OPEN LETTER TO THE AMHS COMMUNITY – PLANS FOR FALL 2020

AMHS
June 8, 2020

Steve Schmutz

We are frequently asked what school will look like at AMHS next year. While we await confirmation of social gathering guidelines from our elected officials and Health District, one thing is certain: we are planning for on-campus instruction and co-curricular activities to resume in August 2020.

Dear Families,

The planning process for next year is already underway. While this Spring has been different in many ways, we are well underway in our typical planning for next year (admitting new freshman, building the master class schedule, and planning for retreats, liturgies and special events). In response to the COVID-19 emergency, we have also added some new planning efforts to keep our students, faculty and staff safe as we start the new school year:

Looking at maintaining even smaller class sizes to reduce and control exposure and contact;
Studying European models and best practices at schools that have already returned to campus;
Considering altering bell schedules, hallway traffic, and lunch schedules;
Collaborating with other Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle regarding their plans for re-entry for on-campus instruction.

We are ready for school to resume in a format that is as close to normal as possible on August 25, 2020. However, if we are required to continue social distancing and other COVID-19 restrictions, we are prepared to open school with a hybrid format, blending online instruction with on-campus learning.

We are a school population of under 600 people, including students, faculty, and staff. At some of the local public high schools in our area, that number may constitute a single grade level. We are confident that with our smaller school environment, we will present a safe and structured learning environment for our students, while maintaining our close community spirit.

How are we different from the large public high schools around us?

We will not have 500 students in our cafeteria during lunchtime, nor will we have 500 students in one hallway during passing time.
Our average class size is under 20 and our classrooms allow for spacing of desks and adequate space for faculty and students.
We have three separate main buildings for our offices and classrooms: students and adults walk outside in fresh air to travel from classrooms and offices throughout the day.
We have enhanced sanitization and safety measures on campus: installing more hand sanitizing stations, installing clear screens in main office areas, and ordering additional cleaning products for our daytime cleaning measures. Our evening custodial team uses the newest products and equipment and the company contracts with several schools and offices throughout our area.
Our students are still in school, earning regular grades and credits, and will graduate on time. This Spring, our faculty and counselors have guided our students through various phases of online instruction with an established daily routine. Our distance learning courses are taught on our Red and Black day schedules, complete with breaks between classes, a lunch period, and scheduled time at the beginning and end of the day for meetings with faculty or counselors. Many public schools moved to alternative grading systems and will designate that courses were COVID-19 impacted on the high school transcript. Our approach to continuous instruction and maintaining our grading scale will uniquely advantage AMHS students in their post-high school pursuits and during their college application process. We have maintained our rigorous standards and our students are performing well.
We plan to provide additional technology to our faculty for the upcoming school year to enhance their instruction in the classroom as well as through our online platform. Students will be issued an AMHS student email to ensure they are receiving all communication from their teachers and from the daily and weekly school announcements. We are taking what we learned this spring to enhance our students’ experiences moving forward.

This spring our students not only missed being on campus with their teachers and classmates, but they also missed the student experiences of our co-curricular activities, our Kairos retreat, school liturgies, and our athletic programs. We are planning for these events to be held for the 2020-2021 school year and have scheduled dates and locations for off-campus events.

The Athletic Office is in close communication with the WIAA and Wesco officials regarding all expectations for safe and healthy athletic competition. Safe and appropriate measures will be put in place for on-campus or off-campus gatherings such as liturgies and assemblies and for all athletic and co-curricular activities.

Our first day of class is scheduled for August 25, 2020. This is an orientation day where students visit all seven of their classes and their community period. On this day we take class photos for student ID cards, distribute student planners, and hold class meetings to review handbook changes and provide important beginning of the year information. Teachers often distribute course syllabi and assign seating charts to their students. The day will feature clear instructions and expectations for online instruction for students. Online instruction blended with classroom instruction has been an effective practice at AMHS for many years as we prepare our students for this approach in their college experience. A major focus during the first week of our return to school will be to orient our students to the upcoming school year, regardless of the situation. We are also developing appropriate measures to hold community gatherings and celebrations to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, staff, and parent community.

As we learn more from our elected officials and the Health District, we will formalize our plans for the 2020-21 School Year and communicate those final decisions to you and your students.

May God bless you and your loved ones. Please feel free to contact us at any time if you have questions or concerns, or if we can be of service to you and your family during this challenging time. We look forward to seeing you and your students on campus in the near future.

We close this message with our daily prayer at the end of each school day:

In Christ, in Christ, there is joy and hope

Good and Gracious God, we thank you for the gift of life. Help us to respect the dignity of all human persons we meet.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning,

Is now, and ever shall be,

World without end, Amen

Peace,

Steve Schmutz
President, AMHS

Alicia Mitchell
Principal, AMHS