Ms. Monaghan's Message - May 22
Challenge, Inspire, Empower, & Serve
Dear St. Patrick Families,
I hope you have begun to slide into summer break, taking a deep breath, and shaking off the last 8 weeks of chaos and stress! As you're receiving this, I've taken a few days off to spend with my kids as they've finished up their own virtual learning experiences. My kids are older and this quarantine and virtual learning time has been hard on them...I can't even imagine how they would feel if they were younger like our students.
Trying to unwind right now is tough, knowing there are still so many questions to answer over the next couple of months, but it is incredibly important for all of us to do and I'm forcing myself to do it now. The weight of the last 8 weeks has taken a physical, mental, and emotional toll on me. Trying to be available to everyone 24/7, while dealing with some family health stress has really been tough. This week, we received some good news from my daughter's six month MRI, so we decided to celebrate by spending some time away together as a family. While shutting "work" down is really hard for me, and shutting off "friends and social media" is really tough for my kids, we all need it.
Little did I know that everything would change in that moment. The annoyance I felt at having to call my staff and tell them not to show up...in 45 minutes was quickly pushed aside with my stress and anxiety over what we were getting ready to be faced with. It was something I would have never dreamed, let alone planned for.
I remember sitting in my car after a quick meeting with principal's in which we were told there was a "great possibility" that we would have to shut down for a couple of weeks. I remember thinking...how am I going to explain this to people? And...how are we going to keep these kids learning???
Yet, I called my staff and said, "Hey, guys, I know I just told you the meeting today was cancelled and you probably rejoiced and went back to bed, but....I need to see you." And within the hour, they showed up, one by one, no clue what I was about to dump on them.
And then, I did.
I explained that, while nothing was certain, the possibility was good that we would not return after Spring Break and maybe wouldn't return until the Tuesday after Easter. They were shocked. There they were, getting ready to embark on a well deserved (and needed) Spring Break and I was telling them that everything they know what was about to change...and oh, by the way, I needed them to have it ready just in case we couldn't return after Spring Break.
I braced myself for the onslaught of "Are you crazy??" shouts. I anticipated they would say, "Well, it's spring break, so I'm not working over spring break." I anticipated them laughing and saying, "Yeah, right, we'll be back."
But guess what...that's not at all what I heard. Instead, I heard, "We can do this." And, "We can figure this out." By the time Spring Break was over, they had plans in place to begin virtual learning the following Monday - a full week before ANY OTHER SCHOOL IN OUR DIOCESE OR LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT began. That's what our teachers did. They didn't complain about working during their break or having to figure out virtual learning without know what our technology needs would be. Instead, they jumped in and got busy.
I could not be more proud of how our teachers and staff responded to this challenge. While virtual learning continued, the entire St. Patrick School team worked day and night to keep up with technology problems, create lessons that were meaningful (not time fillers), find ways to keep our community connected, find ways to keep our students connected to their teachers, find ways for families to feel supported and encouraged, all while trying to figure out how we could ensure ALL of our students' need were being met.
We know this wouldn't have been possible without the support of our families who spent countless hours helping students complete virtual learning activities. We know you've been trying to balance working from home, homeschooling, and maintaining your sanity. We know you have been frustrated, tired, and stressed. We know you have done the absolute best you can, and guess what....you did GREAT! This Virtual Learning experience would not have been successful without you, and we are grateful.
So as we end our school year, I find myself thankful for our staff, our teachers, our students, and our families who have rallied together during this extremely stressful time and made sure our students kept learning. It was not ideal, it was not what any of us wanted, but we made it!
I also find myself thinking about the things that really matter in our lives. Time with our families, the health of our loved ones....we just can't take those things for granted. If anything, I'm hopeful that this experience instills that in me on a daily basis for the rest of my life.
Now, it's time to celebrate our success. Celebrate what your child has managed to do over the last 8 weeks, celebrate what YOU have managed to do over the past 8 weeks. This has been hard, but it has come to an end, and it's time to take a collective sigh of relief. You did it! Your child did it! Our school did it!
It's time to stop stressing over virtual learning and get outside and enjoy your well deserved summer BREAK! Your child's teacher will be prepared to meet him/her where he/she is in the fall. You don't need to stress over that - we've got it! It's our job, after all. Right now, your child needs a break, you need a break, your teachers need a break, and I need a break. Take a deep breath, say a quick prayer of Thanksgiving, and understand that none of this was ideal, none of this was perfect, but we worked hard, and we were successful.
Happy Summer, St. Patrick! Go enjoy it!
Kaci Monaghan
Principal
St. Patrick School
Happy Summer Break from My Family to Yours!
Grades
K-5: Pass or Fail - Students were assigned "busy work" that was not returned to the teacher, was not graded. Students were encouraged to participate, but not held accountable if they didn't.
6-12: Grades could not drop lower than 3rd quarter grades, but could improve upon 3rd quarter grades. Assignments were given virtually and graded.
Many of the schools in our diocese opted to use some form of this grading system, as well. But we felt differently. We first thought of our grading philosophy.
What is the true purpose of grades? To measure student mastery.
How do we acquire grades?
K-1: Grades are based upon assessments of standards. Teachers give these assessments throughout the quarter to provide a fair measure if student mastery. Assignments are given throughout the quarter to practice skills and provide learning opportunities for students but are not included in "grades", as these are practice and learning opportunities.
