Update for July 24

We are very excited for our return to campus and want to provide more information as we approach the beginning of the academic year on Wednesday, August 12. 

Our decision to provide in-person education has been approved unanimously by the Board of Trustees, is supported by months of discernment, diligent research, consultation with families, faculty and staff, and fully recognizes that a return to normal, while greatly desired, omits the reality that COVID-19 is still a serious health concern for portions of the population, including some of our faculty and staff members. It is essential to acknowledge that while in-person instruction is the best educational option to support the social, psychological, emotional, and spiritual well-being of our students, we must also provide appropriate balance by instilling a community-wide commitment to support a safe and healthy school environment. Minimizing the inherent risks of in-person education will be the responsibility of every member of our community, both at home and on-campus.

We are also offering the opportunity to choose a remote learning option. This remote learning program will incorporate all elements possible of the in-person education as allowed by technology. Remote education will include synchronous classroom instruction via webcam, as well as the same rigor, grading and attendance expectations, opportunities to meet individually with faculty, and live-streamed formation and community events. Those who choose remote learning will be engaging in that online program for the fall semester and will not have the opportunity to participate in on-campus athletics or extracurricular activities during that time. Tuition and Fees remain the same for both in-person and remote options. Families will have the opportunity to elect either the in-person or remote education options by completing the form provided via email.

Key aspects of our return to campus:

• Our students will return to campus for orientation on August 10 (new students) and  August 11 (10th grade), and will begin the academic year as scheduled on Wednesday, August 12. More information on orientation and first week of school will be sent throughout the coming weeks.

• Whenever and wherever possible, Frassati Catholic will practice social distancing. In the classroom, there will be a minimum of four feet between students and six feet between the teacher and students.

• All individuals on campus will be required to wear masks when inside a building, in common areas, and whenever 6 feet distancing is not possible (including outside). Teachers will also be provided with face shields. Face shields may be worn in addition to a mask, but may not replace masks. Masks must be worn to completely cover the nose and mouth. Masks may be plain, solid in color, or patterned, but must not contain words, logos, abbreviations, or images. Frassati Catholic branded masks will be permitted and are available in the Spirit Store. 

• Students will have their temperatures taken daily upon arriving on campus. If the reading is 100.0 or above they will be required to go home. To assist us in our screening efforts, it is imperative all members of the community stay home when they feel sick. This will greatly support our efforts to maintain the health of our faculty, staff, and students. 

• Student hygiene is paramount and hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes will be available throughout campus. We also encourage students to proactively bring their own personal-size hand sanitizer to use throughout the day and wash their hands regularly.

• Our athletics programs will continue to prepare for the start of competition in the fall. We will follow all TAPPS guidelines and schedules for athletics. Please read this letter from our Director of Athletics with the latest updates from TAPPS for fall athletics.

• Our daily start time will move forward 5 minutes to 7:45 am to provide additional transition time throughout the day and to allow families to avoid morning traffic at Zwink and Fox Elementary schools. (Both Zwink and Fox Elementary have moved their start time to 8:00 am, 15 minutes earlier than past years.) Our morning drop-off will begin at 7:00 am, and the first bell will ring at 7:40 am ahead of our 7:45 am start time. 

• Lunch ordering will be available online and details about how to order will be communicated before the start of school. 

• The Frassati Catholic cleaning service, Church Sexton Group, will continue to clean and disinfect all areas used daily. As you would expect, we are planning to disinfect the campus daily and each classroom will be disinfected between classes.