COVID-19 UPDATES
A Message from Randy Adams
Servite High School President Randy Adams shares a message with the Servite community.
Posted May 22, 2020.
Communications Archive
May 8
May 1
Important Update from Randy Adams
Servite High School President Randy Adams shares an important update on the Servite community.
Posted May 1, 2020 at 3:00 PM.
Hello Servite Community, and Happy May Day!
Since my last message, our faculty and staff have continued to work hard to provide our students with instruction and support. I have been processing information and meeting with my executive leadership team in planning for the conclusion of this school year and the beginning of next. Things have been moving rapidly this past week and I now believe I have meaningful and impactful information to share with you.
Even under quarantine, our students continue to excel! This week, we were notified that our robotics team pulled off a winning, virtual performance, being awarded the Chairman's Award for the Idaho regional. This is the highest award offered by FIRST robotics, and it is the 5th time our team, which includes members from our sister schools, has been honored. A well-deserved congratulations to all involved! We also continue to receive accolades for our students on their accomplishments, including college commitments. Servite senior Sean Oliu was recently named a Semifinalist in the Vocal Music Category of the OC Register’s Artist of the Year competition. We also have several Servite students finding creative ways to help out during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and making a difference through service. While formal classroom instruction may be missing from their daily routine, they are learning, teaching and leading in ways they never could have imagined just two months ago.
Many of you are curious about our plans for a variety of events. Early next week Mr. Brennan will be sending out a detailed list that will include any changes in date, format, location and/or time. The following is a brief update on major events.
- AP Testing will be held virtually May 11th through the 22nd
- Our Formation Team will be hosting a Virtual Student Talent Show May 15th
- May 22nd will be the last day of the 4th quarter/second semester
- The CIF Dead Weeks for athletics will begin May 23rd and will run for 14 days ending on June 6th
- Senior awards will be broadcast May 27th at 7:00 pm
- Senior Business Days to pick up yearbooks, handout caps and gowns, collect computers and textbooks will be May 28th and 29th
- Underclassmen Business Days will be 9:00am – 12:00pm June 1st Juniors, June 2nd Sophomores, and June 3rd Freshmen 9:00am – 12:00pm
- Baccalaureate and Graduation will be held June 24th beginning at 6:00pm at Pearson Park Amphitheater or will be a virtual live stream held on the same date depending on the status of social distancing protocols at the time
- Summer School dates will be as follows: Advancement June 1st – July 17th, Remediation June 11th – July 16th, and Freshman Academy June 15th – July 16th
- Our first day of school for the 2020-2021 school year is scheduled for August 10th
We have received a few calls from parents expressing concerns over the status of the next school year and if we will once again be utilizing remote or distance learning. I am highly confident that we will return August 10th and will be learning in classrooms utilizing our standard instructional practices. If health guidelines restrict us from having full class sizes, we will have plans in place to run a modified class schedule that would accommodate no less than 50% of instruction being live in the classroom. Any independent or remote learning will be highly structured, comprehensive, and consistent in all classes.
We are currently in the process of reviewing and finalizing our budget for the 2020-2021 school year. An integral part of this process is determining the number of sections per subject we will offer, the number of teachers we will need to cover these sections, and consider the possible need to eliminate subjects or sections due to low interest and/or enrollment in those subjects. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that you complete your enrollment and registration as soon as possible to assist us in the accuracy of our process. Some families have expressed concern regarding paying enrollment fees in May for a school year that has not yet been clearly defined regarding instructional structure. In response to these concerns and to encourage timely enrollment and registration, we have extended the school fee and full tuition payment deadline to June 15th and will also be extending our tuition refund policy to September 1st. Please read this Sunday’s Credo Communications for more details regarding changes in our payment and refund policies. As I stated previously, I am highly confident based on projections and trends with the COVID-19 virus that we will return to our standard learning practices.
In closing, I would like to invite you to participate in my State of Our School Zoom presentation on Thursday, May 14th at 7:00pm. An invitation will be sent out next week with more details.
We all look forward to a little normalcy in the coming weeks and months. Thank you for your continued support during these challenging times. Good things are coming. Please continue to keep the Servite community in your prayers, as we hold you in ours.
Credo!
April 7
April 2
March 27
March 20
March 17
Message from SERVITE HIGH SCHOOL REGARDING REMOTE LEARNING MARCH 17, 2020:
IMPORTANT REMOTE LEARNING GUIDELINES
Parents, Guardians, and Men of Servite,
Today we begin our transition to Remote Learning. Students may begin logging in to Google Classroom to view messages and information from teachers about how they will structure their courses while working in an online platform. Assignments and tasks have been posted for this week, but teachers understand that it will take time for students and parents to navigate this new way of learning. The attached document provides an outline, as well as guidelines, for both parents/guardians and students. Please regularly check your email as we will continue to communicate promptly with new information.
