During these tumultuous and extraordinary times, St. Catherine is committed to the continued support of our students’ academic and social-emotional needs. We will provide a high level of instruction and service to all our students and families by offering a comprehensive and robust remote learning program.

Instructional Format

• Daily LIVE, synchronous instruction with teachers; Friday afternoons will be asynchronous(independent activities) to provide teachers additional time for 1-1 student support and instructional planning

• Daily schedule will mostly mirror the regular school day with several breaks and a variety of ‘offline’ activities built into the day; online schedules will be developmentally appropriate for the age level (individual class schedules are still under construction)

• Core classes consist of live instruction, interactive student components, and independent work time monitored live by the teacher

• Teachers instruct from the actual classroom using all their regular instructional resources; creates a more ‘authentic’ learning environment for students

 

Curriculum & Instruction

• K-8: Math, Reading, and language/writing classes taught daily, M-F

• Science, social studies, religion, and specialist classes 2-3 times per week

• Live specialist classes include PE, music art, and Spanish (5th-8th) taught 1-2 times per week

• K-8: Weekly life skills classes with the school counselor to focus on social/emotional health

• Schedule provides time for teachers to meet with students 1-1 and in small groups each day

• Inquiry and project-based learning activities embedded into curriculum

Platform Components

• St. Catherine will use the following online learning platforms to deliver instruction and streamline the process of sharing instructional materials and files between students and teachers

  • K-4: Seesaw and Zoom

  • 5-8: Google Classroom and Zoom

Student Support Services

• The school will provide individual support for students with diverse learning needs, through one or more of the following services:

  • Modifications and/or accommodations to assignments and assessments

  • 1-1 support with a teacher or instructional assistant

  • Access to additional educational resources

  • Altered schedule or instructional format

  • School counselor will provide individual and small group social/emotional support as needed

 

Enrichment and Wellness

• Regular community building activities, such as: Live daily announcements (birthdays, weekly Tiger Paws recognition awards, Fun Joke Friday), classroom theme & spirit days, St. Catherine News Network, Mental Health & Movement days, virtual assemblies & school gatherings, virtual Mass with classmates

• Weekly class sessions with the school counselor to focus on social emotional health, team building activities, conflict resolution, interpersonal communication skills, etc.

• Optional enrichment activities will be offered – some online ideas being explored: book clubs, gaming activities, math/science clubs, Yoga, speech team, etc. When possible, small group in-person activities.

Daily Work, Grading & Assessment

• Each day teachers will post a checklist of tasks and assignments (to be reviewed with the class during the morning homeroom time)

• Students will turn in their completed work either digitally (via Seesaw or Google Classroom)

• Every other Friday afternoon will be a materials pick up/drop off day (12:00-3:00). On this day, teachers will send home specific materials and resources for upcoming lessons, and parents of younger students can drop off any completed work (as directed by the teacher)

• Teachers follow best practices when assessing student learning in a remote environment, which includes a variety of methods. They may include daily assignments, exit tickets, 1-1 observation, live or open book assessments, projects, etc.

• Teachers will provide timely feedback to parents and students on completed assignments

• Teachers will assign work that is meaningful and relevant (i.e. avoid busy work), and will set reasonable homework expectations

Parent Communication

• Teachers will post their weekly plans on the school website by 8:00 p.m. Sunday night. It will
  contain an overview of the lessons and activities for the week, along with important assignment information. Note: Weekly plans are subject to change depending on the pacing and needs of the class. When posting their weekly plans, all teachers will use one collective document with separate tabs for each grade level. This way parents will only need to access one document that includes information for all their children’s classes.

• Teachers in grades 3-8 will post homework on their classroom webpage each day (if applicable)

• Teachers will periodically reach out to parents to inquire how things are going with remote learning

• Weekly school-wide bulletins will be emailed home every Thursday to provide regular updates on general information.

Professional Development

• K-8 teachers will attend a week long professional development course on designing effective and engaging online instruction

• K-4 teachers will attend training on the Seesaw platform

• All teachers will attend additional Zoom training to further enhance instruction, such as using break out rooms and other interactive features

• All teachers will continue implementation of project & inquiry based learning and update their units to include a variety of PBL related activities

• Teachers will focus on identifying Essential Standards to be covered throughout the school year

• Teachers will be trained on how to use the new cameras and microphone systems in the classroom

Student & Parent Orientation & Training

• Thursday, August 27th at 4:30: Teachers will host an online student ‘Meet & Greet’ session, it will include ice breaker activities and an opportunity for everyone to get to know one another (teachers will send families the Zoom link directly)

• The school will provide a training session for parents on how to navigate Seesaw (K-4), Google Classroom (5-8), and Zoom (K-8); these will be a recorded sessions posted for viewing by late August

• The principal will schedule grade level, parent Zoom meetings in mid to late August to answer questions about the Remote Learning Plan & review student/parent expectations

• During the first two weeks of school, the teachers will schedule individual 1-1 Zoom meetings with each of their students as an opportunity to get to know one another and answer questions

• The first week of school, teachers will focus mainly on building community, developing strategies for remote learning, and training students on digital tools and class systems

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Technology

• The school recently made additional technology purchases for remote learning, including: additional Chromebooks, camera and microphone systems for each classroom, and the school-wide wireless system was updated in July

• The school will send out a survey to parents to ascertain the technology needs in our community

• Chromebooks will be distributed to families based on availability and level of need