Parents

Principal Weekly Communications

September 23, 2020

Dear Parents,

THANK YOU! 3rd Week COVID free! Casual day - Friday, September 25, 2020! Please follow our casual day guidelines from the handbook. And keep up with the Daily Symptom Monitoring, Temperature taking and not sending sick kiddos to school! We need to keep COVID out of our school and thanks to your help, we are! THANK YOU AGAIN!

Change in October’s Calendar

We are trying our best to continue to provide everyone with the best possible school experience. We are taking 3 Friday ½ days in October for professional development on Schoology and COVID updates. I will notify you of the dates as soon as I have confirmation. We will be contacting the buses to adjust our schedule and extended care will be available from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. on those dates. No hot lunch will be available.

Uniforms

While this is a different type of school year, I do believe that St. Jane School students should look and behave a certain way following our Mission. With that being said, I’ve noticed students out of compliance with the uniform. A few reminders:

Gym uniforms may be worn daily for ease of washing (due to COVID).
Regular school uniforms may be worn as well.
Shorts and Skorts may be worn until October 30th.
Winter uniform begins on November 2nd. You will be able to continue to wear your white, grey or black sneakers with little or no color.
Green CYO St. Jane Hawks hoodies may be worn in school.
No other hoodies, sweatshirts, or jackets may be worn in the classrooms unless we have a casual day (which has been every Friday so far).
CYO hoodies for track and field, cross country, baseball, softball, volleyball, etc. while green, may NOT be worn because they do NOT have a uniformed logo.
Sneakers are only white, grey or black with little to no color...sneakers that are red, pink, etc, are not permitted.
Socks worn with sneakers MUST be white.
Colored socks are NOT permitted with sneakers.
Green, black, tan sock may be worn with the uniform pants, kilt, and jumper.
Masks should be worn and changed daily, but masks that have inappropriate designs or words, or are contrary to our mission of our school are not permitted.
Hair needs to be kept neat and clean.
It should not be in the student's eyes.
It should not be colored pink, red, blue or green, etc. Natural highlights are permitted in the upper grades only.
Boys' hair should not touch the collar or be cut in a trendy style (like a Mohawk or shaved etchings, etc.).
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me so I can clarify. Thank you.

CYO Cross Country - EXCITING NEWS!!!

Our CYO Cross Country Season is on! Registration is still open through September 30th, for those who would still like to participate. Students in grades 5-8 will be participating in meets, while students in grades K-4 will participate in practices only. To register, please visit sjhawks.com

Gift Cards

Gift Cards are available for purchase at the school. Here is the complete list of our gift cards You can email me at principal@stjaneschool.com, Mrs. Korp at secretary@stjaneschool.com or Mrs. Cahill at assistsec@stjaneschool.com and we can have them ready for you for pick up or to send home with your child. Each family has a $4,000 gift card obligation or a $210 buyout as part of their yearly tuition. Please call the office for additional information.

Technology Experts Needed

We have so much technology and I’m only one person and I only know so much. If there are any individuals out there who would be willing and interested to help us with our technology so we can provide the best environment possible, call me or email me at your convenience. Thank you.

Please continue to take Your Child’s Temperature every morning! Please review the Bethlehem Health Bureau Daily Symptom Monitoring form (Form 2 - in the Health and Safety Plan). We are following this form very carefully when you call your child out sick.

Absences

When calling the office to report a sick student, please be prepared to answer the following questions:

What are the specific symptoms the student has?
Has the student been seen by their doctor?
Has testing been recommended?
Has the student been around any positive exposures?

This information is used for tracking purposes by our school nurse. Absent notes require the same specific information and MUST be present when your child returns to class.

REMINDER: CHILDREN WHO ARE ABSENT OR LEAVE THE SCHOOL EARLY FOR ANY REASON, CANNOT RETURN WITHOUT A NOTE FROM HOME OR A NOTE FROM THEIR DOCTOR.

Temperature Checks

Continue to complete the Daily Temp on our website. Do NOT send in your child MEDICATED WITH Tylenol/Motrin in their system or a rising temperature. We are taking temperatures here in the morning as well at snack time. You will be called to pick up your child as soon as possible if there is a fever present. Thank you.

Morning Drop Off/Dismissal

Please pull all the way up to the cone in the street by the tree. PLEASE do not stop in front of FFH to let your 7th and 8th graders off. It just helps with the flow of traffic. Please be courteous to each other, pay attention to the traffic flow, we can get everyone into school quickly and safely. Thank you again for your assistance.

Dismissal continues to go very smoothly! Thank you so much for your cooperation.

Car Riders: Please adhere to the schedule below for your pick-up times.

Families with the last names from A through L - be ready to pick up at 2:10ish p.m.
Families with the last names from M through Z - be ready to pick up at 2:20ish p.m.

Hot Lunch - Maschio’s

Please make sure if you want to order lunch for the week of 9/28/2020, you fill out the google form below NO LATER THAN SUNDAY EVENING!!! Be sure to include the date (i.e. 9/28/2020 when ordering). If you go to our website at www.stjaneschool.com you will see the Maschio’s tab right on the home page below the daily temperature check and the Extended Care Reservation form. The link to the menus will be: https://ndcrusaders.nutrislice.com/menu/st-jane-frances/lunch/2020-09-03

Please make sure you are prepared for the week for lunches by pre-ordering the food BY SUNDAY EVENINGS! Thank you. They cannot honor orders that come in after Sunday evenings.

Volunteers Needed!

We are looking for volunteers for lunch duty. If you have your clearances on file with Mrs. Cahill and have approximately 60-90 minutes a day to help out, our teachers would be very grateful! I will be too! Please contact Mr. Schoenfiled if you can help with lunch duty (there’s a stipend involved) at librarian@stjaneschool.com .Thank you!

***Extended Care***

Please complete the attached Google form for Extended Care Reservations for the week of September 28, 2020. Reservation Form can be found on the home page of our webpage www.stjaneschool.com (please add the date on the days you will be attending Extended care). Here is the link to the reservation form: https://forms.gle/pxjFgSxa3UbeAvZJ6

Extended Absences:

Due to the many COVID protocols in place this year, we have updated our Extended Absence Form . Please review this carefully before planning a trip. Please be advised if an employee or student has visited another state that is on Pennsylvania’s quarantine state list, the Diocese of Allentown is requiring that they stay home for 14 days after their return. The weekly list of states can be found at https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Travelers.aspx. The list is normally posted on Friday evenings after 5:00 PM.

6-Month Asbestos Inspection

In Compliance with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) an inspection for asbestos containing building materials was performed at each school with-in the Diocese of Allentown. A copy of the inspection reports are on file in each school Administration Office for your review anytime during normal school hours. In the event you have any questions, please contact the school's Principal or the Diocese Asbestos Coordinator.

Pray, Hope, Don’t Worry -- St. Padre Pio

Marybeth Okula, Principal

Bethlehem Health Bureau Daily Symptom Monitoring form Please be sure to follow this monitoring form every day before sending your child to school.

List of Gift Cards available for purchase

Maschio's September Lunch Menu

Extended Absence Form 2020

This is the link for Extended Care: https://forms.gle/kF6FVHjBDeAPhHo68

This is the link for Maschio’s Lunch pre order. https://forms.gle/brQiNmYFJXq1trrz6

September 9th

September 9, 2020

Dear Parents,

Thank goodness for another short week! Your children are resilient and amazing! Thank you for blessing us with them! We are very grateful for you and your children!

This Friday is the 19th Anniversary of 9-11. It seems like a lifetime ago, and sometimes it seems like yesterday. We will be celebrating a short prayer service at 8:45 a.m. I will be on the intercom system. 9-11 is now known as Patriot Day -- to celebrate being one week COVID free, we are having a casual day -- I am asking that all the children dress in Red, White and Blue to commemorate those who lost their lives on this day 19 years ago.

Did you Take Your Child’s Temperature this morning before school? Did you review the Bethlehem Department of Health Daily Symptom Monitoring Form? (Form 2 - in the Health and Safety Plan). These are very important to do DAILY. We don’t want COVID in our school! We want to stay in school! Please be considerate of our teachers, staff and fellow students, do your part -- take daily temperatures and review the Daily Symptom Monitoring Form -- every day! To track your Daily Temperature -- www.stjaneschool.com -- top banner. It’s so simple! It’s so easy! It will help keep us safe! Thank you.

Virtual Back to School Nights! MARK YOUR CALENDARS - DON’T MISS IT!

All Back to School Nights will be held virtually by grade. Each session will run approximately 30 minutes. Please sign in approximately 5 minutes before your session starts. You will be placed in a waiting room, I will let you in at the scheduled time. Thank you again for your patience and flexibility.

Zoom ID: 799 127 2416

Password: principal

(I can host up to 100 participants)

Wednesday, September 9

Back-to-School Night on Zoom

Grade 4 (6:15 PM)

Grade 5 (7:00 PM)

Grade 6 (7:45 PM)

Thursday, September 10

Junior High Back-to-School Night on Zoom

Grades 7 & 8 (7:00 PM)

Picture Day - Thursday, September 10th

Christmas City will be able to accommodate ALL students on Thursday, September 10, 2020! In-person students will have their pictures taken from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the Gym. Please wear your regular school uniform (at the very least the golf shirt) to school this day.

Virtual students* taking pictures should park in the lot adjacent to Father Farrell Hall. You will be scheduled as follows:

11:00 - 11:30 a.m. - Students with the last name beginning with A through G

11:30 -12:00 p.m. - Students with the last name beginning with H through M

12:00 - 12:30 p.m. - Students with the last name beginning with N through R

12:30 - 1:00 p.m. - Students with the last name beginning with S through Y

(this is approximately 20 students per session)

* Please wear your regular school uniform for photos

Mrs. Korp will be at the rear door of the Bennett Building (gym rear entrance in the alleyway). We ask that you are cautious approaching the door (it is a street), practice social distancing and wear your masks up until the time you are taking your picture. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Morning Drop Off

Please pull all the way up to the cone in the street...your children are safe and can walk to either building. It just helps with the flow of traffic. If you are still parking, please park on the opposite side of Washington Blvd. and cross at the CORNER for your safety and the safety of your child. Please be courteous to each other, pay attention to the traffic flow, we can get everyone into school quickly and safely. Thank you again for your assistance.

Dismissal

Please continue to be on-time for pick up. Things are going smoothly. Please explain to your daily “chauffeur” the routine. A few parents/grandparents seem a bit stunned to see the operation we have going. Car Riders: Please adhere to the schedule below for your pick-up times.

Families with the last names from A through L - be ready to pick up at 2:10 p.m.
Families with the last names from M through Z - be ready to pick up at 2:20 p.m.

Our Social Distanced Fire Drill

The Wilson Fire Department was here today for our first fire drill of the school year. Our students were fantastic! Thank you for stressing the importance of fire safety in our school. Students were instructed to keep face coverings on and quickly exit the building. Social Distancing was practiced once all the students arrived at the safe meeting space we have designated for fire drills.

Hot Lunch - Maschio’s

We got off to a rough start. Everyone should’ve received an email from PaySchools.com with their child’s PIN and balance if there was one. Please set up your account.

Please make sure if you want to order lunch for the week of 9/14/2020, you fill out the google form below. Be sure to include the date (i.e. 9/9/2020 when ordering). If you go to our website at www.stjaneschool.com you will see the Maschio’s tab right on the home page below the daily temperature check. The link to the menus will be: https://ndcrusaders.nutrislice.com/menu/st-jane-frances/lunch/2020-09-03

*****Please make sure you are prepared for the week for lunches by pre-ordering the food. *****

Masks

To reiterate, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released an update to their guidance strongly recommending children age two and older should wear face coverings at all times to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Prior guidance we released in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) stated students in schools could remove their face coverings as long as six feet of social distancing could be maintained. Given this recent change from the AAP, and consistent with the Secretary of Health’s Face Covering Order issued on July 1, 2020, DOH is requiring students wear face coverings at ALL times while in school, even when six feet of social distancing can be achieved. There are limited exceptions. I cannot stress it enough, we want to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, mask wearing is one simple thing we can all do to stop the spread of COVID-19.

REMINDER: CHILDREN WHO ARE ABSENT OR LEAVE THE SCHOOL EARLY FOR ANY REASON, CANNOT RETURN WITHOUT A NOTE FROM HOME OR A NOTE FROM THEIR DOCTOR.

Temperature Checks

Do not send in your child MEDICATED WITH Tylenol/Motrin in their system or a rising temperature. We are taking temperatures here in the morning as well at snack time. You will be called to pick up your child as soon as possible if there is a fever present. Thank you.

***Extended Care***

Extended Care bills will be sent home sometime next week. Please complete the attached Google form for Extended Care Reservations for the week of September 14, 2020. https://forms.gle/gVwBY85DFyp1EEm3A

Reminders:

Please send a hand-written note to your child’s homeroom teacher stating their mode of dismissal (bus, car rider, or aftercare). Please do not email!
Please send in the Family Survey , the Diocesan Waiver , and the Multi-Media form (only existing families...all new families are in compliance. Thank you.

Pray, Hope, Don’t Worry -- St. Padre Pio

Marybeth Okula

Principal

Bethlehem Department of Health Daily Symptom Monitoring Form Please be sure to follow this monitoring form every day before sending your child to school.

Picture Order Form

Family Survey Every family needs to complete this survey -- even our virtual families..please mail.email/drop off to my attention. Thank you.

MultiMedia Sign Off - Every family needs to complete this survey -- even our virtual families..please mail.email/drop off to my attention. Thank you.

Diocesan COVID Waiver Every family needs to complete this survey -- even our virtual families..please mail.email/drop off to my attention. Thank you.

Maschio’s PaySchools Central Information

Maschio’s September Lunch Menu

This is the link for Maschio’s Lunch pre order. https://forms.gle/brQiNmYFJXq1trrz6

Back to School Series for Families 2020

September 3rd

September 3, 2020

Dear Parents,

Thank goodness for short weeks and holidays! It’s been a fantastic start of the school year! Thank you for all the kind words and cooperation all around from parents, students and especially our outstanding teachers! I can’t believe it was almost six months ago that we all said goodbye never imagining we wouldn’t all be together again till August 31st! It has been such a blessing to see all those smiling faces. I realize that we are all making many adjustments to our new normal (whether in-person or virtual learning), but I appreciate your understanding, patience and flexibility as we adjust along the way.

This is a lengthy update (I apologize). Highlights: Student Birthdays, Masks, School Nurse Information, Temperature Checks, Sharing Materials, Picture Day, St. Jane Face Coverings from A&H, Technology, Morning Drop Off, Dismissal, Extended Care, Maschio’s and Back to School Night! Have a great week!

