ENROLLMENT 2021-22: THE GOOD SURGE CONTINUES

SKS faculty, teachers, and staff fought hard to bring students back into the classroom for the 2020-21 school year, despite the challenges, uncertainties, and risks that the novel coronavirus pandemic brought with it. While the fight is not over yet, we have been able to reach the 100 days of school milestone and can actually celebrate that almost all of them have been in person. SKS’s courageous approach to reopening school in face of COVID-19 and its healthy partnership with families has not gone unnoticed. This, coupled with SKS being awarded theNational Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award, has created perfect conditions for a surge in admissions inquiries.

At the end of July 2020, when local public schools announced that they would not be offering full-time, in-person classes for the start of the 2020-21academic year, SKS began to experience a high volume of calls from parents wanting to enroll children who had been attending these schools.Our classrooms soon filled to maximum capacity within CDC guidelines.

Calls and emails have continued to flood the front office; however, parents are now seeking enrollment for the 2021-22 academic year. In one instance, the inquiries averaged between nine to fourteen calls or emails about kindergarten and some lower school grades over the course of two days. Since the first week of February, all grades, kindergarten through seventh, have waitlists for the 2021-22 school year. As a result of this increase in enrollment, SKS will continue to offer a third kindergarten class next year. There has been at least a 50% increase in inquiries about the2021-22 school year, well over the amount of interested applicants in the last few years. Interestingly, some of these inquiries have been about the2022-23 school year, though registration for that year will open onNovember 1, 2021. In a year where the word “surge” has become synonymous with restrictions and lockdowns, it is a relief to see a surge in a context that should make SKS proud – a surge in enrollment inquiries!

In the last issue of The Spirit, we welcomed the forty-three new families that joined SKS this year and heard from two of them about their experience asnew families. What follows is more insight on the new family experience atSKS. There’s a common theme to these interviews: families are happy withtheir decision because their kids are thriving in school!

MAKING LEMONADE OUT OF A BITTER PANDEMIC

During the second grade’s sacrament of Reconciliation parent information session, Sister Mary Elizabeth Karalis, Director of Religious Education, quoting a friend to explain the pandemic protocols for the sacrament this year, remarked, “Catholics always make the best of a situation.” Although the pandemic has offered us many bitter lemons, Sister Mary Elizabeth’s words encapsulate how, as a school and community, SKS has figured out how to move forward, take advantage of new opportunities, and make lemonade.

In preparation for the 2020-21 school year, SKS invested in document cameras and added new online resources and websites to its educational toolkit across all grade levels:

Document Cameras

Teachers are utilizing document cameras both in the classroom and for virtual school to reproduce book pages or any document. Students can more clearly see any object or text a teacher chooses to share while maintaining distances in the classroom, and they also help cut down on paper usage. Not only are they helpful in the classroom, but also document cameras have proven to be a great solution when learning on Google Meet for virtual sessions.

Seesaw

SKS introduced Seesaw to its educational toolkit for the lower grades. Seesaw is an online learning journal that gives parents a personalized window into their child’s schoolwork. It was created by Shadow Puppet, the creators of the award winning app, Shadow Puppet Edu. Developed in collaboration with teachers across the country, Seesaw empowers students to capture what they are learning at school with photos, videos, and their voice.They can create amazing things using this app on their iPads and the end results are accessible to both parents and educators.

IXL

SKS is using IXL as a reinforcement tool in math andEnglish. IXL is the world’s most popular subscription-based learning site for K-12, providing personalized learning with interactive questions that can pinpoint diagnostic levels in about sixty questions, as well as awards and certificates to keep kids motivated.

Google Meet

SKS is utilizing Google Meet as its secure videoconferencing platform for virtual school. Google Meet allows a student to log into a classroom from home if the student or a family member has compromising health concerns or has been diagnosed with or exposed toCOVID-19. Another advantage of Google Meet is that it permits SKS teachers and faculty to pivot to virtual school in the event of inclement winter weather, avoiding additional, unscheduled snow days that would have to be added to the end of the school year.

1:1 Devices

SKS received 110 Chromebook tablets that were purchased earlier this school year for the primary grades to use.These additional tablets will help immensely with the goal of being a one-to-one school – one device for every student – and will facilitate the continued integration of technology into academics at SKS.

