St. William the Abbot

Roman Catholic School

May 6, 2020

Dear St. William the Abbot Parents,

I have a confession to make. As I began to write this letter, I was once again struggling to find words that would strike the right balance, words that would comfort, words that would affirm the feelings that I am sure so many of us are feeling at the news that we are not returning to the building this school year.  Believe it or not, it’s not always easy to write these letters!  And so, as I was gathering my thoughts, my phone buzzed with a return text from Fr. Joe, whom I had texted earlier in the day to discuss a few things with him.  I gave him a call and he immediately recognized the angst in my voice.  I have a tendency to speak quickly as it is, and even more so when feeling overwhelmed.  He wisely slowed me down, and we took a few minutes to just talk about all that we are experiencing, both professionally and personally.  We both acknowledged that we don’t have all the answers, but that’s alright because no one does, and that we must turn to the Source for the answers we seek, and for calm during the storm.  

In that spirit, I do hope that this letter will be as beneficial to you as my conversation with Fr. Joe was for me! I must again take this opportunity to recognize all the work that you, our parents, are doing at this moment in time.  The situation is not perfect, nor will it ever be, and I would suggest that we all take a deep breath and realize that our efforts are more than good enough.  To the stressed parents, to the working parents, to the parents who have lost one or more incomes, and to the parents who seem to have it all together, please know that we understand what you are experiencing each day, because we are experiencing it too!  We are all working to make the “abnormal” a little more “normal” for our children.  Our children are grieving life as they knew it, as we all are right now.  The longer this goes on, the reality of what we are all being asked to do is beginning to sink in a bit more than we may have originally thought.  This is going to be a long haul, and our daily routines may never return to what they once were before this health crisis.  We are being told by some of our political leaders to “re-imagine” education.  While there is always room for improvement, it could not be more evident to me that re-imagining the system of education has to begin with the social and emotional well-being of our children.  We have learned the hard way that “social distancing” is not how we thrive.  We need each other.  We need to be in each other’s presence, and until that time when we are together again, all of us here at SWS will make every effort to support you as best we can.  I don’t have all the answers, but please know that we are not tone-deaf to your concerns, nor are we turning a blind eye to them.  We are gathering information from the Remote Learning Survey we sent to you yesterday.  We, too, are attempting to make the best of a situation that is foreign to us as educators.  We are struggling to find the right balance for our students and families in terms of screen time, assignments, grading, creativity, differentiation, technology, communication, and the list goes on and on.  I have asked my faculty to keep in touch with you in terms of missing assignments, not because we are looking to place additional stress on you, but because we believe that an email is a quicker, easier, and more personal mode of communication, serving as a supplemental aid to Powerschool.  I believe we have a moral obligation to keep you informed, especially in these challenging times.   I have asked my faculty to accept late assignments, as well as multiple submissions, because we know that flexibility is required.  Again, it’s that balance.  Most of all, and this is what I stress during weekly faculty meetings, we must be there for our students.  We must be that presence that they are so sorely lacking during this time of isolation.  What will students remember most?  They will remember the personal relationships, the caring, the love, and the support.  I commend the SWS faculty for all they do each day on behalf of their students.  It bears repeating that this will never be a perfect situation, but I couldn’t be more proud of the work they are doing and the many challenges they are overcoming, each and every day.  We owe them a debt of gratitude, especially during this National Teacher Appreciation Week!

We are always here for you, your children, and each other.  Please pray for us, just as you are in our daily prayers.  Special prayers, of course, are offered for all our Mothers.  Enjoy your day on Sunday!  Certainly, it will be one to remember!  

Never forget, We Are...St. William’s!

Peace,

Mrs. Bricker