Student Birthdays

In the past, I have given students a pin or a treat on their birthday, but I think it best to limit our exposure to each other. Therefore, I am instituting a free N.U.T. on your birthday (or close to your birthday if it falls on a weekend). (On “NUT” days, students may wear jeans or other appropriate casual clothes. However, students may NOT wear any of the following: torn jeans, tight-fitting clothing, very short shorts, sleeveless shirts (camisoles, spaghetti straps, tank tops), low necklines, clothing with messages contrary to our mission as a Catholic School, clothing in styles which are contrary to our mission as a Catholic School, and shoes that are dangerous for play (e.g. clogs, flip flops, open-toed shoes, sandals, heels). Also, students with summer birthdays may dress casual on their ½ birthdays (although I don’t announce those days). Virtual students may also dress down on their birthdays or ½ birthdays as well. We are asking that you refrain from sending in treats -- we need to do our part to mitigate the spread of COVID. Thank you for your understanding.

Masks

Thank you for being so diligent about the masks. I know this is a huge adjustment for our students and many may be uncomfortable, but we need to wear them to mitigate the spread of COVID (per the CDC and the DOH and the Governor, etc.). I thought I addressed this earlier, but I have received some questions. I created and submitted a Health and Safety Plan on July 15th. Guidance has changed in some areas, specifically mask wearing. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released an update to their guidance strongly recommending children age two and older should wear face coverings at all times to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Prior guidance we released in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) stated students in schools could remove their face coverings as long as six feet of social distancing could be maintained. Given this recent change from the AAP, and consistent with the Secretary of Health’s Face Covering Order issued on July 1, 2020, DOH is requiring students wear face coverings at ALL times while in school, even when six feet of social distancing can be achieved. There are limited exceptions. Classrooms at St. Jane School have ultra-micro barriers on each desk, therefore, we feel it is safe if your child requires a mask break, but with that being said, they do need to be seated, forward facing and not talking...I will tell you some of our students are having issues with the forward facing and not talking part of the mask break. Again, I cannot stress it enough, we want to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, this is just a small sacrifice we all need to make! Please review this information with your child, I know the teachers have been encouraging everything to be as normal as possible, but the masks are difficult for all of us...me too!

School Nurse

I am attaching the Bethlehem Department of Health Daily Symptom Monitoring Form (Form 2 - in the Health and Safety Plan). This is what we are following when a child comes to see our school nurse. It is clear medical terminology for all to understand. Page 1 -- guides when you should keep your child at home. Review that before sending a child to school with any of the symptoms listed. Page 2 and 3 will explain protocols that will be followed for return to school (when being sent home sick). It is important to discuss with your child when they need to see our school nurse, and when it could be something like anxiety or boredom or needing a break. Some of our “frequent flyers” come to visit Mrs. Smith just to talk and perhaps avoid a task in class...but this year, we have asked our faculty to only send the children who really appear to be ill. This is a fine line...so we need to have an open discussion. If they are sick, they need to be checked...if they are tired, they need to take a nap when they get home. CHILDREN WHO ARE ABSENT FOR ANY REASON, CANNOT RETURN WITHOUT A NOTE FROM HOME OR A NOTE FROM THEIR DOCTOR.

Temperature Checks

I thank you for being so diligent about temperature checks...it’s a bit overwhelming keeping track! I’m losing my mind a little. I do appreciate you checking and not sending in your child MEDICATED WITH Tylenol/Motrin in their system or a rising temperature. We are taking temperatures here in the morning as well at snack time.

Sharing materials

I think another hard part of this week was the fact we can’t share! We can’t share our supplies, we can share our toys, we can’t exchange hugs or high fives...it’s a bummer! Recess is different too! We can’t play tag, we can’t toss a ball, we can’t play with recess equipment. Another sacrifice we are making in our quest to mitigate COVID --Let us pray, Lord, please find a solution to our current pandemic, we need to get back to living life! Please enforce this with your children. Thank you.

Picture Day

Virtual students* taking pictures should park in the lot adjacent to Father Farrell Hall. You will be scheduled as follows:

11:00 - 11:30 a.m. - Students with the last name beginning with A through G

11:30 -12:00 p.m. - Students with the last name beginning with H through M

12:00 - 12:30 p.m. - Students with the last name beginning with N through R

12:30 - 1:00 p.m. - Students with the last name beginning with S through Y

(this is approximately 20 students per session)

* Please wear your regular school uniform for photos

Mrs. Korp will be at the rear door of the Bennett Building (gym rear entrance in the alleyway). We ask that you are cautious approaching the door (it is a street), practice social distancing (we will have "Xs" 6 feet apart -- please stand on the "X" until you are called into the gym for your picture) and wear your masks up until the time you are taking your picture. If you have any questions, please contact me.

St. Jane's Face Coverings 2020

Those who placed an order for youth masks (small/medium) from A&H Sportswear, the order is complete. You can stop in to pick up your order any time, business hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10:00-6:00 & Saturday from 10:00-2:00. Please call if you have any questions - 610.438.8921

Technology

We have a lot of great technology. I have a great support system with the Intermediate Unit 20 -- but we are still having issues, and I suspect we will continue to. I have had an analysis of our bandwidth. We are not even utilizing the capacity bandwidth. It may be issues with Zoom (since they are ruling the land now), but again, I ask for your patience and understanding. I do want to share that I have installed BARK on all chromebooks. BARK is a control monitoring app to help keep kids safer online. Bark monitors social media, text, and email on Android and iOS devices. I recommend all families install it on their children’s devices. I get alerts when students using their St. Jane School issued google logins are showing any signs of issues like cyberbullying, sexual content, online predators, depression, suicidal ideation, threats of violence, and more. I have already received a few alerts. Some students have googled endings of shows like Criminal Minds, others have played music from YouTube with inappropriate language. If incidents are serious, I will be forwarding the information to you so you and your child can have an open discussion. In addition, students using school issued chromebooks and logins, should not be searching anything that goes against our school code. Chromebooks and our school logins should only be used for school work. (NOTE: @stjaneschool.com logins are not emails for our students.)

I have ordered wireless bluetooth microphones and speaker boxes for the teachers to use to see if our virtual students have a better experience in the classrooms.

Morning Drop Off

Morning Drop off seems to be going smoothly. It would be greatly appreciated if you would make one drop off stop in the morning. Pull all the way up to the cone in the street...your children are safe and can walk to either building. It just helps with the flow of traffic. If you are still parking, please park on the opposite side of Washington Blvd. and cross at the CORNER for your safety and the safety of your child. Today I counted...approximately 100 cars and 16 buses are arriving between 6:57 a.m. to 7:27 a.m. ---that’s a lot of traffic for our Boulevard...Please be courteous to each other, pay attention to the traffic flow, and if you can PLEASE pull up to that cone in the street, we can get everyone into school quickly and safely. Thank you again for your assistance.

Dismissal

Families with the last names from A through L - be ready to pick up at 2:10 p.m.
Families with the last names from M through Z - be ready to pick up at 2:20 p.m.

Extended Care

Please complete the attached Google form if you will be using Extended Care for the upcoming week. https://forms.gle/dwe37NdFZJCFri1c7

Fire Drill - COVID STYLE!

Wednesday, September 9, 2020 -- before 10:00 a.m. I will announce before it occurs. I have asked the Fire Department to be present. Virtual students should practice a drill at home too! I have called the Wilson Fire Department regarding the social distancing, and we agree, we need to evacuate safely, we never encouraged bunching up. Children need to keep their masks on and do their best to keep some distance away from each other. Please discuss at home with your child.

Maschio’s

As mentioned last week, Maschio’s will continue to work with us this year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic food will now be prepared at a central location (Notre Dame High School) and delivered to school prior to our first lunch period. Everything will now be electronic. Maschio’s will be asking us to use a pre-order system. I will share that information with you as soon as I receive it. It will be available for your convenience on our website. I’ll have a special tab for just Maschio’s. The link to the menus will be: https://ndcrusaders.nutrislice.com/menu/st-jane-frances/lunch/2020-09-03

New this year, is a cashless system. You can load money for your child to purchase lunch. The link for online payments is https://www.payschoolscentral.com/ there is a flyer attached below. Please take time to register. Anyone that had money on their lunch card from last year will be receiving a letter with your balance and your child’s pin. Lunches will arrive with your child’s name on it. The only drawback is there will be no last minute lunch orders. In the past the students may get to the cafeteria and then realize they don’t have their lunch and purchase with an IOU. Only students that pre-order will be receiving the food from Maschio’s in our lunch delivery. Please make sure you are prepared for the week for lunches by pre-ordering the food. I will send out an additional email tomorrow with the pre-ordering system.

Virtual Back to School Nights! MARK YOUR CALENDARS - DON’T MISS IT!

All Back to School Nights will be held virtually by grade. Zoom information will be sent to you soon. Each session will run approximately 30 minutes. Please sign in approximately 5 minutes before your session starts. You will be placed in a waiting room, I will let you in at the scheduled time. Thank you again for your patience and flexibility.

Zoom ID: 799 127 2416

Password: Principal

(I can host up to 100 participants)

Tuesday, September 8

Back-to-School Night on Zoom

Grade 1 (6:15 PM)
Grade 2 (7:00 PM)
Grade 3 (7:45 PM)

Wednesday, September 9

Back-to-School Night on Zoom

Grade 4 (6:15 PM)
Grade 5 (7:00 PM)
Grade 6 (7:45 PM)

Thursday, September 10

Junior High Back-to-School Night on Zoom

Grades 7 & 8 (7:00 PM)

Reminders:

Students MAY wear their gym uniforms to school everyday until further notice with either white, black, or grey sneakers with little to no color. (This accommodation is to make it easier for families to launder their child(ren)’s school clothing daily.)
Please send a hand-written note to your child’s homeroom teacher stating their mode of dismissal (bus, car rider, or aftercare). Please do not email! Your child's teacher may not be able to read emails till after school.

Pray, Hope, Don’t Worry -- St. Padre Pio

Marybeth Okula

Principal

Bethlehem Department of Health Daily Symptom Monitoring Form

School Picture Order Form

Family Survey Every family needs to complete this survey -- even our virtual families..please mail.email/drop off to my attention. Thank you.

Diocesan COVID-19 Waiver Release Every family needs to complete this survey -- even our virtual families..please mail.email/drop off to my attention. Thank you.

St. Jane School Solidarity Pledge

Maschio's PaySchools Central Information Flyer

Maschio's September Lunch Menu

August 29th

August 29, 2020

Dear Parents,

I apologize, I am very behind this week!

Thank you for your assistance with the Easton Bus Company! They will be busing us. Bus passes for Easton will be sent home on the first day of school with your child.

I read some beautiful words today from St. Francis de Sales that I want to share with you to help guide us during times of struggle: “Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them—every day begin the task anew.” We need your patience as we embark on a school year like no other. We are not sure what will happen, but know that we have done everything possible to make this an awesome year for you and your children. I will tell you that I do feel like we are building the plane as we soar in the air...so everything will not be perfect, but give it time; we will adjust along the way to make sure that we deliver academic excellence that you are accustomed to. Please keep us in your prayers. Thank you! Read our St. Jane Frances de Chantal Solidarity Pledge here .

Your Flexibility and Compassion are Still Needed!

To provide the safest learning environment for our school community, we all (students, faculty, staff and parents) need to work together to protect each other from COVID.

To reiterate, following health and safety protocols and making good decisions are ways we can help prevent COVID infections within our school community. At the school, we have made sure:

Every student is 6 feet physically distanced from each other
Every student has a micro barrier privacy board on their desk
Gaiters (they’re okay again) have been purchased and will be given to each student (virtual learners will receive one also!)
We are ready - our teachers have been working non-stop all summer!

Virtual students should follow the teacher's instructions the first week of school. You will not be “in” the classroom all day because we are working to get our in-person students acclimated to the new normal of our classrooms. Please continue to be patient and flexible.

Reminders for the First Day of School

Please print out and complete the Return to School Screening Form found here. All students must bring this with them on the first day of school.
Beginning on the second day of school, you will need to complete a shorter temperature check form daily. It will be located on our website.
Wear a mask and bring extras. All students will also receive a Janer gaiter on the first day.
Students MAY wear their gym uniforms to school everyday until further notice with either white, black, or grey sneakers with little to no color. (This accommodation is to make it easier for families to launder their child(ren)’s school clothing daily.)
Bring any school supplies that you purchased on your own. School-purchased stationery supplies will already be at your child’s desk. (You were billed on FACTS for stationery this year.)
Students should come to school with headphones or earbuds for their chrome books.
Pack hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes.
Pack a lunch (not hot lunch this week), a tea towel, and a snack.
Please send a hand-written note to your child’s homeroom teacher stating their mode of dismissal (bus, car rider, or aftercare). Please do not email! It’s going to be a busy day, and I may not be able to read emails till after school.

Arrival

When you are dropping your child(ren) in the morning, we ask that you remain in your car (in other words, no walking them to the door this year). Please be mindful that our buses arrive as early as 6:50 a.m. and up to and no later than 7:30 a.m. Therefore, we ask you not to drop off in front of the school (from our new play lot to S. 19th Street). There will be cones indicating where the buses drop off in the morning. Please know that buses have the right of way between 7:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.

Dismissal

Buses will be arriving at our school for dismissal beginning at 1:30 p.m. -- we ask that you do not park on the school side of Washington Blvd. (between Father Farrell Hall -- 1922 and S. 19th St.) after 1:30 p.m. Students are called for buses promptly at 2:00 p.m. Last year we were able to get 15 bus loads of students dismissed before 2:10 p.m. The first day takes a bit more time, but as the weeks go on, we should have it down to a science. Then, car riders will be dismissed in alphabetical increments in order to maintain social distancing. Please begin lining up on Washington Blvd. below 20th Street. Once all buses have left, you may pull forward to Father Farrell Hall and then you will be directed to pull up in front of the school. If cars get out of order, you may have to pull around the block again to pick up your child. Please see the below schedule for your pick-up times. This schedule may need to be adjusted after we see how things go the first week. Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Remember this is all in the name of safety.

Families with the last names from A through F - be ready to pick up at 2:10 p.m.
Families with the last names from G through L - be ready to pick up at 2:20 p.m.
Families with the last names from M through R - be ready to pick up at 2:30 p.m.
Families with the last names from S through Z - be ready to pick up at 2:40 p.m.

Extended Care

Mrs. Bozzi and Ms. Johnstone are now the moderators of Extended Care. Extended Care will be held in the 6A and 6B classrooms (those classes are now in the Chapel). We have socially distanced the desks and therefore are limiting the number of participants to 36 students (18 students in each classroom). Students will be grouped with siblings. This year, Extended Care will have a set time for dismissal on the ½ hour. Extended Care will not go beyond 5:00 p.m. Please see the attached letter from Mrs. Bozzi and Ms. Johnstone about the new COVID style Extended Care program. Please complete the attached Google form for the upcoming week. https://forms.gle/GoFK7U5ZYt6JkGTQ9

Maschio’s

There will be NO hot lunch the first week of school. Lunch service will begin on Tuesday, September 8, 2020. Maschio’s will be delivering all meals to us daily for our lunch periods. Lunches will be prepared for our students at Notre Dame High School. This year, we will have an automated payment system. All lunch cards that I have in my possession will be uploaded into the new system. Anyone that has cards at home, please bring them to me as soon as possible so we can transfer your funds into the new system. I will be sending out additional information as I receive it.

