Dear parents,

As we craft this update and prepare to hit send, we fully realize that the situation changes so quickly that this may be outdated by the time you read it!

We want you to know that we are trying to juggle many variables – keeping our staff safe, keeping our students safe, and keeping our Faithful Shepherd community safe – while also creating a plan to continue delivering a solid educational product to our students.

Thankfully, our teachers and staff have risen to the occasion and put in countless hours, researched many online learning options, and collaborated as a staff to create a distance learning plan that will ensure our students continue to learn.

Obviously, there is no way distance learning can replace being in the classroom environment, but we are working hard to find the next best thing. Our hope is that on March 30 we will be doing just that – teaching students in the familiar and comfortable surroundings of our building. If that doesn’t happen, our online/distance learning for all K-8 students will begin March 30.

From Zoom classroom presentations to SeeSaw Learning to Google Classroom, our teachers are exploring all options for distance learning. We anticipate that what we start with may not be what we end with, as teachers and students learn what works best for them.

We ask for your patience and understanding as we venture into these unchartered and uncertain times together, collaborating and partnering to ensure our students continue to learn and grow both academically and in their faith. In a way, dealing with these challenges provides a unique opportunity for us to lean on our faith, and to use that as a teaching moment for our children.

Our goal is to communicate regularly but not to overload your inbox. The primary communications will come from your child’s teacher(s). As an administration, we will inform and update you when changes or circumstances warrant. Please continue to check your emails as we will notify you as soon as possible if the school closing is extended.

Thank you again for all you do to make Faithful Shepherd a unique, supportive community, a place of love and support for each other.

Warm regards,

Michael G. Randall                                                     Dr. Sheila Hendricks

Executive Director                                                      Principal