2-8: Grades are based upon assessments of standards and independent assignments given to teach standards. Teachers use assessment grades, as well as assignment grades, to provide final grades.
What challenges will we have with grading virtual learning?
* Providing technology to all students who need it.
* Assessing skills that students have not received in-person instruction over.
* Students who are working independently at home versus students who have parental assistance.
* Assigning grades to standards that have not been assessed.
When thinking about all of these things, we had to take a true look at what the purpose of grades would be during 4th quarter versus the purpose of the assignments are students are working on at home.
Why did we assign "work" for students during this time?
The #1 intent of virtual learning was just that...LEARNING. We wanted to keep our students' minds active, busy, creative, and learning. The thought of our students spending 8 weeks on top of another 10 weeks in the summer doing nothing academic was daunting. We wanted to ensure our students were given meaningful assignments that would continue their learning throughout 4th quarter.
It would have been much easier on everyone to just say...well, we're not in school, so we'll catch them when we're back in the fall. Could you imagine??? Our students deserve better! Instead, our teachers created meaningful learning opportunities for their students, spent hours making videos, spelling out instructions, and giving feedback. They communicated with their class as a whole, with their students individually, and worked very hard to make a plan that was easy to follow.
This obviously varied for different grade levels.
Our 4th-8th grade students were, for the most part, able to continue on as normal. These students are basically independent and are able to forge through with the guidance of their teachers. Was it perfect? NO! But, the students and teachers worked diligently to remain in contact and keep everyone moving ahead with valuable learning activities.
Our 2nd and 3rd grade teachers had a different experience. Their students are a little less independent and required more face to face meetings and Zoom calls where teachers could provide real time instruction. In doing this, they were able to move forward through their curriculum step by step and were able to give fair assessments that students were able to complete independently.
As you can imagine, the learning experience for our Kindergarten and 1st grade students is much different. Our students are not quite as independent as our older students and did not have access to the same technology as our older students, which complicated things a bit. However, our teachers were able to create amazing learning opportunities for these students, pushing them to continue the daily habits they'd worked hard to create, providing new opportunities for learning, and wow...did these kids rise to the challenge!
As i mentioned in my newsletter over the past month, we had come up with a plan for the official grade card that we felt was much more fair than any of the recommendations we had heard about giving students "pass/fail" grades. Instead, we decided to do the following:
K and 1: Teachers will give "grades' for only the standards they were able to assess. They will write a narrative that details the students' strengths and challenges that will detail the work they completed during virtual learning and provide an accurate measure of the student's progress during the school year. This will provide the upcoming teacher with everything needed to ensure an individual learning plan is put in place for each child at the start of the school year.
2 and 3: Teachers will assign grades based upon the assessments and assignments students were able to complete independently. Paying attention to participation and daily effort.
4 and 5: Teachers will assign grades based upon the assessments and assignments students were able to complete independently. Paying attention to participation and daily effort.
6, 7, and 8: Teachers will grade as normal, based upon assignments and assessments given. They will ensure students are given ample time to complete assignments, ask questions, and receive help as needed.
Specials: Teachers will grade based upon participation. If your child participated, he/she will receive credit for that. If your child did not, the grade will be blank for "exempt".
As I look over this plan for "grades", I feel it best meets the needs of this virtual learning experience in providing parents and teachers with an accurate representation of student mastery of standards, which is the true purpose of a grade card. Next year's teacher will be able to look at what standards were/were not assessed during the "normal" school year, so that they know where to start as we enter into 1st quarter. This is a much more detailed and accurate representation than a "pass/fail" grade.
Official Letter on the Plans for Fall 2020
Dear St. Patrick Families,
As we close the untraditional 2019-2020 school year and approach the start of the summer months, we want to say thanks and congratulations to all the members of the Northland Catholic Schools’ Class of 2020 and their parents on finishing this year so gracefully. We know you are anxious about information in regards to the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Our normal is changing every week, and even though we hope all things are back to normal in August, we are preparing for a new set of routines and procedures we may have to implement. Please be confident, as the Northland Catholic Schools prepare to reopen our buildings, ensuring the health of our staff, students, and families will continue to be our top priority.
St. Patrick School, along with all the other Northland Catholic Schools, is preparing and planning to open, in person, for the start of the 2020-2021 school year. We will do so by closely monitoring the recommendations, guidelines and procedures that have been shared by our Diocese, state and local agencies, as well as our local public school districts. A special task force has been established, within our Diocese, to aid all principals and pastors in the reopening process.
As we move through the summer, there will be much more shared with you on the steps we will be taking to ensure the health of our students, staff, and families to return to face-to-face instruction. We are eager to return to our buildings and excited to welcome our students. Much effort is being put forward to open our doors in a safe way and to meet the needs of our families as best we can. There is no perfect solution or path forward but we are moving forward, together, and that is a great place to go.
Stay healthy and safe this summer and be on the lookout for periodic updates from us. We will see you in August. May God continue to bless you and the Northland Catholic School Community,
Sincerely,
Kaci Monaghan
Principal
St. Patrick School
St. Patrick School
Email: kmonaghan@stpatrickkc.com
Website: www.stpatrickkc.com
Location: 1401 Northeast 42nd Terrace, Kansas City, MO, USA
Phone: 816-453-0971
Facebook: facebook.com/St.PatrickKC
Twitter: @StPatrickKc