On July 17th, Governor Gavin Newsom released new COVID-19 mandates for schools. One of his requirements is that schools cannot reopen campuses until their county is off the State’s COVID-19 “watch list” for 14 consecutive days.
Merced County is currently on the watch list. We therefore plan to start the year with distance learning for our K-8 students. Our Preschool will still open as planned.
Our first day of school is pushed back to August 13th, and on the 13th and 14th families can schedule campus visits to pick up books and materials. Instruction starts August 17th.
We previously announced an extended Winter Break from November 25th returning January 11th. Our Winter Break will now be shortened one week with instruction resuming January 4th.
Teachers for every grade level will provide daily online lessons for students, live-streamed from their classrooms. Each teacher will be contacting families in early August with more details, such as daily schedules and login information.
For distance learning, all students will need an internet connection and a computer or tablet. Teachers may require additional items. If you need to borrow a Chromebook from the school, please contact Principal Forte as soon as possible.
We expect to use distance learning for the first four weeks and then evaluate our plans. The Diocese has applied to Merced County Public Health for a waiver to allow our earlier reopening. OLF is committed to returning our students to campus for full-time instruction as soon as possible.
The OLF Preschool is a State-licensed childcare facility separate from our K-8 operations. We are therefore opening our Preschool to students on Monday, August 17th.
Preschoolers and staff will comply with a number of safety precautions, including daily temperature checks and frequent hand washing. Preschool students will not be required to wear masks, but it is recommended. Teachers and staff will wear masks and/or face shields at all times. At this time, our plan is to use the Preschool classrooms and our parish hall to accommodate all of our enrolled students with appropriate social distancing.
Thanks to a generous donor, an Air Scrubber Advanced air purifying
system is being installed this summer on campus. This is part of our effort to ensure staff and student safety as we plan our return to in-person instruction.
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