Should a parent or student have a question or concern about a specific course, contact the teacher of that course directly. Teachers are always in the best position to immediately address concerns and questions about their specific courses.
Should any questions arise during this time regarding general academic and curriculum matters, please reach out to these administrators for assistance at:
Mike Brennan, Principal (mbrennan@servitehs.org)
Andrea Watanabe, Assistant Principal of Curriculum/Ed Technology (awatanabe@servitehs.org)
Olga Hofreiter, Assistant Principal of Instruction (ohofreiter@servitehs.org)
Should any questions arise related to any counseling needs during this time, please contact Hilary Recknor, Assistant Principal of Counseling, and/or your son’s Servite Counselor at:
Hilary Recknor (hrecknor@serviteshs.org)
Megen Anspach (manspach@servitehs.org)
Nick Perfetto (nperfetto@servitehs.org)
Amy Bowman (abowman@servitehs.org)
Should any questions arise related to spiritual development and formation, please reach out to Brendan Ronan, Assistant Principal of Catholic Identity at: (bronan@servitehs.org)
Should any questions or issues arise related to technology, please reach out to Peter Corley, Director of IT at: (support@servitehs.org)
Thank you for your continued support during this process.
Servite High School
March 13
Message from President Randall Adams - Friday, March 13, 2020 at 11:00am:
Dear Servite Community,
Servite High School Administration continues to closely monitor the evolving situation related to COVID-19. There are currently no known cases within the Servite community.
Servite’s physical campus will be closed and the transition to remote learning will begin this Tuesday, March 17, 2020. While the campus is closed, all facilities will be cleaned and sanitized and only essential personnel will be permitted to be on campus. All previously scheduled campus activity has been suspended until further notice, including arrangements with outside organizations.
As previously announced, there will be no school for students this Monday, March 16, 2020 as faculty and staff prepare to close the campus and transition to remote learning. Students may pick up laptops or other belongings needed for remote learning on Monday between the hours of 9:00am-12:00pm.
Servite Athletic Administration has been working in collaboration with CIF and Trinity League leadership to determine the appropriate response. It has been determined that all athletic competitions, events, practices, and previously scheduled activities with outside organizations and clubs have been suspended until further notice. Servite coaches and administrative staff will be available by phone or email.
We will continue to communicate promptly with new information, including details about remote learning and timing for the campus to be reopened. Please regularly check your email and visit servitehs.org/health for updates.
Please continue to join us in prayer for the Servite community and those affected.
God bless,
Randy Adams
President
March 12
Message from President Randall Adams on March 12, 2020:
Dear Servite Community,
At Servite High School, our primary concern is always for the well-being of our students, employees, and families. We continue to closely monitor updates from a variety of sources regarding the impact of COVID-19. Please note, there are currently no known cases of COVID-19 within the Servite community. Local, state, and national public health professionals maintain that it is appropriate for schools to remain open at this time. We are committed to continue taking precautions, preparing for contingencies, and providing regular updates.
School is closed to students tomorrow, Friday, March 13, 2020 for a previously scheduled faculty and staff in-service day It has now been determined that school will also be closed to students on Monday, March 16, 2020. During these two days, faculty and staff will be preparing for the potential need to close the campus and switch to remote (online) learning.
We are prepared to implement a remote (online) learning plan to assist with academic instruction should there be the need to close school for an extended period of time. Fortunately, Servite students are already accustomed to using our online learning management system, Google Classroom, to access information and content online. Google Classroom will remain our main "hub" for students to access lesson objectives, resources, and assignments on a daily basis. Our goal is to provide quality academic content and instruction during this time of transition from classroom instruction to a digital/online forum. Teachers are prepared to guide students through this process and plan to also host virtual office hours to assist with questions and guidance for their students as needed.
Routine athletic events will continue with coaches, athletes, parents/guardians, and game personnel only in attendance. Spectators will not be permitted to attend games or practices. Participation in athletics is optional for student-athletes. We will continue to provide updates as league and other information becomes available.
All non-essential gatherings/assemblies have been cancelled including the following:
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Robotics season has been cancelled. Here is the link to the parent organization, FIRST.
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Rosary Academy’s “Red and Gold” event that was scheduled in our theater this weekend has been postponed.
