COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

To the members of the Antonian community,

Now that we have successfully closed one of the most unusual school years and were able to celebrate our class of 2020 in the best way that we could under the circumstances, we are ready to begin to share more about our work toward the 2020-2021 school year. We want our parents, students, faculty, and staff to know that throughout the fourth quarter of the last school year, we did not lose sight of the next year -- we have been planning and discussing all along.  

Ultimately, as we plan, we keep some primary goals in mind:

• To provide high-quality instruction and student formation through meaningful student-teacher interactions and extracurricular activities; 
• To act responsibly to help protect the health and welfare of our students, faculty, staff, and families by operating the school in such a way as to prevent the spread of COVID-19;
• To adapt as necessary in response to ever-changing circumstances; and
• To accomplish all this while continuing to live our lives as members of a faith-infused community.

You have already received a correspondence from Mr. Petersen, which broadly outlined possible scenarios for the next school year. Since then, you have likely heard that Governor Abbott has said students will return to school in the fall, but that announcement did not immediately come with specific details. When those details are released, the administration will review those and will also receive guidance from the Department of Catholic Schools as to how guidelines will affect us as a Catholic high school. For now, we want to share some information with you and ultimately ask for your feedback in the form of a parent survey to be completed collaboratively with your child(ren) who will attend Antonian in 2020-2021. 

As a reminder of the three scenarios Mr. Petersen previously described, we as a community must have the flexibility to transition in and out of the following operational protocols as directed by state and local governmental and health officials and the Department of Catholic Schools:

• All Students on Campus: This scenario would best be described as the "normal" school setting: all students, faculty, and staff on campus all day, every day. This scenario would still include some additional practices related to cleaning protocols, health screenings, safe distancing, mask wearing, etc.
   
• Hybrid Attendance: Some have asked what exactly is meant by hybrid and this is a fair question because there are a number of models being discussed on internet and news media sources including evening and weekend classes. We want to clarify that when the Antonian administration speaks of "hybrid," we mean an operational protocol in which there is only a percentage of our entire student body on campus during the normal school day and that others are receiving instructions remotely. One example of how this might work is that 50% of the student body would be on campus on Mondays and Wednesdays and the other 50% of the student body would be on campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the days when students are not on campus, they would have access to virtual instruction that was taking place in the classrooms. Fridays would alternate as "grade level days" during which one grade level would be on campus for such things as safely-distanced grade level bonding activities, faith formation activities (Mass, Adoration, Reconciliation, etc.), and access to teachers for academic support, etc. The use of this example is contingent upon further work we need to do including a comprehensive assessment of how many students can be safely distanced in classrooms and other campus facilities. This scenario would still include some additional practices related to cleaning protocols, health screenings, safe distancing, mask wearing, etc.
   
• Remote Learning: This scenario would have all students and faculty reverting to all virtual instruction with no in-person contact. We are eager to revamp our practices based on the experiences we had in the spring, including both strengths and struggles.  For those parents who have expressed a concern for vulnerable members of their family, we are committed to offering full remote learning as an option rather than requiring any amount of in-person attendance. 

The Antonian administration has identified a number of functional areas that we have begun to address in our planning for each of the three scenarios. These areas are:

• Faith Formation
• Technology Resources
• Instruction and Academic Support
• Health and Wellness
• Student Life Experiences
• Campus Operations

We have begun to insert details of the ways in which the functional areas will operate given each of the scenarios that may be necessary at any given time during the 2020-2021 school year. Over the course of the remainder of the summer months, it is our plan to periodically update you on our progress so that you can better understand what to expect as the start of the 2020-2021 school year draws nearer. 

Many questions about the operations of athletic programs and other extracurricular activities have been asked. Although we have commenced operations under "return to play" guidelines that are specific to summer 2020 and continue to plan for the fall season, specific guidelines from governing bodies such as the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) and the University Interscholastic League (UIL--the governing body for Texas public school extracurricular activities) are still under discussion and in development.

No matter the scenario, we as a Catholic educational community remain committed to our mission of being a Catholic school rooted in Gospel values, striving to work in partnership with parents in the formation of young men and women of outstanding competence, character, and conscience. As part of that partnership and as mentioned previously in this message, we ask for your assistance by providing us feedback. As a family, please utilize this link to discuss the questions contained in the survey and respond at your earliest convenience.

We would appreciate your responses by Thursday, June 30, 2020.

Thank you for entrusting your child(ren) to us!