, attend college and graduate, maintain steady employment, and earn higher wages than similar students attending other types of schools.”
Pray for our OLM School family and for all Catholic Schools May God bless the excellent education in faith and wisdom at our schools with a safe return this fall. Stay safe. Be Well. Do Good! God Bless. Go Sox!!???