[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Dear Families,

At St. Paul’s Episcopal Montessori School, our commitment has always been to provide a safe and loving environment where your children can flourish academically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. We are eager to open our doors so we can provide that support to our students in the most intimate way. I appreciate your patience as I have been urgently working with multiple entities – the School Board, St. Paul’s Church Vestry, Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools, the Diocese of West Texas, and other San Antonio Heads of Schools – to determine how and when it will be possible to open our doors amid the current COVID-19 rates in the San Antonio area.

Last week, the San Antonio Metro Health Department released a city-wide health directive ordering public and private schools to postpone in-person learning for pre-k through high school until after Labor Day weekend. After consulting with local and regional authorities, due to the mandate of the city’s directive we will begin our school year on August 17th with distance learning for all Primary and Elementary students. Our intention is to invite children back into the school classrooms on Tuesday, September 8th.

The toddler program, which is licensed through Child Care Licensing, is exempt from the city directive. Therefore, our two toddler classrooms will be able to begin in-person starting Monday, August 17th. All other students will begin with three weeks of distance learning. Our current plan is to have Primary and Elementary families select whether they would like to continue distance learning after September 8th or would like to return to campus for face-to-face instruction.

Our teachers are hard at work finalizing a distance learning plan that will incorporate the following methods: handmade Montessori materials for your child to work with in the home, digital platforms, personalized instruction through video, and regular virtual connections with the class community. In addition, the Elementary distance learning plan will involve some larger projects for the children to embark on. Our amazing teachers are also developing ways to guide parents. We recognize that any support we give you is just as important as the support we give your children, so we are committed to helping you as much as possible. The details on distance learning plans will be sent out closer to the start of school.

Between now and September 8th, we are continuing to prepare our classrooms and train our staff members for a return to face-to-face learning. This is a high priority for us, as we know that so many of our children and parents are ready to be back in school. We are too! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly: mmartinez@stpaulsmontessori.org or (210)271-2861.

Sending my best,

Macleay Martinez[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]