Virtual Back to School Nights!

Tuesday, September 8

Back-to-School Night on Zoom

Grade 1 (6:15 PM)
Grade 2 (7:00 PM)
Grade 3 (7:45 PM)

Wednesday, September 9

Back-to-School Night on Zoom

Grade 4 (6:15 PM)
Grade 5 (7:00 PM)
Grade 6 (7:45 PM)

Thursday, September 10

Junior High Back-to-School Night on Zoom

Grades 7 & 8 (7:00 PM)

The link to the zoom room is https://zoom.us/j/7991272416

Password is: Principal

Don’t forget to sign up for the used uniform sale...see flyer here .

As always, I have you all in my hearts and my prayers!

Pray, Hope, Don’t Worry -- St. Padre Pio

Marybeth Okula

Principal

Used Uniform Sale

Extended Care Information

Google form for Extended Care: https://forms.gle/GoFK7U5ZYt6JkGTQ9

School Picture Information

School Supply List purchased Elsewhere

St. Jane Frances de Chantal Solidarity Pledge

August 12th

August 12, 2020 (Feast Day of St. Jane Frances de Chantal)

Dear Parents,

Just a friendly reminder to please complete the selection form (https://forms.gle/KBH64Gq8Ee5t4s6HA) by Monday, August 17, 2020 indicating whether your child will be enrolled in virtual learning or in-person school. It's important for us to know this information in order for us to set up classrooms with the proper social distancing and the correct number of desks for in-person classes.

As I mentioned in our info session on August 5, 2020, we are regularly faced with changing guidance from the Department of Health. Personally, I find it hard to keep up. As many of you have heard, this week the Department of Health has strongly recommended 6 feet social distance in all classrooms. Our Health and Safety report was written when the guidance was social distance 3 to 6 feet. If we cannot meet this recommendation, we will need to address this with alternative plans based on each grade size. As of today, most of our classes are able to fit everyone in the class with the 6 feet social distance requirement. Our goal is to still have in-person school five days a week, provided we can accommodate the new guidance for each class or until we are recommended to otherwise change from our state or local health departments in conjunction with the Diocese of Allentown Office of Education.

I am attaching the current school calendar , I know I don’t have to say it, but it is subject to change. Our first day of school is scheduled for August 31, 2020. I am also attaching the FAQs again for your convenience.

To reiterate, 6 feet social distance in classrooms, micro barrier privacy boards were purchased for everyone, lunch at the desk, students may remove their face coverings when at least 6 feet apart when seated at desks or assigned works paces, while eating or drinking, or while actively engaged in physical activity. I purchased the gaiters (which I understand are not helpful anymore, but everyone will still get one). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email.

St. Jane Frances, pray for us.

Marybeth Okula, Principal

Selection Form https://forms.gle/KBH64Gq8Ee5t4s6HA

Calendar 2020-2021

Frequently Asked Questions

July 29th

July 29, 2020

Dear Parents,

I would like to begin by thanking you for your patience and continued support. It feels like so many things are out of our control right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people, including myself, are filled with anxiety about what the future may hold. However, this is a beautiful opportunity for us to place our trust in God, who always holds us lovingly in the palm of his hand. It is also comforting to know that we all share the same goal -- the safety and well-being of our children. Your child’s safety is our number one priority! Together with faculty, staff, parents, and health experts we have created a plan that will help to keep our St. Jane family healthy and safe throughout the 2020-2021 school year. I would like to share that plan with you now. I have attached the plan and subsequent forms that are mentioned in the document.

Based on our recent parent survey, about 70% of families would like to return to in-person learning. As a result, we will proceed with our plans to open our school building five days per week. The teachers and I can hardly wait to see our students again! However, we understand that some families do not feel comfortable sending their children to school for in-person instruction at this time. For this reason, St. Jane School will offer an online learning option. Through Zoom and a new learning platform (Schoology) your child will receive the same content as their classmates, be able to participate in class, and interact with their teacher in real time. Whichever option you choose, you can rest assured that your child will be receiving a quality, Catholic education delivered by our expert faculty.

Nobody needs to make a decision just yet about which option is best for your family. Please take time to carefully read our plan, think it over, and pray about it. I will be holding a virtual town hall on Wednesday, August 5th at 7:00 p.m to present this plan. Prior to the start of the school year we will also host an open house (either virtually or with scheduled times to maintain social distancing) so that you and your child(ren) can get a sneak peek at our classrooms and all the new safety precautions throughout the school. More information to come!

Here at St. Jane’s I have always felt that all of us -- teachers, parents, and students -- are part of a tightly knit family. We love each other, and we look out for each other. I’m asking you to trust that we are doing everything possible to keep your children healthy and safe this school year. I’m asking you to trust that your child will succeed this school year.

God bless you!

Pray, Hope, Don't Worry -- St. Padre Pio

Marybeth Okula, Principal

Health and Safety Return to School Plan

Form 1: Return to School Screening

Form 2: Daily Symptom Monitoring

Form 3: Virtual Learning Summary

Form 4: Virtual Learning Agreement

You may also visit our website for a mobile friendly version of the plan. www.stjaneschool.com

July 9th

July 9, 2020

Dear Parents,

St. Jane teachers, administrators and parents are hard at work planning for the 2020-21 school year. Here is the latest update:

The Diocese has requested each school create a Health and Safety Plan, following guidelines from the CDC and PA Department of Education. I have appointed a team of faculty and parents (who have expertise in the medical and education areas) to assist me in the development of our school plan which will be submitted to the Diocese Office of Education for approval shortly. Once approved, I will share the plan with our community and ensure it is easily accessible on our website. As we continue to work on this document, we’d like to make you aware of some of the major components so that you can plan. Please know that the health and safety of our community is our number one priority and guidelines will be in place to ensure a safe return to the classroom.

Our current plan is to return to the classrooms for full day, in-person instruction. Health and safety guidelines include, but are not limited to:

If it becomes necessary due to illness or Local or State Health Department guidance, we may have to move to remote learning once again. More information will follow on these scenarios once our plan is approved. However – it is our GOAL to have students back in the classroom on the first day of school, provided we can do it safely.

This will be a “team effort,” and will require grace, patience, and lots of prayer going forward. We are working hard to provide your children with a quality, faith-based education. We thank you in advance for your partnership and prayers.

Pray, Hope, don’t worry -- St. Padre Pio

Marybeth Okula

Principal

June 10th

June 10, 2020

Dear Parents,

HAWKWALK THANK YOUs - In your report card envelopes the slips from the HawkWalk donation slips. Here is a copy for you to send to your donors. HAWKWALK THANK YOU LETTER.

CLOSING CEREMONY and YEAR-END AWARDS: If you missed the awards and promotion ceremony, click the link below. (It’s just under 30 minutes.)

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/5952234092123555335

LIVE EVENT THURSDAY for our Parents!

You have invested in US and we want to give you a gift to help rejuvenate and refresh you for the summer! Join Mike and Alicia Hernon of Messy Family Project (www.MessyFamilyProject.org) for a talk on parenting! Bishop Schlert and Dr. Tesche will join us for this fun and faith-filled talk! It will be time well spent for our parents!

Messy Parenting 101

Time Jun 11, 2020 08:30 PM - 9:30PM

You can register for the event by clicking here.

Or here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqcuChrz8oGNV5dQeWkSmZ5QP2J5cXV-DI

YEARBOOKS -- Thank you all for your orders. Due to the COVID pandemic, the yearbooks will not be arriving until Mid-July. I will schedule a grab and go for Grades Kindergarten to 8. We cannot take any more orders at this time. (Maybe it will be green and we can safely gather together and have a Yearbook party! MAYBE)

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL - Due to the COVID pandemic. Rocky Railway VBS is canceled for this summer. It is our hope to have this VBS next summer. If you paid for VBS, please email me at kkimmel@rcn.com to let me know where to send your refund.

GIFT CARDS

Gift cards continue to be available for purchase at the school office. The Parish office remains closed. If you email me at principal@stjaneschool.com ahead of time, I will prepare the gift cards before you arrive and you can pick up at my no-contact, socially distant, by appointment only office window. We now have Redners if anyone needs them.

FROM OUR DISTRICT SCHOOL NURSE

I hope you and your families are safe and well. Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, we ask that you access all health forms on the school website, as they are needed. If you do not have access to a printer, please let myself or Mrs. Okula know, and we can mail you the appropriate paperwork.

You will find the following forms on the school website under "Parent Information," then "Health Forms."

Care plans/ Actions plans
- Please print the form specific to your child's condition (ie: asthma, food allergy, cardiac)
Medication Authorization forms
- Print one form per medication
- Print self-carry form also if your child will self-carry their epi pen or inhaler
Dental exam forms
- Dental exams are required for kindergarten, third and seventh grades
Physical exam forms
- Physical exams are required for kindergarten and sixth grade
Pennsylvania Immunization Requirements
- Students in all grades should be complaint
- Students entering kindergarten and seventh grade have specific requirements

Thank you,

Sarah Kupchick, BSN, RN, M. Ed

Certified School Nurse

Protecting God’s Children - Is now on ZOOM. See information here . Be prepared for the next school year!

Pray, hope, don’t worry -- St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Okula, Principal

School Calendar for 2020-2021 (of course -- its subject to change!)

SUMMER TUTORING FLYER

SUMMER OFFICE HOURS FLYER

CYO FALL 2020 SPORTS FLYER

June 3rd

June 3, 2020

Dear Parents,

HOT PRETZELS - If you purchased the whole year of pretzels it was $15.00. We completed 18 of the 25 weeks, missing 7 pretzel weeks. The refund would be $4.20 for each order. If you would like to request a refund, please email Mrs. Wasielewski at vwaz09@gmail.com and we will arrange your refund. Thank you.

OUR BUILDINGS ARE CLOSED, BUT OUR SCHOOL IS OPEN!

We plan on distributing report cards on Friday, June 5 per the schedule below. During this time, please plan to return any chrome books/iPads and textbooks (hard covered books) that were borrowed during our virtual school time. It is expected that everyone from K-8 will be picking up report cards and/or dropping off textbooks. (We ask you to do your best to disinfect all materials that are being returned by placing in ziploc bags, if possible).

We will follow the same plan as we have for our past drop offs and pickups. Please drive to the corner of S. 19th Street and stay in your car (just like the car rider line) and we will obtain the belongings from your car and retrieve your report cards, etc. We will all be masked and will be practicing physical distancing as much as possible. To make this as easy as possible for families - please remain in your car - we will come to you. As soon as we exchange drop off and pick up, we ask that you carefully pull away and allow the next set of cars to pull up. Two times are being offered for families to pick up their child/ren’s items on Friday, June 5:

9:00 - 9:30 -- Children with the last names from A to F

9:30 - 10:00 -- Children with the last names from G to L

10:00 - 10:30 -- Children with the last names from M to R

10:30 -11:00 -- Children with the last names from S to Z

And then again for those who prefer arriving in the afternoon:

12:00 - 12:30 -- Children with the last names from A to F

12:30 - 1:00 -- Children with the last names from G to L

1:00 - 1:30 -- Children with the last names from M to R

1:30 - 2:00 -- Children with the last names from S to Z

For those individuals who cannot make the day times, we will be available from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9th as follows:

4:00 - 4:30 -- Children with the last names from A to F

4:30 - 5:00 -- Children with the last names from G to L

5:00 - 5:30 -- Children with the last names from M to R

5:30 - 6:00 -- Children with the last names from S to Z

YEARBOOKS -- Thank you all for your orders. Due to the COVID pandemic, the yearbooks will not be arriving until Mid-July. I will schedule a grab and go for Grades Kindergarten to 8. (Maybe it will be green and we can safely gather together and have a Yearbook party! MAYBE)

GIFT CARDS

FROM OUR DISTRICT SCHOOL NURSE

You will find the following forms on the school website under "Parent Information," then "Health Forms."

Care plans/ Actions plans
- Please print the form specific to your child's condition (ie: asthma, food allergy, cardiac)
Medication Authorization forms
- Print one form per medication
- Print self-carry form also if your child will self-carry their epi pen or inhaler
Dental exam forms
- Dental exams are required for kindergarten, third and seventh grades
Physical exam forms
- Physical exams are required for kindergarten and sixth grade
Pennsylvania Immunization Requirements
- Students in all grades should be complaint
- Students entering kindergarten and seventh grade have specific requirements

Thank you,

Sarah Kupchick, BSN, RN, M. Ed

Certified School Nurse

CLEARANCES! You may have more or less time on your hands, but why not get all your clearances in order so you can volunteer once we go back to school in the Fall. See the complete packet here . If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Cahill at assistsec@stjaneschool.com

Protecting God’s Children - Is now on ZOOM. See information here. Be prepared for the next school year!

VIRTUAL FIELD DAYS - THANK YOU to all the students that participated in virtual field day. If you did participate and you have photos or videos, please share with me at principal@stjaneschool or text to 610-216-3309. Mr. and Mrs. McGarvey worked very hard creating and recording the activities. https://www.stjaneschool.com/physed/

Pray, hope, don’t worry -- St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Okula, Principal

School Calendar for 2020-2021 (of course -- its subject to change!)

SUMMER TUTORING

SUMMER OFFICE HOURS

May 28th

May 28, 2020

Dear Parents,

What a 3rd trimester this has been. Thank you all for your support of our teachers, our school and me. It has been an overwhelming few months for us all. Overwhelming that we were all put into such an unprecedented situation, and overwhelming from the amount of support and cooperation we received from you and your children. I am a very blessed principal!

VIRTUAL FIELD DAYS - Beginning Monday, June 1st! Our annual field day was cancelled due to COVID this year, or is it….I SAY NO! We had the best HawkWalk ever virtually, I am hoping to have the best Field Day ever too! I am attaching the link to Mr. McGarvey’s webpage. He has TEN (10) awesome activities that you can do at home with your family! I encourage you to participate and send me a video clip so I can share with Mr. McGarvey (send to principal@stjaneschool or 610-216-3309). Mr. and Mrs. McGarvey have been working very hard creating and recording the activities, so we really hope you will participate! Everyone in the family can participate! HAVE FUN! https://www.stjaneschool.com/physed/

OUR BUILDINGS ARE CLOSED, BUT OUR SCHOOL IS OPEN!

Zoom classes will end on May 29th (only 1 more days).Wahoo! We did it!

We plan to distribute report cards on Friday, June 5 per the schedule below. During this time, please plan to return any chromebooks/iPads and textbooks that were borrowed during our virtual school time. (We ask you to do your best to disinfect all materials that are being returned by placing in ziploc bags, if possible).

