Dear St. Michael Preschool Parents,
We hope your family is safe, healthy, and enjoying the summer. Thank you for your patience as we developed plans to return to the preschool for the 2020-21 school year. At this time, we plan to reopen with our regular schedule in August with enhanced health and cleaning procedures in place to protect all students, staff, and families. Please keep in mind that this plan is subject to change following the directives of the Diocese of Raleigh and Bishop Zarama, as well as the guidance and recommendations from Governor Cooper and the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).
The public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic is an ever-changing situation, so we are doing everything in our power to create a safe, welcoming, developmentally appropriate learning environment. Our current plan is based on what we know and what we can control. Preschool directors from St. Michael, St. Raphael, St. Andrew, St. Francis, and Sacred Heart (Pinehurst) collaborated with parish leadership, our preschool task forces, and the Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Raleigh to develop a plan that minimizes risks while maximizing learning and socialization, which are the hallmarks of a quality early childhood education.
While it will look different than years past, the mission and developmental philosophy of St. Michael Preschool will remain the same: to provide a safe and loving environment where the development of the whole child and the joy of learning is nurtured through socialization and play as we grow in our love of Jesus and discover how God is a part of our everyday lives.
The preschool reopening plan provides specific guidelines that will be implemented should the governor decide that K-12 schools will open in the fall under Plan A or B. If schools open in Plan C, remote learning only, the preschool would remain closed and defer our opening date until schools move to Plans A or B. Please note that in both Plan A and B, preschools are permitted to operate under the health department’s guidelines at full capacity and on a normal schedule.
These guidelines follow the requirements and recommendations in the NCDHHS Child Care Strong Public Health Tool Kit last updated on June 26, 2020. This document differs from the K-12 guidelines and gives specific guidance for preschools and childcare settings.
Please carefully review the full St. Michael Preschool Reopening Plan.
If after careful review of the reopening plan, you decide to withdraw your child, please ensure that you provide us with written notice by July 27, 2020, per our policy, to receive a refund of your tuition payment. The prepaid registration fee is nonrefundable.
St. Michael Preschool has provided a safe, loving, faith-filled early childhood education to children in our community for over 36 years. We look forward to another joyful school year filled with love, learning, friendship, and fun. Thank you for entrusting your child to our loving care and for your continued support and prayers. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. 1 John 4:16
St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
God bless, and be assured of our prayers for you and your family,
Fr. Michael Burbeck, Pastor
Lisa Ciesla, Director