SKS teachers have also discovered other online resources to enrich their classrooms. The sixth grade is using Braining camp, a digital math manipulatives tool, to review fraction operations and learn about negative numbers. The sixth grade is also using Science WorldMagazine to read interesting articles and discover new things. Mrs. Grimley’s class recently read “TheSurprising Origin of Toys” and learned how several popular toys were invented. Students then had the option to research the origin of their favorite toy or design a new one of their own and present to the class.Mrs. Grimley is using a website called I Am A Scientist to display various scientists on a bulletin board. Her sixth grade class will then choose one scientist per month to learn more about and how each became a scientist.

New opportunities, however, extend far beyond the classroom and many of them can be experienced at home. We have more time as a result of canceled social activities and entertainment, little-to-no work commutes,travel and health restrictions, and quarantine requirements. Families have spent a lot more time together, and kids have had extra time to play outside,use their imaginations, and develop new skills. “I like being able to spend more time with my family playing board games,” noted fifth grader Drew Hayes. In some cases, the pandemic has actually given families the ability to see loved ones even more than they otherwise would given the rise of video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Google Meet. Third grader Nathan DJamoos explained, “Due to the pandemic, I actually ended up seeing my family and cousins who live across the country more! We have a Zoom call every Saturday night.”

Fewer extracurricular activities mean more time for kids to play and discover new ways to entertain themselves. Kindergartener Natalie DJamoos described her experience: “We put up a ninja course in the backyard that all of the neighborhood kids have been able to enjoy. There is a creek in our yard and we can put on old boots and walk down the creek and explore. We had movie nights on our neighbor’s front lawn. No one is running off to camp or practices. This winter we have spent the majority of our time sledding!” Kids have also gotten creative about virtual ways to interact with friends online. Eighth grader Connor Hayes noted, “My mom finally let me get Xbox Live so I can hang out with friends.”

Having extra free time has allowed students to learn new skills. Fifth grader Olivia DJamoos reflected, “I taught myself how to rollerblade, how to sew, and do magic. Now I can sew masks for all of my family, friends, and even my teachers!” Students have also used quality time with parents to become more proficient at hobbies.“My dad and I are getting really good at putting together 1000 piece puzzles. We’ve done five!” said second grader Maddie Hayes.

As the Monty Python song goes, “Always look on the bright side of life.” One of the many things that the pandemic has made clear is SKS’s indefatigable spirit and determination to make the best of the situation.

THE SKS FOUNDATION – CHECKING IN WITH OUR YOUNG ALUMNI

When the forty-six members of the SKS class of 2020 walked across the stage to receive their diplomas last June, they were stepping into a future not known to any prior class of SKS graduates. In this early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools remained closed, nationwide and globally, and we had little idea of when or how classrooms would reopen. After a summer of cautious optimism, the SKS graduates turned their attention to high school and the next phase of their education. While school scenarios varied, among the fourteen archdiocesan, private, and public schools where our graduates landed, each SKS alumnus faced the same familiar challenges that mark every transition to high school — increased independence and self-directed learning; more choice, coupled with more responsibility; and the demands of greater complexity and challenge in their studies.

Now, so many months later, we checked back in with our Class of ‘20 graduates and their families, to hear directly from them about their high school experiences. What we learned comes as no surprise — SKS set these students up for success, in all regards. SKS alumnus Stephen Finley reflected the importance of his SKS faith foundation: “My SKS education helped teach me the importance of staying connected to my Catholic faith and friendships while working hard everyday to do my best in all aspects of my life.” And Class of ‘20 parents Fran and Janna Forte highlighted that SKS provided “the academic, social and spiritual building blocks to flourish in a new and challenging high school environment.” Given the additional challenges of COVID, the SKS experience was yet more valuable to our alumni. As another parent reflected, “The friendships our son made at SKS have been a Godsend, especially as these kids started their high school careers during a pandemic. Our son’s SKS friends will always be a part of his life.”

The success and resilience of our young SKS alumni grow directly from the school’s mission commitment “to academic excellence through a rigorous learning environment that seeks to develop the whole child, integrating Catholic values of service and respect for all of God’s people.” And as the 24 graduates of the Class of ‘21 prepare to receive their diplomas and step into high school, they too will be standing on the firm foundation of their SKS experience.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK 2021

Our SKS tradition of Catholic education and resilience was celebrated during Catholic Schools Week!