We will follow the same plan as we have for our past drop offs and pickups. Please drive to the corner of S. 19th Street and stay in your car (just like the car rider line) and we will obtain the belongings from your car. We will all be masked and will be practicing physical distancing as much as possible. To make this as easy as possible for families - please remain in your car - we will come to you. As soon as we receive your bag, we ask that you carefully pull away and allow the next set of cars to pull up. Two times are being offered for families to pick up their child/ren’s items on Friday, June 5:

9:00 - 9:30 -- Children with the last names from A to F

9:30 - 10:00 -- Children with the last names from G to L

10:00 - 10:30 -- Children with the last names from M to R

10:30 -11:00 -- Children with the last names from S to Z

And then again for those who prefer arriving in the afternoon:

12:00 - 12:30 -- Children with the last names from A to F

12:30 - 1:00 -- Children with the last names from G to L

1:00 - 1:30 -- Children with the last names from M to R

1:30 - 2:00 -- Children with the last names from S to Z

For those individuals who cannot make the day times, we will be available from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9th as follows:

4:00 - 4:30 -- Children with the last names from A to F

4:30 - 5:00 -- Children with the last names from G to L

5:00 - 5:30 -- Children with the last names from M to R

5:30 - 6:00 -- Children with the last names from S to Z

PERSONNEL UPDATES

It is with mixed emotions that I share the following. After 46 years of dedicated service to St. Jane School and Catholic education, Mrs. Carol Swavely is retiring. I will miss her smile and willingness to always help me and the students or anyone who is in need. Mrs. Swavely has organized our outreach programs, including our annual Thanksgiving Baskets, which I hope she will come out of retirement to help us again this year! We wish Mrs. Swavely all the best in her new normal of retirement life!

Mrs. Adrienne Stumpf will also be joining the ranks of the retirees this summer! Mrs. Stumpf has dedicated 26 years to Catholic education--10 years at Our Lady of Hungary, Northampton and 16 years at St. Jane School. Mrs. Stumpf has been an absolute joy to work with. I met her when I was a teacher at St. Theresa School, then I had the pleasure of her teaching my daughter. What a blessing she has been to our school. She will be truly missed by many! We wish her relaxation and joy in her upcoming retirement!

Mrs. Arlene Bonventre has resigned to care for her children (it’s quite busy with 4 of them). She has brought so much joy to our faculty. Her expertise in audiology and hear-impaired children and her knowledge of Harry Potter and sign language will be a big hole to fill. I feel blessed to have met this fellow New Yorker and have had the opportunity to work with her these past two years! She was a gem. We wish her all the best!

Please join me in thanking these wonderful educators for all that they have done for our school, Catholic education, our students and our families. God Bless you all on your new adventures. You will always be a Janer! #janerforlife!

GIFT CARDS

FROM OUR DISTRICT SCHOOL NURSE

You will find the following forms on the school website under "Parent Information," then "Health Forms."

Care plans/ Actions plans
- Please print the form specific to your child's condition (ie: asthma, food allergy, cardiac)
Medication Authorization forms
- Print one form per medication
- Print self-carry form also if your child will self-carry their epi pen or inhaler
Dental exam forms
- Dental exams are required for kindergarten, third and seventh grades
Physical exam forms
- Physical exams are required for kindergarten and sixth grade
Pennsylvania Immunization Requirements
- Students in all grades should be complaint
- Students entering kindergarten and seventh grade have specific requirements

Thank you,

Sarah Kupchick, BSN, RN, M. Ed

Certified School Nurse

CLEARANCES! You may have more or less time on your hands, but why not get all your clearances in order so you can volunteer once we go back to school in the Fall. See the complete packet here. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Cahill at assistsec@stjaneschool.com

Protecting God’s Children - Is now on ZOOM. See information here . Be prepared for the next school year!

Pray, hope, don’t worry -- St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Okula, Principal

School Calendar for 2020-2021 (of course -- its subject to change!)

SUMMER TUTORING AVAILABLE

May 20th

May 20, 2020

Dear Parents,

Important Message from Dr. Tesche, Chancellor, Office of Education, Diocese of Allentown . Please read and complete the survey. Thank you.

ASCENSION THURSDAY MASS MAY 21, 2020 AT 10:00 A.M.

Bishop Schlert will be offering a special Mass for our students on Ascension Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. The Bishop has asked that all schools to designate this time for this Mass so that all students can attend. Please be sure to tune in. It will be available to view here:

Live on AD Today: www.ad-today.com/live

https://www.ad-today.com/live/

Live on Diocese YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/user/DioceseofAllentown/

Live on Diocese Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/DioceseofAllentown/

Our teachers will not be teaching during this time, so that we can all attend Ascension Thursday Mass. Please send me pictures of your family attending Mass! Our families of faith are bound together by our faith! It is what makes us great! #becausewearecatholic #ascensionthursdayisaholydayofobligation #weareacommunityoffaith #catholicfamilies #schoolsthatpraytogetherstaytogether

HAWKWALK T-SHIRTS

I still have all the t-shirts available for the students who still didn’t get theirs. You can stop by my no-contact, socially distant, by appointment only office window. Any adult t-shirts that ordered a t-shirt, I have them all ready for you. Call for an appointment today.

GIFT CARDS

You can still purchase gift cards at the school only. Parish office remains closed. If you email me at principal@stjaneschool.com ahead of time, I can prepare the gift cards before you arrive and you can stop by my no-contact, socially distant, by appointment only office window. We now have Redners if anyone needs them.

FROM OUR DISTRICT SCHOOL NURSE

You will find the following forms on the school website under "Parent Information," then "Health Forms."

Care plans/ Actions plans
- Please print the form specific to your child's condition (ie: asthma, food allergy, cardiac)
Medication Authorization forms
- Print one form per medication
- Print self-carry form also if your child will self-carry their epi pen or inhaler
Dental exam forms
- Dental exams are required for kindergarten, third and seventh grades
Physical exam forms
- Physical exams are required for kindergarten and sixth grade
Pennsylvania Immunization Requirements
- Students in ALL grades should be complaint
- Students entering kindergarten and seventh grade have specific requirements

Thank you,

Sarah Kupchick, BSN, RN, M. Ed

Certified School Nurse

OUR BUILDINGS ARE CLOSED, BUT OUR SCHOOL IS OPEN!

Zoom classes will end on May 29th (only 6 more days). Students will be asked to attend Ascension Thursday Mass on May 21, 2020 (see information above). We have a ½ day scheduled for Friday, May 22, 2020, and there are NO classes on Memorial Day, May 25, 2020. Please make sure your children follow their teacher’s instructions for these days.

As you are all aware, I am awaiting the guidelines of the Yellow Phase (which is now scheduled for June 5th but subject to change) to arrange a drop and go. We would appreciate a return of all chrome books and textbooks that were borrowed during our virtual school time. (Please do your best to disinfect all materials that are being returned by placing in zip loc bags, if possible). I will provide more information about this as we get closer to June. I am planning to have report cards for distribution beginning on Friday, June 5th (maybe -- depends what color we are in). Please note, this could change. I’m just trying to give you a time frame. I’m just not sure because things seem to change immediately after I send this letter out each week. So hang tight. I promise to give you plenty of notice.

CLEARANCES! You may have more or less time on your hands, but why not get all your clearances in order so you can volunteer once we go back to school in the Fall. See the complete packet here. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Cahill at assistsec@stjaneschool.com

Protecting God’s Children - Is now on ZOOM. See information here . Be prepared for the next school year!

Teachers will be providing summer tutoring via zoom! See flyer here .

STAY TUNED -- NEXT WEEK INFORMATION ABOUT VIRTUAL FIELD DAY -- MONDAY, JUNE 1ST

Pray, hope, don’t worry -- St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Okula, Principal

School Calendar for 2020-2021 (of course -- its subject to change!)

Virtual Summer Camp

Start practicing now -- Handwashing -- Keeping Your Family Healthy!

May 13th

May 13, 2020

Dear Parents,

HELP NEEDED

This week we are thanking our parents, our partners in education. Our teachers have made signs and videos thanking our parents for all they do during this unprecedented time. Next week (week of May 18th), we are looking for kids and parents with grateful hearts to thank our teachers, faculty and staff. If you can send a short video (under 30 seconds) to principal@stjaneschool.com. I will submit to the Diocesan Office to be included in a larger video, and as always, I will share on our Facebook page. Thank you!

ASCENSION THURSDAY MASS MAY 21, 2020 AT 10:00 A.M.

Live on AD Today:

https://www.ad-today.com/live/

Live on Diocese YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/user/DioceseofAllentown/

Live on Diocese Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/DioceseofAllentown/

Our teachers will not be teaching during this time, so that we can all attend Ascension Thursday Mass. Please send me pictures of your family attending Mass! Our families of faith are bound together by our faith! It is what makes us great! #becausewearecatholic #ascensionthursdayisaholydayofobligation #weareacommunityoffaith #catholicfamilies #schoolsthatpraytogetherstaytogether

HAWKWALK T-SHIRTS

I have all the t-shirts available for the students who still didn’t get theirs. You can stop by my no-contact, socially distant, by appointment only office window. Any adult t-shirts that ordered a t-shirt, I have them all ready for you. Call for an appointment today.

GIFT CARDS

FROM OUR DISTRICT SCHOOL NURSE

You will find the following forms on the school website under "Parent Information," then "Health Forms."

Care plans/ Actions plans
- Please print the form specific to your child's condition (ie: asthma, food allergy, cardiac)
Medication Authorization forms
- Print one form per medication
- Print self-carry form also if your child will self-carry their epi pen or inhaler
Dental exam forms
- Dental exams are required for kindergarten, third and seventh grades
Physical exam forms
- Physical exams are required for kindergarten and sixth grade
Pennsylvania Immunization Requirements
- Students in all grades should be complaint
- Students entering kindergarten and seventh grade have specific requirements

Thank you,

Sarah Kupchick, BSN, RN, M. Ed

Certified School Nurse

OUR BUILDINGS ARE CLOSED, BUT OUR SCHOOL IS OPEN!

Zoom classes will end on May 29th (only 11 more days). Students are asked to attend Ascension Thursday Mass on May 21, 2020 (see information above). We have a ½ day scheduled for Friday, May 22, 2020, and there are NO classes on Memorial Day, May 25, 2020. Please make sure your children follow their teacher’s instructions for these days. As you are all aware, I am awaiting the guidelines of the Yellow Phase (which is now scheduled for June 5th) to arrange a drop and go. We would appreciate a return of all chrome books and textbooks that were borrowed during our virtual school time. (Please do your best to disinfect all materials that are being returned by placing in zip-loc bags, if possible). I provide more about this as we get closer to June. I am planning to have report cards for distribution beginning on Friday, June 5th. Please note, this could change. I’m just trying to give you a time frame. I’m just not sure because things seem to change immediately after I send this letter out each week. So hang tight. I promise give you plenty of notice.

Protecting God’s Children - Is now on ZOOM. See information here . Be prepared for the next school year!

Pray, hope, don’t worry -- St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Okula, Principal

May 7th

May 7, 2020

Dear Parents,

In behalf of the faculty and staff, thank you so much for the cards, gifts, visits, posters, and support you have shown us throughout the school year, but especially this week during Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week! A special thank you to our Home and School for treating us to lunch and sending us all a little gift! Next week, our teachers will be sharing their thanks to all of our super awesome parents! Check out our Facebook page throughout the week!

HAWKWALK T-SHIRTS

I have all the t-shirts available for the students who still didn’t get theirs. You can stop by my no-contact, socially distant, by appointment only office window. We are waiting for preschool and adult t-shirts. I will notify you as soon as they arrive.

HAWKWALK UPDATE - As expected, more donations arrived this past week. We also received generous company matches. Did you know that Johnson and Johnson, Bank of America, Merck, Sanofi, Apple, Air Products, Pfizer, Novartis, Dun and Bradstreet, Eli Lilly, AT&T to name a few all did company matches this year! We raised just $7,000 from these matches. Thank you very much for inquiring about the company match program. Our grand total now stands at $73,515! Amazing fundraising during a pandemic. Thank you to all!

FROM OUR DISTRICT SCHOOL NURSE: I hope you and your families are safe and well. Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, we ask that you access all health forms on the school website, as they are needed. If you do not have access to a printer, please let myself or Mrs. Okula know, and we can mail you the appropriate paperwork.

You will find the following forms on the school website under "Parent Information," then "Health Forms."

Care plans/ Actions plans
- Please print the form specific to your child's condition (ie: asthma, food allergy, cardiac)
Medication Authorization forms
- Print one form per medication
- Print self-carry form also if your child will self-carry their epi-pen or inhaler
Dental exam forms
- Dental exams are required for kindergarten, third and seventh grades
Physical exam forms
- Physical exams are required for kindergarten and sixth grade
Pennsylvania Immunization Requirements
- Students in all grades should be complaint
- Students entering kindergarten and seventh grade have specific requirements

Thank you,

Sarah Kupchick, BSN, RN, M. Ed

Certified School Nurse

Our buildings are closed. Our school is open!

Zoom classes will most likely end on May 29th (only 15 more days). We have a ½ day scheduled for Friday, May 22, 2020, and there are no classes on Memorial Day, May 25, 2020. Please make sure your children follow their teacher’s instructions for these days. Hopefully, the first week in June, I will organize opportunities for the students to come into school and return borrowed materials and visit with their teachers. I am awaiting the guidelines of the Yellow Phase (which I hope happens on May 25th) and I will share the information with you. I realize how tough this transition and new normal has been on everyone, but I want you to know that we have accomplished more than I could’ve ever imagined this 3rd trimester! I am so proud of my teachers, my students and my families!. You Rock!

REMINDER: Attendance in Zoom class counts. If you are absent, a parent needs to email the teacher an absent excuse. I still have file attendance on my end of year report. Don’t forget, school is in session!

Yearbook Order - LAST CALL FOR YEARBOOK ORDERS -- MAY 8, 2020 -- THAT’S TOMORROW!! Please mail your order form to the school at 1900 Washington Blvd. Easton, PA 18042 -- Attn: Yearbook. See order form here.

8TH GRADERS!! Last chance for 8th graders to share quarantine photos for a collage for the yearbook. Due to Mrs. Pizzuto (class6b@stjaneschool.com NO later than May 8, 2020.)

Gift Cards - You can still purchase gift cards at the school. I will be preparing the gift cards before you arrive and you can stop by my no-contact, socially distant, by appointment only office window. We now have Redners if anyone needs them.

Protecting God’s Children - Is now on ZOOM. See information here . Be prepared for the next school year!

