St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School
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March 23 - COVID-19 Update and staying connected...

3/23/2020

 
Monday, March 23, 2020

Dear students, parents, and guardians;


Things are changing every day with regard to our government’s and our school’s response to the COVID-19 situation.  We pray for strength and guidance as we accompany each other during these uncertain times.


Please find, linked below, two documents from Yukon Education that may answer many of your questions or concerns.  If you have questions or concerns that are not addressed by these documents, please reply to this email with them and we’ll try and get you a response as soon as possible.

Next Monday, March 30, our staff will begin working on a response to make sure our students continue learning.  We will try and do this as fast as possible.  We will need some time to develop and implement this response and we will keep you well informed of when students can expect to engage with their teachers and resume their courses.  We thank you for your patience and understanding while we do this work.

We are most concerned with the risk of losing our strong sense of community during the next weeks and months if the suspension of classes continues beyond April 15.  We are hoping to use some technological methods to remain connected to our students, parents, and guardians.  To that end, we hope that you can do the following:
  1. Ensure that we have a valid email address for every student, parent, and guardian on file.  In particular, we don’t have many student email addresses on file.  If you would like to add or update an email address, please email the updates to [email protected]
  2. Join our Instagram feed.  We would like to be able to share images of our students continuing to learn at home and allow students to join us each weekday for daily prayer over Instagram Live.  Our account name is vcssyukon and you need to ask to join – if your user name does not clearly identify you, please let us know who you are and what student you are connected with!
  3. Download and install Zoom.us app (for iOS and Google) or software (Mac or Windows).  We will be using Zoom to facilitate class meetings and other school group virtual gatherings.  You do not need to create an account with Zoom to participate, simply download the software from https://zoom.us/ or find the free app on Apple store or Google store
  4. Bookmark our website.  https://www.vcss.ca/ will continue to be the main place for information to be posted.  Teachers’ websites and our Learning Commons library catalogue are also linked there.
Finally, I wish to draw on the strength our school community has as a community rooted in faith.  Here are some remarks and a prayer, adapted from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops:

With the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus, we are confronted once more with the fragility of our lives, and again we are reminded of our common humanity; that the peoples of this world are our brothers and sisters, that we are all one family under God.

God does not abandon us, he goes with us even now in this time of trial and testing. In this moment, it is important for us to anchor our hearts in the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. Now is the time to intensify our prayers and sacrifices for the love of God and the love of our neighbor. Let us draw closer to one another in our love for him, and rediscover the things that truly matter in our lives.

Let us pray in solidarity for our brothers and sisters here and around the world who are sick. Let us pray for those who have lost loved ones to this virus. May God console them and grant them peace.
We pray also for doctors, nurses, and caregivers, for public health officials and all civic leaders. May God grant them courage and prudence as they seek to respond to this emergency with compassion and in service to the common good.

For those already afflicted,
we ask you to obtain the grace of healing and deliverance.
Hear the cries of those who are vulnerable and fearful,
wipe away their tears and help them to trust.

In this time of trial and testing,
teach all of us in the Church to love one another and to be patient and kind.
Help us to bring the peace of Jesus to our land and to our hearts.

We come to you with confidence,
knowing that you truly are our compassionate mother,
health of the sick and cause of our joy.

Shelter us under the mantle of your protection,
keep us in the embrace of your arms,
help us always to know the love of your Son, Jesus. Amen.



As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions as we move forward together during these uncertain times, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers for our school community.
​

Sincerely,
Ryan Sikkes, principal and Jeanette Gallant, vice-principal
covid-19_faq_for_schools_march_2020.pdf
File Size: 408 kb
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2020-03-23_dm_ltr_covid-19_update_parents-guardians.pdf
File Size: 132 kb
File Type: pdf
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  • School Info
    • St. Francis Weekly Newsletter
    • What's Up St.Francis?
    • Calendar
    • Religious Education
    • Staff
    • Guidance Counselling
    • Extended Absences
    • Grad >
      • Career Life Connections
    • Bell Schedule
    • School Documents
    • Assessment and Reporting
    • Admissions
    • School Growth Plan
    • Core Competencies
  • Learning Commons
  • School Council
    • Meetings
    • Council Members
  • Portal
    • e-Exams
    • Login
    • Aspen
    • Cloud Services Letter and Form
    • Help!
  • Inclusive Community