Dear SJV Families,

As I mentioned in my email last Friday, following Governor Inslee’s emergency declaration, St. John Vianney Catholic School will be closed for students starting Tuesday, March 17th. St. John Vianney will be open tomorrow. Monday, March 16, including before- and after-school Educare. Monday, March 16th, will be utilized as a transition day for all students in Kindergarten through 8th Grade We ask that families send students to school to collect any items, such as medications, as well as textbooks and other learning items that they will need during the school closure. We respect and support any family who chooses to keep their child home on Monday.

Knowing the challenge this places on families to find childcare, we are currently exploring options to help, and we hope to have more information for you tomorrow.

At this time, preschools can remain open, and we are planning on keeping our preschool open with its normal schedule. However, this situation remains fluid and could change at any time.

Teachers are in the process of developing lessons and activities so that families can help students stay academically focused during this closure. They will be working all day Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare the learning content for the students for the coming weeks.

Some of these activities are designed to give students enrichment and practice on skills they have already learned. Due to the length of the closure, other lessons will focus on teaching them new skills or content. Specific directions for how this content will be delivered will be provided in the coming days. In order to help us plan for this, there are several things you can do to help:

• First, take this brief technology survey so that we can plan the most efficient way to reach all students.
• Next, make sure you can log in to Sycamore from a desktop computer, laptop computer, or tablet browser. It is likely that we will use Sycamore to deliver much of the learning content, and it is important that you be able to access it over the coming weeks. The Android and iOS Sycamore apps do not have the features needed to access the content. If you need help signing in to Sycamore, please contact the office on Monday. 
• Finally, if you have a child in 5th through 8th grade, have them try to sign in to both their Sycamore account and their school Google account this weekend. If they do not know how or if they have forgotten their password, have them talk to their teacher on Monday.

If you need wi-fi connectivity, Comcast is offering free connectivity to their local hotspots, and 60 days of complimentary wi-fi for qualifying families who sign up for Internet Essentials. More details can be found on the Comcast website: https://corporate.comcast.com/covid-19

We are planning for a closure through April 24 and will continue to keep you informed as we move forward. St. John Vianney Catholic School appreciates and values your partnership with us as we travel this new road together. Throughout the closure, I will continue to be in communication with you as I learn new information.

We are continuing into uncharted territory, but I have confidence that we will deal with this situation with grace and hope. On Friday the entire school gathered for Stations of the Cross and we prayed the following prayer with the students at the 14th Station. It has much to offer us about our current situation:

O God, no matter how hard things seem to be, they couldn’t be much tougher than the life lived by your son. Despite His sufferings, it all came out alright. You promise me that same outcome if I will remain close to you in my life. Help me to always follow the road of Christ—to accept what I cannot change; to change what I can for the betterment of mankind; and to closely follow the road you have planned for me in the years to come. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Taking the lead from our savior Jesus Christ who gave his all for the world, we will do all we can for the children and families of St. John Vianney Catholic School. The length of this closure will provide its share of challenges, but there is grace in this situation as there is in all challenges. We will continue to look for the grace.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

In Christ,
Nick Senger