Have You Checked Out Mr. McGarvey’s teacher page. He has exercises that are fun for the family. Check it out here -- https://www.stjaneschool.com/physed/

Pray, hope, don’t worry -- St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Okula, Principal

April 29th

April 29, 2020

Dear Parents,

I want to thank everyone for their participation in this year’s HawkWalk. If you didn’t see the video yet, I will attach the link at the bottom for you. We raised $65,909 which is amazing during a global pandemic where everything is so uncertain. Thank you very much. Thank you to our HawkWalk Committee led by Michelle Van Wert and Staci Burgess and the t-shirt chair Lisa Calandra. Thank you again to all of you for the beautiful pictures and videos that were sent. And a very special thank you to Mr. Nolan Van Wert that spent all day Sunday creating such a great video. We are so blessed with awesome families at St. Jane School.

HAWKWALK T-SHIRTS

If there are any adults that want to purchase a HawkWalk t-shirt, we are placing an order Friday, May 1st. Please email michellevanwert@gmail.com no later than tomorrow. The shirts are $15.00 each. Payment will need to be made before we place your order. Thank you.

Our buildings are closed. Our school is open!

We are now in the middle of the 7th week (yes, I’m counting) of quarantine. It’s been tough on everyone, but I want to say how proud I am of my teachers, my students and my families. You are all doing a great job. Don’t ever doubt that.

I have to thank you for making sure that our children are doing the right thing at home during e-learning learning. It makes the virtual classroom run smoothly when we are all on the same page. So, thank you very much to everyone! P.S. Attendance in Zoom class counts. If you are absent, a parent needs to email the teacher an absent excuse. I still have to file attendance on my end of year report. Don’t forget, school is in session!

Yearbook Order - LAST CALL FOR YEARBOOK ORDERS -- MAY 8, 2020!

Please mail your order form to the school at 1900 Washington Blvd. Easton, PA 18042 -- Attn: Yearbook. See order form here .

8TH GRADERS!! Last chance for 8th graders to share quarantine photos for a collage for the yearbook. Due to Mrs. Pizzuto (class6b@stjaneschool.com NO later than May 8, 2020.)

Principal Returning to School

I am planning to move my office back to school next week. My hours may vary, but I’ll be there everyday. If you are still interested in purchasing gift cards or picking up your child's awesome HawkWalk t-shirt I can help you. You will need to make an appointment with me by email. I will be working out of my office window. This way we can still practice social distancing and stay safe.

Check Out Mr. McGarvey’s teacher page. He has exercises that are fun for the family. You can check it out https://www.stjaneschool.com/physed/.

CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER!

The following 8th graders have been awarded the Bishop Scholar Society Scholarship:

Daniel Darno

Ryan Horn

Katherine Koons

Jake Mattes

Steven Petrik

John Paul Pierce

Jordan Smith

The students will be recognized at an online ceremony on May 6th with Bishop Schlert, Chancellor Brooke Tesche, and Superintendent Phil Fromuth. Congratulations!

Hope everyone is staying healthy and safe! Miss you all!

Pray, hope, don’t worry -- St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Okula, Principal

April 27th

April 27, 2020

Dear Parents,

I would like to thank everyone for their participation in their year's HawkWalk! I cannot thank the HawkWalk committee members, Mrs. Van Wert, Mrs. Burgess and Mrs. Calandra for all their help. I would also like to thank Mrs. Korp for counting all the money that came in this year and tracking it for Mrs. Fenner. These things don't happen without the support of all of our families. There are so many to thank, so I just want to say THANK YOU TO ALL.

Mr. Van Wert spent yesterday creating the attached YouTube Video for our enjoyment. You will see our grand total at the very end! (It is a 10 minute video, but it's adorable, worth watching to the very end). Thank you to all of you that posted pictures on FACEBOOK or sent me pictures and videos to my email. We tried to include everything!

Although this year's HawkWalk was different, after you watch the video, you might say it was better -- families joined together to celebrate a wonderful event in our school year. THANK YOU AGAIN FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! I miss you all terribly. I wish we could be together.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Okula

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja7JFyvr4JU&t=9s

April 24th

April 24, 2020

Dear Parents,

It has been decided at the Diocesan level that 3rd trimester assignments will be graded and counted toward final year end averages. Our grading perspective will be adjusted to be mindful of the impact the pandemic has on our community. Therefore, we are being fluid and flexible with grading. In keeping with the high standard of St. Jane School, students that are NOT participating/handing things in will be reported to me. Parents will be contacted to discuss a course of action to be taken to help achieve student success. We do expect that grades for the 3rd trimester will be higher, given parent support, grading leniency, credit for active online participation (attending Zooms) and timely submission of all assignments. This should be beneficial to most of the students. Please continue to work as a partner with your child’s teacher to ensure the success of your child during virtual school.

In order to see what has been assigned and monitor your child’s success, check PowerSchool by clicking on the trimester average for each core subject of the third trimester. Keep in mind:

No special grades are being recorded.
Pass/Fail is not an option for elementary schools per Diocese.
Grades K-4 -- Will receive grades in ELA, Reading, Math and Religion (modifications and accommodations will be considered)
Grades 5-8 -- same as above, but add Science and Social Studies.
Grades K-2 - it's impractical to give students formal assessments over the computer, we will be basing these grades on attendance, homework completion, participation, and our small reading groups. From time to time, you may be asked to send pictures of your child’s work so it can be checked for progress in meeting learning goals. We believe that all the students have been trying their best, so you can expect to see a lot of Gs, VGs, and even a few Os on PowerSchool.
We will be printing report cards in June, arrangements can hopefully be made to hand them out or mail them to you.

We understand that each of us is impacted by this health crisis differently and we are working hard to balance academic needs with the health and well-being of our families. We also realize that the unprecedented situation we find ourselves in continues to evolve. As such, we aim to continue to adjust our instruction accordingly. Thank you for your continued support during these unprecedented times. Our faculty continues to provide a quality education to our most deserving students.

Pray, hope, don't worry -- St. Padre Pio

Marybeth Okula

April 23rd

April 23, 2020

Dear Parents,

I hope everyone is staying healthy. As our quarantine time heads closer to the end of April, the excitement of cyber school is wearing off on everybody. Please be assured that our teachers are committed to providing your children with not only a continuity of education, but a superior Catholic school education. They are working long hours to prepare for classes, and in turn, their expectations are that the students are working hard as well.

Our buildings are closed. Our school is open!

Our teachers are teaching and our students are learning and will be ready to move on. We can ALL do this. Together. One day at a time. Remember - Don't let the perfect, get in the way of the good.

Did you know...Mr. McGarvey has an awesome website for physical activities for the students. Check it out. Our Music teacher, Mrs. Vinovskis has activities for each grade. Did you know that our Art teacher, Mrs. Waltz has posted YouTube art videos and Mrs. Salvemini has computer keyboarding activities as well as word processing activities to work on. Check it out on our https://www.stjaneschool.com/teacher-pages/. Maybe you can try something fun to do in your down time!!

e-Learning Concerns:

A few e-learning issues that have been brought to my attention that need to be addressed immediately at home:

There are still students that are on Zoom with their video cameras on, but are actually doing something else on the computer. Teachers have called on said students and they have no idea what’s going on, they are not paying any attention. Please check on your children to make sure they are participating in class and not playing Roblox or doing something other than school work during class time.
Just like school, cell phones are not allowed in the “classroom.” They are creating a distraction and some students have used it during classes inappropriately.
Students are still not coming prepared to class. For example, they don’t bring their books to their work area. Teachers are asking students to look at a page, answer a question, or to read, and the response given is, “I don’t have my book.” Please make sure your child is prepared for school. Remind your children, this is school.
Background noises cannot be helped, and I realize that space is limited in our homes, but please try to remember the classroom is now in your home and that students in your child’s class can hear everything happening in the background in your home. Please be mindful of what’s being said in the background, everyone can hear you. Your child can eliminate the noise of their class by using headphones. If you need headphones, I do have a few available. Please reach out to me.
It is important that your child participates in the classes/assignments to the best of their abilities. The students are being graded. The faculty is using a variety of assessments both traditional and authentic. Grades are now being posted in PowerSchool.
Remind your child/ren that school is still in session until at least the first week in June. So, they will be held accountable for all assigned work. Hang in there!
Thank you for your support and for your child’s hard work.

REMINDER ABOUT Student Zoom/on-line Etiquette Guidelines

Just a reminder about Zoom guidelines for on-line learning. It is very much appreciated that we all continue to work together.

Be Present in class. I realize how very easy it is to click on other programs and appear to be in class. This is unacceptable.
NOTE: DUE TO RECENT ZOOM BOMBERS, Teachers will give a 5-minute grace period and then will be locking their zoom rooms in order to prevent Zoom break-ins into class time. Please be on time for class.
NOTE: You will not be permitted in class unless your video is on. Thank you.
Avoid eating while in “class”.
Allow your microphone to sit next to your mouth, NOT inside or right against it.
Stay put; try NOT to move around while in “class”.
Limit cell phone use during class time to help another classmate attend class if their home connectivity is poor (pertains mostly to older grades).
For safety and Zoom room admission purposes, please use your real name, as your teacher knows you. Names that are not recognized may not be admitted into class.
“Name” screens (turning off video) are no longer permitted for an entire class. Teachers must be able to see the student or the student’s workspace. In this way, teachers can better monitor attendance and active participation on the part of the student.
Be on time to each class or session.
Students and parents are encouraged to take advantage of teacher office hours to ask questions and receive assignment clarification, or receive enrichment work or remediation.
Do NOT share the class password with others.

Looking ahead...April 24th -- Virtual HawkWalk -- We are over $60,000, but our donations have slowed down considerably. Not sure if we’ll make our goal this year, but I am very grateful for everyone’s support! Thank you to all! Please direct your families that still want to contribute to the Donate to HawkWalk tab on our website https://www.stjaneschool.com/donate-to-hawk-walk-2020/)

Thank you so much to our donors!

Spirit Week has been so much fun! I really enjoyed seeing the kids in your photos. Thank you so much for sharing with me! St. Jane School is such a special place, and I am very blessed to be the principal of such a wonderful school with awesome families, amazing teachers and outstanding students! Thank you so much for all your support!

Friday’s forecast is not looking promising. But Saturday has 0% chance of rain and a high of 64 degrees, so I am proposing that we celebrate HawkWalk over the weekend and send me your pictures and I’ll post. You can chalk your “HawkWalk” at your convenience, and send your pictures to me via email at principal@stjaneschool.com

It’s not the same as being together at school, but we can show everyone, like in past years, nothing stops Janers from having a good time and celebrating our HawkWalk!

Chalk Your “HawkWalk” -- Let’s see your best HawkWalk design on your

sidewalk, driveway, etc. take a picture and email to principal@stjaneschool.com.

Get with the family and walk for 20 minutes -- send me a short video (15-30 seconds) we want to celebrate all that we are grateful for, especially our health, you and St. Jane School!

CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER! The Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) recently recognized the St. Jane Frances de Chantal School in Easton, PA, for its Program of Distinction in Early Childhood Education. The Middle States Programs of Distinction initiative provides external validation of an accredited school’s accomplishments in specific areas of expertise and enables schools to take accreditation to the next level. Please see attached officical notification letter here . I am also including the press release here .

MORE CONGRATULATIONS! The Commission on Elementary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools voted to award the following to St. Jane Frances de Chantal School, grades PK 4 to grade 8: ACCREDITATION. The term of accreditation is for seven years, effective May 1, 2020 and expiring on May 1, 2027. An “Accredited” institution is an educational organization that meets all MSA Standards for Accreditation, adheres to applicable MSA policies, and meets the requirements of the self study protocol used. The institution agrees to adhere to all requirements for maintenance of accreditation. Please see the official notification here .

Our Encouragement Cards were very much appreciated!

I received an email from Mr. Jason Lewis, Manager of Pulmonary Medicine at Easton Hospital. It said, “I would like to commend the students at St. Jane School for their words of encouragement/thank you cards that were sent to Easton Hospital. The treats are also a welcomed surprise. My staff and I were taken aback by the drawings and cards. It is greatly encouraging and deeply appreciated. The thoughts and prayers from the children are moving. It is so nice to see these posted all over the hospital in the different care areas. It reminds us why we are who we are. We are here to help the community, the sick and the ones in need. Please tell these wonderful souls that they have touched the hearts of the doctors, nurses, and the many other healthcare workers here. Many blessings.”

Pray, hope, don’t worry -- St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Okula, Principal

April 15th

April 15, 2020

Dear Parents,

I hope that everyone enjoyed their Easter. It was nice to have a few days without school work to just focus on family and home and have a few nice sunny days too! I know many of you are grieving the loss of the school year, and this is sad and disappointing. We are all feeling a sense of loss. While this is hard, it is not impossible to complete the year with success and positive energy about school. In some ways, we can now continue doing 'business as usual'.

Our building is closed. Our school is not.

Our teachers are teaching and our students are learning and will be ready to move on. We are uniquely positioned to continue our School-Home partnership in the education of the children. Our faith becomes rooted as we serve as models of Catholic values. Our commitment to keep doing the next best thing for our students and families because we are here to serve our communities. We can ALL do this. Together. One day at a time. Remember - Don't let the perfect, get in the way of the good. Please send me your pictures of what your "classroom" looks like now. I want to see it from your perspective. Send me pictures to principal@stjaneschool.com.

Did you know...our Music teacher, Mrs. Vinovskis has activities for each grade. Did you know that our Art teacher, Mrs. Waltz has posted YouTube art videos and Mrs. Salvemini has computer keyboarding activities as well as word processing activities to work on. Check it out on our website. Maybe you can try something fun to do in your down time!! Send me a picture if you do. I heard Mr. McGarvey is sharing smoothie recipes. I'd like to see a picture of you making a smoothie. Send me anything fun you are doing while you are at home and school. One student was installing hard wood floors! Wow! You're all doing great things! Let's share it!

Student Zoom/on-line Etiquette Guidelines

Just a reminder about Zoom guidelines for on-line learning. It is very much appreciated that we all continue to work together.

Please be present in class. I realize how very easy it is to click on other programs and appear to be in class. This is unacceptable.
NOTE: DUE TO RECENT ZOOM BOMBERS, Teachers will give a 5-minute grace period and then will be locking their zoom rooms in order to prevent Zoom break-ins into class time. Please be on time for class.
NOTE: You will not be permitted in class unless your video is on. Thank you.
Avoid eating while in “class”.
Allow your microphone to sit next to your mouth, NOT inside or right against it.
Stay put; try NOT to move around while in “class”.
Limit cell phone use during class time to help another classmate attend class if their home connectivity is poor (pertains mostly to older grades).
For safety and Zoom room admission purposes, please use your real name, as your teacher knows you. Names that are not recognized may not be admitted into class.
“Name” screens (turning off video) are no longer permitted for an entire class. Teachers must be able to see the student or the student’s workspace. In this way, teachers can better monitor attendance and active participation on the part of the student.
Be on time to each class or session.
Students and parents are encouraged to take advantage of teacher office hours to ask questions and receive assignment clarification, or receive enrichment work or remediation.
Do NOT share the class password with others.

