Our Lady Star of the Sea Elementary

An important letter has been added to the Document Section

Safety of Students, Families, Staff and Greater Community a Primary Concern FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Monday, March 16, 2020) Superintendent of Catholic Schools Mr. Michael J. Deegan has announced Catholic Schools within the Archdiocese of New York have extended the closure of all elementary schools in our system through Monday, April 20th, 2020. Informed by the current CDC guidelines and in consultation with other health professionals, the Health and Safety Task Force of the Office of the Superintendent of Schools made this decision out of concern for the well-being of our students, families and staff. We believe this decision will also help to successfully decrease risk to the whole community. Last week, our principals and teachers prepared educational materials to engage our students in a week of home-based learning activities. This extended closure now requires that our professional educators, under the guidance of their regional superintendents, continue to plan for a long-term, home-based learning experience, which will include the same religious, values-infused curriculum we teach every day of the year, utilizing innovative strategies and technology. We are committed to providing families with additional information on a regular basis. We understand our students, families, educators and the greater community are still coming to terms with all that has happened in the past few weeks. In addition to remaining faithful to our academic standards, we believe that home-based learning will provide a comforting sense of normalcy to the thousands of students we will continue to educate as we navigate these days of uncertainty together. Our website https://catholicschoolsny.org/ provides continually updated resources for school information as well as bestpractices for staying healthy and links to the U.S. State Department, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization and other resources. For more than two centuries, Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of New York have taught and nurtured children from diverse backgrounds and successfully provided students with the life-changing opportunities that are inherent in a Catholic education. Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York currently serve more than 62,000 students from PreK through 12th grade at more than 200 schools across nine counties and three boroughs throughout New York. That includes Manhattan, Staten Island, Bronx, and seven counties including Westchester, Orange, Dutchess, Rockland, Sullivan, Putnam and Ulster. High Schools and Private Independent Catholic Schools closures are made independently of the Superintendent of Schools Office.

Superintendent of Catholic Schools Mr. Michael J. Deegan has announced Catholic Schools within the Archdiocese of New York will close all elementary schools in our system effective Monday, March 16th, 2020 until Friday March 20th, 2020, with the possibility of a lengthier closure. Informed by expert health officials and the Health and Safety Task Force of the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, this decision was made out of an abundance of caution. The health and safety of our students, staff and families is of the utmost importance. Additionally, after consultation with the leadership of the Catholic Youth Organizations and the Catholic High School Athletic Associations, all activities and all sporting events and practices have been cancelled indefinitely. We are continuing to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19 (Coronavirus). It is rapidly changing and we are closely following the advice of city, state and federal health officials We will keep you informed. We truly understand that taking this action may cause some disruption to our families, but we strongly believe that these measures taken now will have the greatest success of decreasing risk to the whole community. Over recent days our dedicated principals and teachers have been preparing educational materials for ongoing home-based learning to ensure our students continue to be academically engaged. Please refer to our website www.CatholicSchoolsNY.org for updates and links to best practices for staying healthy as well as links to the U.S. State Department, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization and other resources. For more than two centuries, Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of New York have taught and nurtured children from diverse backgrounds and successfully provided students with the life-changing opportunities that are inherent in a Catholic education. Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York currently serve more than 62,000 students from PreK through 12th grade at more than 200 schools across nine counties and three boroughs throughout New York. That includes Manhattan, Staten Island, Bronx, an seven counties including Westchester, Orange, Dutchess, Rockland, Sullivan, Putnam and Ulster. High Schools and Private Independent Catholic Schools closures are made independently of the Superintendent of Schools Office.

Two very important letters have been added to the Documents Section. Please read these letters.