Students, Parents and Friends,

If we were to assign a theme to this update, it would best be described as, “Longing for community, familiarity, and faith.” As we move forward, it is essential that we continue to find ways to maintain our connections to each other and remember that Jesuit High School is more than just a school, it is a community of people who care for one another.  

Familiarity and Faith: For starters, we need to find a way to re-engage with our morning prayer and our afternoon Examen. These are familiar elements of daily life at Jesuit and they are fundamental to our Catholic, Jesuit mission. Our Campus Ministry Team is working on ways to host these prayers for all to find comfort in, especially our students, teachers, and staff. Currently, morning prayer is posted to our Jesuit Sacramento Instagram and Facebook stories. We will be sharing more on the Examen and additional prayers soon. 

Community: Many of our teachers have been using video conferencing platforms for office hours or lectures. Our students have shared with us that these sessions have been important, both to their academic needs and to satisfy their desire to connect with one another. The faculty and administrators have also been using video conferencing for remote meetings, and our sessions have been fruitful and informative; but more than that, we realize our appreciation for and reliance on our colleagues and friends. We miss one another and just hearing each other’s voices and seeing each other’s faces has been a source of consolation.This must be true for us all.

To better understand how we can serve our shared desire for community, familiarity and faith, we would like to do a formal “check-in” with students and parents so that we can learn more about your experience and better serve you. You will be sent an email tonight inviting you to take a short Student Check-In Survey or Parent Check-In Survey so we can better understand what is working well in the remote learning environment and what we can improve upon. The possibility of an extended experience of remote learning means we need to examine our current practices and make the necessary adjustments that will serve to enrich our hearts and our minds. 

p.s. Lastly, I want to wish Fr. McGarry, S.J., President of Jesuit High School, a happy birthday! —Principal Wood

Continuity of Learning—Digital Learning Days

We will be using the feedback from Students and Parents to consider changes to our Digital Learning Day protocol. It is important we consider how we might update our protocol to account for the possibility of remote learning spanning multiple weeks or more. We are also encouraging teachers to incorporate more check-in time with students in the form of office hours, live collaboration sessions, group discussions, assignment clarification, context setting, fellowship, etc. These are not meant to be mandatory sessions, but rather opportunities for teachers and students to gather.  Many classes are already doing this, but we believe community building is an essential aspect of academic success, so we want to ensure that students experience this in all of their classes. 

Christian Service Online

Given the current need for social distancing, many people are experiencing isolation in new, deeper ways. For people who were already isolated, this social distancing can be especially painful.

To respond to this reality, we will be inviting our students to engage in an optional service opportunity by writing a letter to a client or resident (or multiple clients or residents) at one of several non-profit agencies and programs. Read more about this opportunity here. 

Parents, look here for more the most recent information on Christian Service requirements for all four grade levels. 

Counseling Office Hours

The Counseling Department is here to support students and families during this transitional learning time. Beginning Monday, March 30, we will host virtual office hours for students through Zoom.  Given the fluid schedule and differing needs of students’ time, each counselor will hold two sessions each week. If any student has a conflict with his counselor’s posted time, send the counselor an email and he/she will coordinate a time to connect.  Zoom links will be posted in the Counseling Google Classrooms. More information from Counseling will be communicated in our regularly scheduled Counseling Newsletter on March 25.

• Monday 11:00 – 11:45 am with Mr. Seibert
• Tuesday 11:00 – 11:45 am with Ms. Nowag (Rasmussen)
• Wednesday 9:00 – 9:45 am with All Counselors
• Wednesday 11:00 – 11:45 am with Mrs. Harger
• Thursday 11:00 – 11:45 am with Ms. Van Liefde and Mrs. Smith

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams

The College Board has sent out preliminary plans for how they are planning to offer AP Exams online for this year. Our Academic Team and AP teachers have been meeting to discuss how to best prepare our students for these exams that may now have a new format and new testing dates. No decisions have been made, but we hope to communicate specific guidance and updates soon. The College Board is waiting until April 3 to make an announcement about test dates and other details, so we hope to know more then. 

“We are one, after all, you and I, together we suffer, together exist and forever will recreate each other.” ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Our next update will be no later than Friday, March 27.

St. Ignatius of Loyola — Pray for us.

Rev. John P. McGarry, S.J., President and Dr. Michael Wood, Principal