Looking ahead...April 24th -- Virtual HawkWalk -- Donations have slowed down considerably, but we are over $58,000! Thank you to all! Please direct your families that still want to contribute to the Donate to HawkWalk tab on our website https://www.stjaneschool.com/donate-to-hawk-walk-2020/)

Thank you so much to our donors!

The week of April 20th will be virtual spirit week! (Don’t worry, it’s going to be fun and easy!)

Monday, April 20 Wear your favorite HawkWalk t-shirt or your school spirit wear and take a picture and email to principal@stjaneschool.com

Tuesday, April 21 The Future is Bright! -- Get your sunglasses on and email pictures to principal@stjaneschool.com

Wednesday, April 22 Selfie Day - Take your selfie and email to principal@stjaneschool.com

Thursday, April 23 St. Jane School Spirit Day! Be True to Your School -- Wear your green and gold today -- and email pictures to principal@stjaneschool.com

Friday, April 24 Chalk Your “HawkWalk” -- Let’s see your best HawkWalk design on your sidewalk, driveway, etc. take a picture and email to principal@stjaneschool.com.

Get with the family and walk for 20 minutes -- send me a short video (15-30 seconds) we want to celebrate all that we are grateful for, especially our health, you and St. Jane School! Praying for good weather!

Pray, hope, don’t worry -- St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Okula, Principal

April 9th

April 9, 2020

Dear Parents,

It is with a very heavy heart that I share the following news with you. As you have probably already heard, today, Governor Wolf ordered all schools to remain closed through the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. Please know that our faculty and staff remain committed to serve our students, everyday. We will continue to move forward with our curriculum and deliver quality instruction to our students and finish the 2019-2020 school year. I’m sure you have many questions regarding Confirmation and First Holy Communion and our 8th grade graduation, please know we are thinking about how and when these events can take place in the future.

On this Holy Thursday, I continue to pray that you and your families are healthy and safe. May Jesus, the Divine Physician, preserve us from all illness and harm.

Pray, hope, don’t worry. -- St. Padre Pio

Marybeth Okula

April 8th

April 8, 2020

Dear Parents,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Easter Blessings to All! I want to wish you and your families a Blessed Easter, and I pray that you are all healthy. May Jesus, the Divine Physician, preserve us from all illness and harm.

Celebrating the Triduum is such a special time in our liturgical year and Holy Week is always a treasured time of year for families as the culmination of Lent comes to an end. Although we will not be attending Holy Thursday Mass, Good Friday Services, and Easter Sunday Mass at church,the Diocese of Allentown has asked us to remain faithful during this special time in our Church. Bishop Schlert provided us this schedule of Holy Week Masses for you and your family to celebrate the Holy Triduum and observe Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Holy Week Masses will be celebrated by Bishop Schlert at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, Allentown.The Masses can be seen live at www.ad-today.com and on the Diocese’s YouTube channel. They also will be available for later viewing on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/DioceseofAllentown

Here is the schedule of special Masses during Holy Week:

Monday, 8:00 a.m., Private Chapel

Tuesday, 8:00 a.m., Private Chapel

Wednesday, 8:00 a.m., Private Chapel

Holy Thursday, April 9, Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday, April 10, Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion at 3:00 p.m.

Easter Vigil, Saturday, April 11 at 8:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday, April 12 at 10:00 a.m.

Note: There will be no morning Mass live streamed from the Bishop’s private chapel on days when he will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral.

E-Learning and Survey Results

Thank you to the families who participated in the recent e-learning survey. The survey results validated our hard work of the amazing St. Jane Faculty. Thank you for the very positive feedback and for your support of the “new” education process.

In the survey, I asked for everyone’s opinions and comments, and I certainly did receive many opinions and comments. I am happy to report that overall, everyone seems very satisfied with the present e-learning program we have in place for the children. Regardless of how the school year continues - whether it be through e-learning or in the classroom - it is our commitment to provide your children with a continuity of education at the level that you are accustomed to.

I want to address a few concerns that came up in the comments. The two weeks that we were ordered home by Governor Wolf, the PA Department of Education and the Diocese of Allentown instructed us not to provide formal instruction so we did not. March 13 to March 20 we used up our 6 snow days. The week of March 23rd would’ve been standardized testing week, therefore, we did not lose much instruction time, however, this week did allow our teachers an opportunity to acclimate themselves and your children to the on-line learning platform on Zoom and/or Google Classroom. The teachers were asked, by me, to put enrichment or review work on web pages and some of our students took advantage of that. With that being said, we hit the ground running, with very few glitches, the week of March 30th to begin our flexible instruction.

I created the survey based on phone calls and emails and facebook posts saying that the children were spending entirely too much time on-line. While I have never had the experience of on-line elementary school before, and neither have any of my teachers, we look to you for guidance, and I look to my fellow principals in the Diocese for guidance. Based on the survey results, the majority feels we have the right balance for the children to learn key concepts and information, and ample time for independent work.

According to the survey, 80% (of 227 families) felt we were hitting the right balance. That being reported, we realize families have varying schedules throughout the week. If, at any time, you feel that the current program needs to be adjusted to suit your child’s needs, please reach out to your child’s teacher to discuss further. Our teachers are willing to work with you. E-learning is not meant to be like a classroom. The structure of e-learning is direct instruction (with a mute button) and independent work (that can be done offline at the student’s/family’s convenience).

A recurring theme in the survey comments was the consistency factor. All of the teachers have a schedule available to you and your child on their webpages. We realize the importance of making sure we stick to the schedule. Technology plays a big factor, but we need to be very flexible knowing that technological problems may happen. We realize that everything in the world seems to be up in the air right now; we want to be a source of spiritual strength, comfort, and consistency for our families.

Our teaching and learning scheduling moving forward will have Grades 5 to 8 continuing with a 5 day e-learning program consisting of four days of regular instruction and a fifth day for catching up and extra help from the teachers. We feel that this is the best use of time and will give our children an opportunity to work independently. Our K to 4 teachers will still keep with their schedules of 5 days of instruction.

Student Zoom/on-line Etiquette Guidelines

Avoid eating while in “class”.
Allow your microphone to sit next to your mouth, NOT inside or right against it.
Stay put; try NOT to move around while in “class”.
Limit cell phone use during class time to help another classmate attend class if their home connectivity is poor (pertains mostly to older grades).
For safety and Zoom room admission purposes, please use your real name, as your teacher knows you. Names that are not recognized may not be admitted into class.
“Name” screens (turning off video) are no longer permitted for an entire class. Teachers must be able to see the student or the student’s workspace. In this way, teachers can better monitor attendance and active participation on the part of the student.
Be on time to each class or session.
Students and parents are encouraged to take advantage of teacher office hours to ask questions and receive assignment clarification, or receive enrichment work or remediation.
Do NOT share the class password with others.

I want to again thank everyone for your positive feedback on how virtual learning is going. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we all continue to try our best during this crazy, crazy time.

Looking ahead...April 24th -- Virtual HawkWalk -- Donations have slowed down considerably, but we are over $50,000! Please direct your families that still want to contribute to the Donate to HawkWalk tab on our website https://www.stjaneschool.com/donate-to-hawk-walk-2020/)

Thank you so much to our donors!

The week of April 20th will be virtual spirit week! (Don’t worry, it’s going to be fun and easy!)

Monday, April 20 Wear your favorite HawkWalk t-shirt or your school spirit wear and take a picture and email to principal@stjaneschool.com

Tuesday, April 21 The Future is Bright! -- Get your sunglasses on and email to principal@stjaneschool.com

Wednesday, April 22 Selfie Day - Take your selfie and email to principal@stjaneschool.com

Thursday, April 23 St. Jane School Spirit Day! Be True to Your School -- Wear your green and gold today -- and email to principal@stjaneschool.com

Friday, April 24 Chalk Your “HawkWalk” -- Let’s see your best HawkWalk design on your sidewalk, driveway, etc. take a picture and email to principal@stjaneschool.com.

Pray, hope, don’t worry -- St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Okula, Principal

April 5th

April 5, 2020

Dear Parents,

As of 1:30 p.m. I had 148 responses. I was hoping for a larger number of respondents to assist us in making some decisions going forward. I want to state, that everyone, wants to be back in the school environment, but there are so many things that we are not in control of at this time. I want to make the things I can control a benefit for all.

Just a quick preview 35% of the responses are saying that it has been difficult establishing a routine -- me too! I fall in this boat. I'm not sure how to help, just keep setting the alarm, eating breakfast, brushing teeth and getting ready to be on "computervision" (that's what I'm calling it). 26% are having a difficulty sharing living space...I understand that too. My husband worked from home last week, Jenna is on-line taking her college classes and I'm in the bunker...we try to only meet at meal and snack time. LOL! But it's a challenge. I'll pray for you!

77% feel that the teachers are giving the correct balance of on-line time and school work (thank you -- we really worked hard at that). 14% are telling me there's not enough work or time on-line--I'll be reaching out to you, I have a few ideas that can be easily implemented for your child. 9% are saying too much work and too much time on-line -- I'll be reaching out to you as well and see if I can be of assistance in anyway to lighten your burden.

90% are in favor of the 4 day on-line school week -- some concerns that came up was squeezing 4 days into to 5 or not teaching the required amount of work. The teachers have been amazing! They have this figured out and instruction is followed up with independent work, so I do not feel that the students are being over-crammed or short-changed with any school work.

This upcoming week is Holy Week -- we are only instructing until Wednesday. Assignments will be due after Easter break. The week after Easter Sunday -- we are not instructing on Easter Monday, April 13th (our one month anniversary of the new normal way of living). That is a four day week.

We will continue to work on improvements of this virtual world. If you haven't yet taken the survey, please complete now. Here's the link: https://forms.gle/M55jHtzgLh6mZEyE6

Pray, hope, don't worry. St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Okula

April 3rd

April 3, 2020

Dear Parents,

We are asking that you take a few minutes to fill out this survey. The #1 priority at this time is the health and safety of your family and we would like to be able to help you keep your child's life as "normal" as possible but we would like your input. As we complete our first week of online instruction, help us reflect so we are better prepared to move forward.

https://forms.gle/dtW6cqkDzcZQJASq8

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support you have given to our Janer family. You will continue to be in our prayers each day! We are all in this together and we are doing our best to make this work for all!

Pray, hope, don't worry -- St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Marybeth Okula

April 1st

April 1, 2020

Dear Parents,

Happy April 1st a.k.a. April Fools Day! It’s so great to see the sun! You continue to be in my daily prayers and I hope everyone is staying healthy and staying home!

IMPORTANT!!! We have still NOT located the belongings of Molly Morales, 7A. If anyone received her books by mistake, please contact me to arrange a time to return the bag to the school. We’ve brought back the black wooden box which is located outside the front door. If I am not at the school, please place her stuff there and let me know. Thank you.

E-Learning Updates

Our first three days of e-learning seems to be going smoothly. My suggestion as a parent and a principal is to keep to a schedule. It will make things easier for all. Once the novelty wears off of being on-line, things will get considerably harder for the students, but much easier for the teachers. We are shooting for progress, not perfection in the days to come. I’ve always known that the teachers at St. Jane School were AMAZING! I am hopeful that everyone can embrace the efforts made by the teachers, similar to you, they are spending a lot of time preparing meaningful lessons for the students, just as you are juggling scheduling your child’s days and the many responsibilities each of you have at home. Everyone is definitely going outside of their comfort zones! I’m so proud of all that St. Jane School is and stands for!

It is important that your child participates in the classes/assignments as best as they can. We are taking a flexible approach to all of this. The students will NOT be formally graded. As a faculty we are looking for more authentic assessments. Teachers are ultimately deciding what students will need to do to demonstrate mastery of the targeted skills. Some of the assessments you may be seeing include:

Exit tickets for assessment: Students can answer these prompts in virtual settings (google classroom, google hangout, zoom, or teleconference) when a topic has been presented virtually, call and ask a question.
Checklists of skills to track mastery during conferences with students
Rubrics for projects: Science experiments, research, presentations, writing
Students can submit photos of completed work, or videos of reading a passage (which again lends itself to a rubric to evaluate reading)
Student self-assessment should be embedded. Ask them to submit their own rubric and evaluation along with their work
Track student participation in live lessons
Work completion and submission of assignment
Parent communications/contacts (i.e. emails, phone calls, google classroom)
Classroom survey of learning
Open book exams/quizzes
Student reflection or picture

The question may remain, but how do they get graded? At this time, feedback remains critical for engaging students and keeping them on the right path. There is more to feedback than grades. In this virtual environment, teachers will always acknowledge receipt of work, but the level of acknowledgement may vary: it may be a thumbs up emoji, a check mark, a comment regarding their efforts. Teachers will track this feedback as a way of summarizing the student’s progress towards mastery. Does the student consistently hit the mark in expectations? Does the student frequently hit the mark towards the expectations? Is the student close to meeting expectations? A check, check minus, check plus will be used to track their overall performance.

Please continue to check the website, teacher web pages, and Google Classrooms for updates on classroom and school activities.

As the Governor stated on Monday, March 30, 2020, schools will be closed indefinitely, BUT we are all praying that means April 30, 2020.... I speak for the entire faculty and staff when I say, we really want to get back to school for the month of May! Please continue to pray along with us!

“I’m going to get through this and grow through this.” is the new mantra I say everyday! Join with me in saying it everyday!

Upcoming Events:

“School” will be closed for Easter Thursday, April 9 (Holy Thursday), Friday, April 10 (Good Friday) and Monday, April 13, 2020 (Easter Monday). That means no on-line instruction will be held these days.

Please plan as a family to “attend” the Holy Week services that are being offered. Check www.stjanesofeastonpa.com for additional resources that can be used during Holy Week. In addition, Bishop Alfred Schlert celebrates daily Mass for the faithful from his private chapel, and it is live streamed on AD Today. https://www.ad-today.com/

Please contact me for any specific needs, difficulties, concerns you may be having during this unprecedented time at 610-253-8442 and it will ring on my cell phone. It is important for me to hear your concerns firsthand so they can be addressed in a timely manner.

Thank you for your continued commitment to St. Jane School. Please continue to pray for those families being impacted by COVID-19 and that we are able to come together as a community again sooner than later. Until then, be safe, stay home, wash your hands and, may Jesus, the Divine Physician, preserve us from all illness and harm.

On a side note, I completed the 2020 US Census. It took less than 5 minutes to complete. I received a letter in the mail, but you can just go on my2020census.gov and complete the survey. It was very quick and easy! See flyer here.

Pray, Hope, Don’t Worry -- St. Padre Pio

Mrs. Marybeth Okula, Principal

March 29th

March 29, 2020

Dear Parents,

Tomorrow, we embark on e-learning education at St. Jane School. It is a historic time in the 100 year history of the school and parish. Initially, the Pennsylvania Department of Education signed PA Act 64 of 2019 to allow for an alternative to the 180 school day requirement when the school building is prevented from being opened for a variety of reasons. The Flexible Instructional Day (FID) Program is a tool available to be used as an alternate approach to delivering instruction if a circumstance arises when the school cannot be in session for a variety of reasons.

