Joyfully Embracing Our Mission

St. Clare School Family News | 19 July 2020

St. Clare, Be Our Light!

Blessed Saint Clare, whose very name means light, illumine the darkness of our minds and hearts so that we might see what God wishes us to do and perform it with a willing and joyful heart. Before your birth, a Heavenly voice foretold that you would be a light illuminating the world. Be a light to us in the sorrows and anxieties of this earthy life, and lead us into the eternal light of our home in Heaven. Amen.

Dear St. Clare School Families,

We celebrate St. Clare's birth on the 16th of July, which also happens to be the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. For me, personally, it is a very special day for these reasons and for two other more temporal reasons: I celebrated by 2nd Anniversary as your principal and my husband and I celebrated our 32nd Wedding Anniversary.

It's also a reminder for me that in about a month, school begins again! I hope that you and your families have been able to spend moments outdoors away from devices and exploring the beautiful landscape that surrounds us. I've noticed more crows and even shore birds while walking and biking along the Guadalupe River trail. If you are fortunate enough to live or be in an area without light pollution, I hope you get a chance to see the comet which is visible just after dusk.

Most of all, I hope that you are able to practice healthy habits by physically distancing, wearing face coverings and hand-washing/sanitizing regularly. Last Friday, I attended a webinar with Dr. Monika Roy jointly hosted by the SCCPHD and the SCCOE. It was very informative. I will share highlights of this and highlights from Gov. Newsom's Friday press conference at Thursday's "A Cup with the Principal".

We continue to prepare for in-person and digital learning at the same time, understanding our reality for the 2020-21 school year. We are committed to be ready to open in-person when local authorities deem it safe for us to do so. We are also committed to provide a robust distance learning experience for our students when it is necessary for us to do so. Our focus is to maximize the opportunity to learn outdoors, to physically distance and to limit the number of people in each cohort as best we can.

Our teachers are meeting to refine our distance learning plan by focusing on our foundational principles and taking lessons learned from last spring (input and insights you've shared with us via the surveys and listening sessions, as well as emails and conversations). We are taking this opportunity to design a program that can transition between in-person and distance learning seamlessly.

Our Health and Safety Task Force has provided us with content aligned with the requirements from local health agencies that is tailored to our community's needs. They are designing training for our families and faculty and staff so that we can collectively commit to keep each other safe. I am grateful for their work!

In the meantime, I am asking you to continue to speak about St. Clare School to your network of friends, families and co-workers--to shout from the rooftops all the good things that made us come here in the first place; the very same things that keep us here. Families who attended last Thursday's "A Cup.." noted that they continue to choose to remain at St. Clare School because they value the caring and welcoming community and the formation of their children as good humans: kind and accepting, who practice Catholic Christian values.

Please join us on Thursday, July 23 at 5:30 P.M. for our weekly “A Cup with the Principal” for updates to our plan for reopening as well as an opportunity to provide input on some of the logistics. We all need to join together to come up with some creative solutions to our challenges to meet the needs of our students that is sustainable for all, while keeping each other safe.

CONTINUE TO PRACTICE HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS AT HOME

As we prepare to return back to school, now is a good time to practice being mindful of health and safety protocols which we practiced while we were at school during the flu season:

Check for temperatures regularly and watch for a change in energy level.
Wash hands often, with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
Cough into your sleeve or a cloth tissue.
Disinfect surfaces regularly.
Refrain from touching your face (especially mouth, eyes, nose).

VERY IMPORTANT: Get familiar with the symptoms and practice these specific self-checks at home to evaluate possible COVID-19 exposure:

Check for symptoms: cough, muscle aches, diarrhea, shortness of breath, headaches, unexplained loss of taste or smell.
Maintain at least 6 feet from others not from your household.
Refrain from touching surfaces or from unnecessary physical contact.
Wear face coverings (current public health guidelines; exceptions for those with respiratory issues where wearing a face covering makes it difficult to breathe).

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENCOUNTER

Here's the YouTube link to live-stream Sunday vigil mass in English or view the recording: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrKFEZntKla_WaqPSEN8zQ/featured
Please read the post that contains Msgr. Fran's weekly message. We are so lucky to have him as our pastor. He can't wait until he can meet you in person. Please take advantage of the opportunity to attend daily mass or Sunday masses in the rectory garden!
Mrs. G's Parent Engagement sessions continue. Please check ParentSquare posts.
Continue to connect with families from your classes

SUMMER BRIDGE

Celebrate your students as they complete their summer bridge responsibilities, especially if they are able to read every day! We congratulate the students who show up for Zoom sessions with Mr. Goetz, Mrs. Filion, Ms. Dahila, Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Payne and Mrs. Kogura. Good job to all for staying focused and ready for when we begin in August!

As always, please reach out to me if you have any concerns or questions. Please email me at cecile.mantecon@dsj.org.

For any other questions or inquiries, please feel free to contact the school office office@stclareschool.org or 408-246-6797. Ms. Cherell and Ms. Teresea are happy to answer your call and direct you to the appropriate person. Summer Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 8 A.M. to 3 P.M.

I pray that St. Clare shines her bright light on us all, to allay our fears and trust that all will be well. We will emerge even stronger, embraced by this loving community as we work together for the good of all.

Gratitude and blessings for your support and love,

Cecile Mantecon, Principal

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | 19 July 2020

CKZ Summer Camp

Another successful week of summer. Campers kept busy doing a variety of activities which included wheel & bike days, water day games, arts-n-crafts, both small and large group activities. Here are some pictures from arts and crafts.