To keep our community safe, families are asked to observe the following:
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If you learn that your son or any family members have been exposed to COVID-19, please notify the school by emailing communications@servitehs.org.
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Students should refrain from attending school or activities if they are ill.
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School offices currently remain open. We encourage you to call or email before visiting campus.
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The Counseling Office staff is available to students who may be experiencing anxiety or stress related to the uncertainty of the situation. Feel free to contact by email or phone.
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We encourage families follow CDC recommendations regarding hand washing and other precautions.
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Please join us in praying for those affected and for a quick resolution.
We will further communicate promptly as we receive additional information. Please check your email and visit servitehs.org/health regularly for ongoing updates.
Thank you for your support and confidence as we move forward.
God bless,
Randy Adams
President
March 11
Important Message Regarding COVID-19
Dear Servite Community,
At Servite High School, our primary concern is always for the well-being of our students and employees. As a school serving more than 500 families and over 100 employees, we have a serious obligation to ensure we are preparing and planning for any emergency that could create a large-scale impact on our community members and campus operations.
We currently have a heightened awareness and concern regarding COVID-19 and the potential impact on our Servite community. COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by a novel virus that has been spreading worldwide. Community-acquired cases have now been confirmed in California, and this week the Archdiocese of San Francisco made the decision to close all schools because a student tested positive for the virus. We continue to work closely with the Diocese of Orange to monitor the situation and formulate plans to be prepared for the potential spread of COVID-19 in our immediate area.
This Friday, our faculty and staff will be meeting to complete a comprehensive plan to address how we will deal with the potential of COVID-19 having a direct and significant impact at Servite High School. This plan will address the actions to be taken based on the level of severity of the threat, including possible school closure for a protracted period of time and the implementation of alternative instructional delivery methods. Once the plan is completed it will be shared with the entire school community.
In an effort to increase school communication regarding COVID-19, we will be launching a page on our website that will be continually updated with recent information, messages, and guidance. This launch will take place no later than Monday, March 16, 2020. We encourage you to visit the page regularly to view any communications and updates regarding our current school status and helpful information.
The best thing we can all do now is follow CDC recommendations regarding hand washing and other precautions, and to pray. Thank you for your support and confidence as we move forward.
God bless,
Randy Adams
Sent March 11, 2020 at 5:00 PM.
March 3
The Diocese of Orange requested that we send the following message to our Servite Community.
Dear Diocese of Orange Catholic Schools families:
The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority.
We write this letter out of an abundance of caution and to inform you that there is no reason to believe Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) is an immediate threat to our parishes and schools.
The Orange County Health Care Agency has reported one confirmed case of coronavirus within the county, although the individual – a man in his 50’s - has since recovered. Further, there is no evidence that person-to-person transmission has occurred in Orange County. The risk of infection is believed to be extremely low.
As with any virus – and especially during the flu season - there are a number of steps you can take to protect your health and those around you:
- Washing hands with soap and water.
- Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoiding close contact with people who are sick are all ways to reduce the risk of infection with a number of different viruses.
- Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.
Coronavirus is an infectious disease that causes respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as a cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, difficulty breathing and, in more severe cases, pneumonia. People with other medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), may be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill, according to the World Health Organization.
Like all area school districts, we are in regular contact with Orange County public health officials. They have consistently assured the public that there is no need to change daily routines in any way. We, of course, understand that with the strong media coverage, anxieties are heightened and our families and staff may have questions.
According to public health officials, students and staff should continue their normal routines and take the same precautions they would during cold and flu season, including:
- Handwashing remains our No. 1 defense against illness. Please wash hands often with soap and water.
- Daily cleaning of frequently touched surfaces with chlorine containing cleaners.
- If children are not feeling well while at school, or exhibiting signs of illness, have them check in with the school’s health office. We will notify parents if their child visits the health office.
- Communicate all health concerns with your physician.
- If a child has a fever, please keep them at home.
- There is no evidence to support wearing a mask prevents airborne illnesses from spreading. CDC does not recommend the routine use of N95 respirators outside of the healthcare setting. N95 masks are not designed for and should not be worn by children.
- Get your flu shot. The flu vaccine won’t protect against COVID-19, but it is highly recommended to help keep you healthy.
As always, we will remain vigilant to ensure our schools are safe. Thank you for your help was we continue to ensure the safety and wellness of our students, staff, and families.
In mission,
Erin C.O. Barisano, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools
Diocese of Orange
This message was sent on March 3, 2020 at 3:20 PM.