Your Child. Your Choice. Still Your Panther Family.
Please click here to view the Remote Access to Live Instruction family handbook
August 11, 2020 Update
Hello Panther Families:
As a Catholic school, we strongly believe parents are the primary educators of their child(ren). We are also firmly committed to a parent's right to choose the when and how their child(ren) receive their education.
Those tenants are the basis for our decision to offer SCCS parents the choice of either:
an in-person educational setting for the 2020-21 school year, or
our Remote Access to Live Instruction (RALI) setting.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete survey sent to your email; it is critical to our planning process and also to our public school partners who you may rely on for transportation services.
In order to complete our planning for the start of the year for students on August 31, we ask each family to complete this Commitment Survey as soon as possible, preferably no later than 9:00 a.m. Friday, August 14.
Thank you for your prompt action.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Geoff Palmer, President
August 6, 2020
Dear Panther Families:
As we approach the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, we are seeing a very fluid situation as the news and guidance on school reopening seems to be changing daily. After careful consideration of the recent recommendation by the Erie County Health Department, and lengthy discussions with diocesan officials, school staff, faculty and our school’s Board of Directors, we believe we have a plan in place that gives parents the option of choosing what is best for their family, while we provide for the educational needs of our students in the safest manner possible.
We recognize each of our students is a sacred gift, made in His image. Recent publications by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics have advocated for school leaders to develop flexible plans and policies with the goal of having students physically present in schools. To that end, we plan to return to school in person, like the majority of Catholic schools across the nation. We also respect your choice as to where and how your child is educated. Therefore, SCCS will be offering two options for parents to choose how and where their child(ren) receive their SCCS education:
- In-Person Learning—students will attend in-person instruction with our SCCS teachers providing the same high-quality, faith-based education we have come to expect.
- Remote Access to Live Instruction (RALI)—students who choose this instructional option will receive their instruction from our SCCS teachers via webcam connected to the live classrooms in our buildings. More information on this model, including sign-up information, will be emailed to parents next week. This learning model will follow the same format as the in-person classes, as we will have a web camera in each classroom, allowing these students to remain a part of the Panther Family. Students who choose the online option will be enrolled in that option for the full school year, with the opportunity to reevaluate the process quarterly.
All instruction in our building will be compliant with health guidelines related to COVID-19, including physical distancing requirements, mask requirements, hand washing, facility cleaning and sanitizing, etc.
Revised School Calendar
The start of the school year will now begin on Monday, August 31 in a hybrid format using the Blue & Gold cohort plan announced at the July Mid-Summer Parent Update. This is the program whereby half of the students will be in person on Monday and Tuesday, with the other half learning remotely. On Thursday and Friday the groups will switch positions so each group of students will be in the classroom two days and have two days of remote learning. We will follow this model for the first two weeks (week of August 31 and week of September 7).
Then, beginning on Monday, September 14, we will provide some combination of in-person and/or hybrid (Cohort Model) instruction that will be determined based on the number of students who choose In-Person Learning. Remember, we must still maintain appropriate physical distancing in the school building.
Additional Information and Links:
We are all in this together and we all remain…Panther Strong.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Geoff Palmer, President