Providence Catholic High School Makes Plan for a Safe Return To School
Providence Catholic High School leadership is making plans to return to school this fall. In late April, Providence Catholic leadership formed a Re-Opening Committee comprised of administrators, faculty and staff to develop education plans that address various scenarios for returning to school. The committee is addressing both in-person and eLearning instruction models. “Once the state provides us with guidelines, we will be ready for any scenario,” said the school’s President, Fr. John Merkelis, OSA.
“Our school Mission Statement emphasizes, ‘becoming something greater, together.’ We know that the best way for students to learn is with in-person interaction, with the guidance and support of our faculty and in the company of peers. Our goal is to bring our students and staff back together in our building, with an intense focus on safety and health precautions,” continued Merkelis. “Protecting the health, safety and well-being of our student body and staff is the top priority for us.”
The school received very high marks from parent and student surveys for the eLearning implemented in March when the state closed all schools. “We surveyed our parents and students in April and again in May to gauge the satisfaction of our program and see where we might improve. We never expected to finish the year with eLearning, but our faculty kept our students engaged, involved and active during this time. Students and their families also contributed greatly to the success and enhancement of our eLearning program,” said Merkelis.
The Re-opening Committee has also identified best practices to keep our students and staff safe when they return. The building has had a deep cleaning and will be ready for the students to return in August. Our building and maintenance team follows the CDC guidelines and uses EPA-registered products to thoroughly clean our building.
Providence Catholic leadership is also working with a communications company to develop a new approach to eLearning that will address challenges that may arise in the future: What if there is a resurgence in COVID? What if there is a limitation in the number of students allowed in each classroom? What happens to those students who may have to be quarantined for a period of time? This new approach will minimize disruptions to student learning and continue to keep students engaged with faculty and curriculum despite not being in the classroom.
The school’s administration is working with the Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Joliet, as well as the Augustinian Midwest Secondary Education Commission to formulate a back-to-school plan. The school will also work closely with local and state health departments and county officials to implement health and safety concerns.
The Athletic Department is following the IHSA Return to Play guidelines. Currently, in Stage 1, student-athletes may assemble in groups of 10 or less for physical conditioning only. We await the approval of Stage 2, which correlates with Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan, allowing our student-athletes to begin skill development sessions in larger groups. With Stage 2, we anticipate offering youth summer camps following the guidelines of the IDPH and the IHSA. The IHSA is still reviewing whether/when fall sports will begin. We will follow all these guidelines for the health and wellness of our students, coaches and Providence Families.
As we move forward with plans, we will share them online at providencecatholic.org, as well as on social media.