A Flexible Instructional Day is an option for schools only when at least one of the following occurs:

A disease epidemic
A hazardous weather condition
A law enforcement emergency
The inoperability of school buses or other equipment necessary to the school entity’s operation
Damage to a school building
Another temporary circumstance rendering any portion of a school building unfit or unsafe for use.

We are definitely satisfying the first bullet with the wide spread closures of the current pandemic situation. My goal as your principal is to provide continuity of education for our students with the hope that when the dust settles, we do not have to go to school to June 30th to satisfy the 990 hours or 180 days required by law. The Governor has said repeatedly that he will not hold us for 180 days, but I’m waiting for direction about the 990 hours.

It is important that your child participates in the classes/assignments as best as they can. We understand that everyone’s circumstances are very different, and the technology, while a blessing can also be very unpredictable. I have asked my teachers to connect with your children on Zoom or Google Meet because I feel that it is very important that we remain in contact with each other. It is not a main component of the education process, merely an excellent tool to help all of us through this period of quarantine and isolation. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to check the website, teacher web pages, and Google Classrooms for updates on classroom and school activities.

Last Friday, I had to furlough (furloughs are a temporary unpaid leave of absence) many of our hourly personnel. This had been an extremely difficult decision. Although we are hopeful that the furlough will be short and that we are able to recall employees as soon as possible, there is no guarantee when this may happen. Please keep us all in your prayers.

IMPORTANT: We have still not located the belongings of Molly Morales, 7A. If anyone received her books by mistake, please contact me to arrange a time to return the bag to the school. We’ve brought back the black wooden box which is located outside the front door. If I am not at the school, please place her stuff there and let me know. Thank you.

In my March 25, 2020 letter I laid out the e-learning guidelines. Please do your best to enforce the guidelines at home, as for the dress code -- just like when we have a NUT day...nothing that couldn’t be worn to school if they were granted an out of uniform day.

I notice many families are creating their own theme days that are fun and exciting, but I don’t want to create any more pressures for families, but please enjoy and share! We love getting your pictures of your children making news videos, dressing up, having special events during the at home school time, etc. Please know that we miss the students very much and wish we can get back to school. The teachers and I are secretly praying for an after Easter return -- maybe April 15 or 16th? Pray along with us!

Finally, please contact me for any specific needs, difficulties, concerns you may be having during this unprecedented time. I’m in my basement office bunker until told otherwise. I am running to school for specific maintenance issues during the week and to check on our school --- we have all invested in St. Jane School for a number of years, (personally for our family since 1999 when my son first attended through my current role as principal.) Like you, I want our building, our school and our community to be better and stronger when we return. In the days to come, please reach out to me through our school number 610-253-8442 and it will ring on my cell phone. It is important for me to hear your concerns firsthand so they can be addressed in a timely manner.

Thank you for your continued commitment to St. Jane School. Please continue to pray for those families being impacted by COVID-19 and that we are able to come together as a community again sooner than later. Brighter days are coming. Until then, be safe and, may Jesus, the Divine Physician, preserve us from all illness and harm.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Marybeth Okula, Principal

P.S. Mrs. Vinovskis will be offering on-line Music classes beginning tomorrow as well.

Some information about the plans for online Music.

No ZOOM class (at least not now).

On Monday I will post an introductory video on my school webpage for everyone. It will refer them to the MUSIC Google Classroom page and there will be a music activity/song/"assignment" for them there.

I'm not grading anything. I AM offering an opportunity for them to submit something to me that I can post on the Google Classroom page. It may even make its way into next week's general video!

3rd and 4th graders will be working on recorder belts, among other things. Any student in Grade 5-8 that has a recorder and would like to participate is invited to earn recorder belts as well. The class with the most belts earned during the month of March/April wins the RAINBOW RECORDER award. (See forthcoming details on my webpage). I encourage all to join in the fun!

The Google Classroom access codes will be posted on my webpage.

8A: hegfjls

8B: vujf7by

7-1: sd23ptm

7-2: y2hft6q

6A: tg3dane

6B: 2j3xh25

5A: wtekgzr

5B: aoszoxm

4A: irsxkb6

4B: 4z5rswg

3A: pbyoiwz

3B: p6nc5mo

2A: sbk3q37

2B: f7iksvk

1A: cnpqa74

1B: c31sswz

K-1: p3mo2wh

K-2: yf5el5v

Any questions or suggestions - just send me an email!

March 25th

March 25, 2020

Dear Parents,

Thank you all for making yesterday go very smoothly.

As stated by the Governor, school will be closed through April 6, 2020 with the possibility of it closing longer. Beginning March 30, 2020, we will begin on-line instruction for K-8. Grade levels have created schedules which should be visible on their individual teacher web pages. In addition, we will have an e-Learning drop down menu from the home page of our website. Things may look and feel a bit different, but it is important for us to take this school year one week at a time. Teachers will be assigning work and grading it, and attendance will be taken. My goal is that we teach our priority topics set forth in our academic guidelines.

Some teachers will be taking a very hybrid approach utilizing google classroom and task-oriented assignments with specific due dates. Please be patient as we move toward this new Virtual St. Jane School.

Please review our e-Learning expectations:

Faith is integrated into all subjects.
Students should conduct themselves as they would during school hours; even though we are learning virtually, school rules and behavioral expectations still apply.
Students are to follow out of school uniform guidelines for all virtual meetings.
Please ensure students that participate in these meetings while in the kitchen or living room as opposed to a closed bedroom or bathroom setting. These steps help us create an appropriate learning environment for all involved and is in line with Protecting God’s Children.
We acknowledge that parents will also be utilizing technology and realize that students may need to review with you at a later time. Teachers are prepared to record lessons and the lessons will be available (beginning the week of March 30, 2020) more details to come.
While we don’t expect any of this to take place, it’s important for us to say now, if your child(ren) is not logging on during designated class times, conducting themselves inappropriately while online and/or not dress appropriately, the teacher or I will be in touch with you to discuss any concerns raised.

Your continued support and feedback during these times of transition is greatly appreciated. Know that we are here to support you during these unprecedented times. Teachers are available through email and/or you can contact me by calling the school, it rings on my phone at home. I will not be going to the school for long periods, just quick walk throughs to make sure everything is okay.

Please continue to pray for those families being impacted by COVID-19 and that we are able to come together as a community again sooner than later. Brighter days are coming. Until then, be safe and may Jesus, the Divine Physician, preserve us from all illness and harm.

Mrs. Okula

Resources from Common Sense Media:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic

March 22nd

March 22, 2020

Dear Parents,

Thank you all for all you are doing to support your children during the past week. It is such an uncertain time, and it is so important that we stay in touch. I appreciate all the pictures -- keep them coming! I will post them as soon as I can -- my new hashtag is #stongerhappierjaners and it’s so true.

It is important for us to take this school year one week at a time. I am awaiting guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Diocese of Allentown Office of Education on how we will proceed. With the uncertainty that exists and following what is taking place in neighboring states and cities, we have decided to provide time for families to pick up items from school.

On Tuesday, March 24, 2020 families are invited to come and pick up their child/ren’s belongings and requested devices based on the survey. (FYI -- 289 families out of a possible 306 - THANK YOU!) Please drive to the corner of S. 19th Street and stay in your car (just like the car rider line) and my team will be delivering the belongings to your car. We will be practicing social distancing and we will be gloved. We want to make this as easy as possible for families - please remain in your car, we will come to you. As soon as you receive your bag, we ask that you carefully pull away and allow the next set of cars to pull up. We are offering two times for families to have the opportunity to pick up their child/ren’s items and will be distributing to families alphabetically:

12:00 - 12:30 -- Children with the last names from A to F

12:30 - 1:00 -- Children with the last names from G to L

1:00 - 1:30 -- Children with the last names from M to R

1:30 - 2:00 -- Children with the last names from S to Z

For those individuals that cannot make the day times, we will be available from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. during the following times:

4:00 - 4:30 -- Children with the last names from A to F

4:30 - 5:00 -- Children with the last names from G to L

5:00 - 5:30 -- Children with the last names from M to R

5:30 - 6:00 -- Children with the last names from S to Z

In addition to the school item pick up, for this week, we have three short-term goals for the teachers, students and families :

Get yourself oriented to Zoom and used to using Zoom. Your student does not need to set up an account, they just need their teacher’s Zoom class ID number which can be found on each teacher’s classroom web page which will be up soon, if not already.
Assist your students/child with getting acclimated to Zoom.
Allow your child to go to Zoom meetings that their teacher posts for this week so they can get used to this new virtual classroom should we not return to school next week.

I believe we are heading into a virtual classroom the week of March 30th, and I think it’s best we gradually introduce ourselves into this type of environment. I don’t want to overwhelm you or our students or our teachers. This week teachers will be scheduling specific Zoom times to introduce students to the platform. Should we move to virtual learning we can then begin to engage in enrichment and review activities. Should we move to a Virtual school environment in the weeks to come, it surely will not look like school as we know it, it will be different and it will be exciting! Pending the direction we receive from the Diocese and PDE will determine the expectations we set for students and teachers.

Please continue to pray for those families being impacted by COVID-19 and that we are able to come together as a community again sooner than later.

Thank you for your continued support!

Stay well everyone. May Jesus, the Divine Physician, preserve us from all illness and harm.

Mrs. Okula, Principal

March 20th

March 20, 2020

Dear Parents,

Thank God It’s Friday!

I am praying for everyone's health and sanity. It's been a tough week at St. Jane School -- our community is praying for each and everyone of you!

As we near the end of our first week, I’d like to summarize a bit, and look ahead, as well.

Our faculty is fully immersed in the details of virtual learning as we plan for the possibility of closures extending beyond next week. With all of us having so many more questions than answers right now, we’re remaining optimistic, while ensuring we are well planned and ready to go virtual when and if the time comes. I assure you, we will communicate the plan for virtual learning in a clear and user-friendly way. You should expect more detailed emails about virtual learning next week. Students in Grades 3 to 8 all have google accounts, and we feel it makes the most sense for us to look at the full power of Google Classroom. As a school, I have signed up for Zoom and some teachers have been connecting using Google Meets or Google Hangouts for on-line class meetings.

I understand that some students have books at school that they will need to complete assignments. Since we have not allowed students in the building to pick-up books and such, they will not be penalized for their inability to complete an assignment which requires the use of a book they do not physically have. If we move to a more long-term situation, I will let both teachers and students know how we will proceed.

At this time, teachers are posting enrichment, non-graded work. Because Governor Wolf directed that all schools be closed, we can’t officially track attendance, and therefore are unable to provide grade-bearing assignments. During this closure there may be students without internet connections and/or appropriate devices with which to connect.

It won’t be easy to recreate the school experience at home in a matter of days. Our students have a wide variety of learning settings in which they feel comfortable. It’s going to take a little time. Please be patient with one another. Our teachers are working very hard to provide the best possible experience for your child/ren.

I wanted to share some information I received. Service Electric is offering 3 months of free internet access at this time to help the community stay connected. Please see the website below pertaining to this offer.

https://www.sectv.com/Web/aspHome.aspx?strSystem=LV

Please note it's an offer to new customers by Service Electric Cable. However, if families are being affected by the shutdowns and are losing employment, this may be a viable option for them to explore at this difficult time.

If you haven’t completed the on-line survey, please do so today.

https://forms.gle/pyVsvsHfHW6DEKbMA

Stay well everyone. May Jesus, the Divine Physician, preserve us from all illness and harm.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Okula, Principal

March 18th

March 18, 2020

Dear Parents,

COVID-19 UPDATE: As we all wait out these next two weeks, I would like to gain information on the on-line capabilities of our students and their families. To help us better understand how families access on-line resources with your children, please complete this survey by Friday, March 20, 2020.

Over the past few weeks, we have all been receiving an abundance of on-line resources and it has been wonderful to see so many families sharing information online! While we do not know if the current quarantine will extend beyond the two weeks, I want to reassure you that our team at St. Jane School has been in ongoing contact, and we are exploring different technology platforms to engage our students should remote learning need to occur.

Although homework is not required during these two weeks at home, many families have inquired if books could be available for pick up. At the current time, I ask you to engage with learning activities you have found online and/or that teachers are providing on their webpages. If your child does not have a book for work that is listed on a teacher’s webpage it is OKAY, children will not be graded for work during these two weeks. The teacher webpage information is to provide learning opportunities for enrichment to keep their minds moving and them out of your hair as best as possible. I ask for your patience as we continue to navigate these ever-changing days. Thank you for your continued support!

HAWKWALK 2020! Thankfully, letters are coming in daily. We are now up to $42,000! On-line and matching contributions are doing extremely well. Check with your company to see if they match your donations. So far, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Merck and PPL have all contributed with matching funds. Thank you all for your support of our fundraising campaign.

FOR NOW. Save the date! ROCKY RAILWAY VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL -- SCHEDULED FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 20TH - Rocky Railway the VBS online registration is live. Here is the link if anyone is interested in registering in a fun way to learn about Jesus’ love for us: https://www.stjanesofeastonpa.com/rocky-railway-vacation-bible-school-online-registration-2020/

FOR NOW! 2020 VBS – ADULT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Mark your calendars, Vacation Bible School is back! This year’s theme is Rocky Railway! Take an exciting adventure where kids find that Jesus’ power pulls us through! The program will run from Monday July 20th, 2020 through Friday, July 24th, 2020 (hours are 8:30 – 11:45 a.m. for volunteers) in Father Farrell Hall (1922 Washington Blvd, Easton, PA 18042). To have a successful Vacation Bible School, we need adult volunteers. Note: You will need to have attended Protecting God’s Children Class and have all your clearances on file in the School Office. If you are interested, contact Kevin Kimmel at 610-253-7794 ext. 2 or kkimmel@rcn.com.

FINANCIAL AID FORMS - please apply online through FACTS. Thank you. Deadline is April 30, 2020.

If anyone needs to pray or talk, you can email me at PRINCIPAL@STJANESCHOOL.COM or Mr. Kevin Kimmel at kkimmel@rcn.com and let us know the best number and time to call you.

Bishop Alfred Schlert has cancelled all public Masses effective immediately to limit the spread of the COVID-19 however your family can view mass online at ad-today.com. In addition St. Jane Church is holding Eucharistic Adoration on Sundays in the Church from 1:00pm - 4:00pm and on Tuesdays in the Church from 9:00am - 9:00pm with benediction. Penance is also continuing on Wednesday evenings and on Saturdays (please consult the St. Jane Church website for updates regarding Church specific activities.) Updates on the Diocese response to COVID-19 can be found at https://www.ad-today.com/.

Mr. Kimmel has shared the following information:

There is a great podcast on More 2 Life called the Domestic Church Life - I highly recommend listening to this: https://avemariaradio.net/audio-archive/more2life-march-16-2020/

The talk today was full of helpful information on how to adjust to being home together.

Catholic content for your family (Videos, Podcasts, Websites, Apps, Music): https://www.stjanesofeastonpa.com/catholic-media/

While these do not replace actual attendance at Mass, they can help your family pray together and stay connected to the universal Church:

National Shrine: http://www.catholictv.org/masses/national-shrine-mass

St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York: https://saintpatrickscathedral.org/live

Catholic TV: http://www.catholictv.org/masses

If you prefer an online option from a Diocese of Allentown church, you may want to tune in to live Masses from St. John XXIII Church in Tamaqua. The parish live streams its Masses on its website, www.sj23tamaqua.org and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pg/sj23tamaqua/videos/. The times are 4 p.m. Saturdays and on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

EWTN, the network with Catholic-themed programming, televises two live Masses each Sunday at 8 a.m. and 12 noon. Below are the channel numbers for EWTN on cable services in the Diocese:

Service Electric Lehigh Valley: Channel 18

RCN in the Lehigh Valley: Channel 326

Xfinity in Berks County: Channel 52

Blue Ridge Cable in Carbon County: Channel 42

Service Electric in Schuylkill County: Channel 21

https://www.ewtn.com/

Daily Mass Readings & Reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/031620.cfm

When struggles and hardships come along, and we are very stressed, it's good for us to do three things:

Reconnect with God (pray with and for each other)
Reconnect with loved ones (hug and talk about how things are going)
Reconnect with our best self (what little steps can I take to help me think and react better)
Here are two podcasts that can help us reconnect with our best selves:
1. Here is a podcast on stress: https://avemariaradio.net/audio-archive/more2life-march-12-2020/
2. Here is a podcast on anxiety: https://avemariaradio.net/audio-archive/more2life-march-13-2020/

Stay connected with loved ones. Remember we are not in this alone, when hardship comes along we can turn to those who love us. The people we love may not be able to solve the problem and make it go away, but it is so important that we are there for each other. Also, with all the technology we have, it is easy to call, Facetime, Snapchat, and Instagram someone. Thank God for the technology we have.

It is okay to feel what you feel. God made us with feelings, thank God for that.

Regularly throughout the day share how you are feeling and ask how others are feeling. We do not have to share all our feelings with our children, however when we share age appropriate responses about how we are feeling, it encourages them to know that they are not alone in feeling scared or anxious or sad.

News and social media are important but please be careful to limit the exposure to it.

Take time each day (maybe 5 minutes for each) to PRAY, PLAY, TALK, and WORK together as a family.

Be intentional with family time and make a schedule for each day. Have a family meeting and go over how everyone is doing, what needs to be done each day, and how each of us can be kind and caring for each other.

Remember your family is a beautiful gift and distinct from any other. What ideas work for one family, may not work for another. Trust yourself and the grace that God gives you to be the best parent for your children. You are made in the image and likeness of God, beautifully and wonderfully made.

Pray together and for each other, encourage your children to ask God for things in prayer.

Make the prayers relate to our lives and help children to know their prayers are important to our loving God.

St. Jane School Lenten Theme for 2020: “Everyone is committed in the matter of peace, to do everything that they can...Peace is the language we must speak.” Pope Francis

Peace is the most fundamental asset to community building, to personal growth, and to the very survival of our planet. This Lent our school community will practice one peacemaking too each week.

Welcoming--We greet people with a smile to make them feel included, part of a community (2/26-3/1) Everyone did a great job!

Respect--We show respect for each person by following school and class rules (3/2-3/8)

Caring--We demonstrate caring by using kind words (3/9-3/15)

Compassion--We offer compassion to others through our daily prayers (3/16-3/22)

Charity--We support those who need us instead of looking the other way (3/23-3/29)

Faith--We model Catholic values through our sincere participation in liturgical devotion (3/30-4/8)

CLASSROOM REQUEST POLICY: Teacher requests will NO longer be accepted via email. If you would like to make a request, you need to schedule a meeting with your child’s current teacher and Mrs. Okula in order to discuss your concerns. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Marybeth Okula

Principal

March 16th

March 16, 2020

Dear Parents,

The teachers and I have created a plan so that we can continue to provide our students with educational opportunities during the time that our school is closed due to COVID-19. Teachers have put a great deal of extraordinary work into providing these opportunities. Earlier today, I received a directive from Dr. Fromuth, the Superintendent of Catholic Education, allowing us to proceed. I would like to share the details of our plan with you now:

Beginning on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, teachers will be posting ongoing assignments on a periodic basis on their webpages. It may direct you/your child to e-board (7th and 8th grade), Google classroom or Remind app.
K-4 assignments will include Religion, Math, Reading, and Language Arts.
Grades 5-8 will receive assignments in Religion, Math, Reading, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies.
These assignments are optional and will not be graded. However, students are encouraged to complete the assignments at home by using the online component and to bring the completed work back to school when it reopens.
Students will not be penalized if assignments are not completed. Also, non-completion of assignments is not linked to attendance.
I will be posting on FB and Instagram updates, fun activities that I see, and perhaps Janer challenges for fun! I want to stay engaged with all of you.
Stay home, stay safe and practice social distancing with others.

I will be keeping office hours for phone calls and emails only from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. this week. I will update my office hours with you for next week. Non-school personnel will not be permitted in any of our school buildings. I will update you as further directives come from the Diocese and PA Department of Health.

Stay well everyone. May Jesus, the Divine Physician, preserve us from all illness and harm.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Okula, Principal

March 15th

March 15, 2020

Dear Parents,

It has been a very difficult few days. I am hopeful that, as Fr. John said this morning at Mass, it's in God's hands and it will all be okay. I hope that everyone is doing well. You are all in my prayers.

I just wanted to let you know that until I hear from the Diocese of Allentown Superintendent, no one will be meeting or going into the school building. We sanitized on Friday, and our evening cleaning crew followed up with thorough floor cleaning.

Many of you have asked for work and assignments for your children, but I've asked the teachers to not update their websites or create any assignments at this time. I would encourage you to make time to read, read as a family, create cool book reports to share with the family, use technology and make movies, once this is behind us, we can all share the creative things we did as we self-quarantine ourselves from this pandemic. I also encourage your children to journal or draw the beauty of the coming spring days.

My hope is to get more direction and guidance from the Diocese tomorrow.

Enjoy the beautiful weather! Wash your hands, cover your coughs and sneezes, check on friends and neighbors (especially the elderly). In addition, I would follow any directives from the CDC.

God Bless you all -- tell your children we all miss them already.

Stay safe!

Mrs. Okula, Principal

March 13th (2nd Email)

March 13, 2020

Dear Parents,

As you will see below, Governor Wolf has announced that all schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will be closed beginning on Monday, March 16th for two weeks due to the Covid-19 virus. After ten business days, the situation with the pandemic will be re-evaluated.

I will be sending you additional information as it becomes available. Please continue to check your email for updates. Thank you for your patience and support.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 13, 2020

View Online

Governor Wolf Announces Closure of Pennsylvania Schools

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Tom Wolf announced that all K-12 Pennsylvania schools will be closed for 10 business days effective Monday, March 16. The administration has been working with school districts as well as state and local officials to gather input on this decision. The Wolf Administration will continue to monitor Covid-19 in the commonwealth, and at the end of 10 days will reevaluate and decide whether continued closure is needed.

Governor Wolf made the following statement:

We understand that these are trying times and recognize the impact of the coronavirus on our students and communities.

First and foremost, my top priority as governor – and that of our education leaders – must be to ensure the health and safety of our students and school communities.

As such, I am ordering that all schools in the commonwealth close for the next two weeks.

Be aware that no school district will be penalized if it fails to meet the 180 day or school hours requirements.

The Department of Education will work with intermediate units and other stakeholders to support school districts with any continuity of learning plans they may be pursuing.

Also, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced today that it received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow eligible schools to serve meals to low-income students in a non-congregate setting, such as a drive-through or grab and go, during this closure. We will also work with schools to assist them with those plans.

We appreciate your collaboration as we work together to deal with this difficult issue.

March 13th (1st Email)

March 13, 2020

Dear Parents,

Thank-you for your patience and understanding as we continue to respond to the effects of the Coronavirus outbreak in our state. Today all of our facilities were deep-cleaned. Desks were sprayed inside and out with Peroxy HDOX, which is a Hospital Grade disinfectant, virucide, and sanitizer that kills 99.999% of germs, including MRSA and Influenza (See attached Safety Sheet). Chairs, tables, shelves, doors, and other touchpoints have also been cleaned with this product. Tonight our cleaning service will be in again to deep-clean the floors. All buildings will be closed for the weekend.

St. Jane School will be closed to students on Monday, March 16. Our faculty will have an In-Service that day. We will be training and planning for the possible use of Flexible-Instruction Days (FID). Our goal is to enact a plan to allow for the continuation of learning in the event that school is closed for an extended period of time. We continue to follow the directives given to us by the Diocese of Allentown and Easton Area School District. I will send out an update on Monday to inform you if we will be returning to school or moving to Flexible-Instruction Days.

Thank you again for bearing with us as this unprecedented situation continues to evolve. I promise that I will provide you with updated information as it becomes available. Even more importantly, I promise that you are in my prayers. In return, I ask that you keep our school, parish, state, country, and world in your prayers. May Jesus, the Divine Physician, preserve us from all illness and harm.

Sincerely,

Marybeth Okula, Principal

March 12th

March 11th

March 11, 2020

Dear Parents,

UPDATE COVID-19: We continue to monitor and follow recommendations set forth by the PA Department of Health, CDC and the WHO. I want to emphasize that if your child is sick and running a fever, please keep them out of school until they are fever free for 24 hours without using fever reducing medications.

As a reminder, please continue to enforce with your children the following preventive measures:

Cover coughs or sneezes with your elbow. Do not use your hands!
Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. (I have been suggesting saying a Hail Mary while washing hands) Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer too.
Stay home if you are sick.

Our school continues to be diligent and monitor the situation. At school, we will continue to encourage hand washing before snack and lunch, sanitizing desks and chairs, door knobs and handrails. Our cleaning company is conscientious about cleaning water fountains and bathrooms. In addition, our day maintenance staff are cleaning the cafeteria before all lunches.

I’m attaching a video for the lower grades K-4. I suggest you watch and share with your child. Teachers will be sharing in classrooms too.

https://www.brainpop.com/health/diseasesinjuriesandconditions/coronavirus/

Please see attached information regarding talking points about the COVID-19. See here .

HAWKWALK 2020! Letters have been mailed! Thank you for your participation! Less than 2 weeks since we mailed the letters and we have reached over $27,000! On-line and matching contributions are doing extremely well. Check with your company to see if they match your donations. So far, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Merck and PPL have all contributed with matching funds. Thank you all for your support of our fundraising campaign. Currently, Kindergarten through 4th grade (both As and Bs) have 100% participation. It’s not too late to participate. Contact Mrs. Van Wert at today if you still want to send out letters! (Remember, 10 letters gets your child a cool, student illustrated t-shirt that can be worn next year for gym class and casual days!)

HAWKWALK T-SHIRT ARTWORK - We had several “artist” contribute to this year’s design. Congratulations to Christina Andreano, Jennifer Wieber, Natalie Pizzuto for their beautiful creations. I cannot wait to see the t-shirts! Also, I would like to thank honorable mentions of Grayson Tan, Regan Dittmar, Piper Davis, Ashley Wieber, Olivia Nerone, Jenna Petrik, Micaela Feltmann, and Peyton Singley for their unique designs. I would also like to thank everyone that went out for the art contest. You will all be receiving NUT cards in the very near future! Congratulations!

SAVE THE DATE! ROCKY RAILWAY VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL -- SCHEDULED FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 20TH - Rocky Railway the VBS online registration is live. Here is the link if anyone is interested in registering in a fun way to learn about Jesus’ love for us: https://www.stjanesofeastonpa.com/rocky-railway-vacation-bible-school-online-registration-2020/

2020 VBS – ADULT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

FINANCIAL AID FORMS - See here . Also, please apply on line through FACTS. Thank you. Deadline is April 30, 2020.

St. Jane School Lenten Theme for 2020: “Everyone is committed in the matter of peace, to do everything that they can...Peace is the language we must speak.” Pope Francis

Peace is the most fundamental asset to community building, to personal growth, and to the very survival of our planet. This Lent our school community will practice one peacemaking too each week.

Welcoming--We greet people with a smile to make them feel included, part of a community (2/26-3/1) Everyone did a great job!

Respect--We show respect for each person by following school and class rules (3/2-3/8)

Caring--We demonstrate caring by using kind words (3/9-3/15)

Compassion--We offer compassion to others through our daily prayers (3/16-3/22)

Charity--We support those who need us instead of looking the other way (3/23-3/29)

Faith--We model Catholic values through our sincere participation in liturgical devotion (3/30-4/8)
CLASSROOM REQUEST POLICY: Teacher requests will NO longer be accepted via email. If you would like to make a request, you need to schedule a meeting with your child’s current teacher and Mrs. Okula in order to discuss your concerns. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Marybeth Okula

March 4 Communication Folder

March 4 Email from Principal

February 26 Communication Folder

February 26 Email from Principal

February 19 Communication Folder

February 19 Email from Principal

February 12 Communication Folder

Forms and Information

Admission Criteria

Calendar for School Year 2020-2021

Computer & Internet Policy

Emergency Information Form

Extended Absence Form

Extended Care Application

FACTS Information 1-10-20

Field Trip Permission Form - Emergency Card

Financial Aid

Health and Safety Plan 2020-2021

Lunch Meal Card Order Form

Parent Handbook

Inclement Weather School Policy

New Student Application (K-8) 2020-2021

NJHS Bylaws

Re-registration for 2020-2021

School Supply List 2020-2021

Signed by Superintendent Dr. Philip Fromuth - Health and Safety Return to School Plan 2020-2021

Tuition & Fees (K-8) 2020-2021

Uniforms - How to Order

Health Forms

Care Plan Insect Sting

Food Allergy Care Plan

Medication Form

PA Immunization Requirements

Physical Exam Form

Private Dental Form

Self Carry Form

Uniforms

A regulated dress code affects a certain calming influence over the behavior and actions of the students. Parents are asked to encourage proper school grooming and to see that their children abide by this dress code.

All uniforms MUST be purchased from Flynn and O’Hara:

Ways to Order St. Jane School Uniforms - Click Here

Main Office:
1-800-441-4122
215-637-6392 (fax)
www.flynnohara.com

Each of our schools now has a custom landing page with a unique URL that can be easily linked from your school website.
St. Jane Frances De Chantal School Landing Page: www.flynnohara.com/school/PA101

From here, students and parents can shop for their school's specific uniform, view previous orders, access promotions, and so much more. Our Features & Functionality guide provides a comprehensive breakdown of everything available to you and your school families on the new FlynnO'Hara Website.

Local Office:
Valley Plaza Shopping Center
1876 Catasauqua Road
Allentown, PA 18103
610-231-3788

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