COVID-19 Updates

Please see the Parent Resource page HERE for information on using Google Classroom, navigating stress with your children, academic resources, and more!

1. Students will be expected in their Google Classrooms next week on Monday, April 6^th, Tuesday, April 7^th and Wednesday April 8^th. The remainder of Holy Week, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday, will be our Easter break. No remote learning will be held on those days.
2. The Diocese of Manchester Catholic Schools office has also decided to keep the April 27^th to May 1^st school vacation week in place for all Catholic Schools in NH. Therefore, we will not be holding remote learning during that time. Enjoy the Spring break!!!

Updated 3/26/20

On behalf of Superintendent David Thibault:

Dear Catholic School Families and Employees:

Earlier today, Governor Sununu issued a “Stay-at-Home” order to take effect tomorrow night at 11:59 PM and remain in effect through May 4, 2020. The order requires nonessential businesses to close by the end of day, Friday March 27, 2020. The Governor stated this is not a “Shelter in Place” order and folks may leave their homes. WMUR coverage of the Governor’s press conference is located at WMUR Governor’s Message .

In response to the Governor’s order, all Catholic schools will continue remote instruction through May 4, 2020. In addition, all but a small number of essential school personnel will be working remotely. This stay-at-home order and extension of remote instruction may slightly change your local school’s remote instruction plan. As a result, your principal will send school-specific information regarding any changes or updates to your school’s plan.

All of our students, faculty, staff, and parents have put forth a tremendous effort these past two weeks. For this reason, I have asked all school leaders to ensure that they keep their April vacation dates as well as give students, families, and staff no online classes or work on Thursday, April 9 and Friday, April 10, 2020, allowing families time to worship and celebrate the Paschal Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. The Triduum leads us through Jesus’ Passion, to the culmination of our Christian life: Easter Sunday. Given this unprecedented challenge to our nation, it is critically important that we turn to Our Lord during this holy time.

To assist in your preparation for the Paschal Triduum, your pastors are now live streaming their Holy Masses and other services. For a list of parishes with live streaming Masses, click Masses online or on our diocesan website. If you do not see your parishes Mass times listed, simply check the parish website or Facebook page. In addition, each week during Lent Bishop Libasci is recording messages just for you! To hear this week’s message click Bishop's Lenten Message or go to the Diocese of Manchester website.

Please know how hard our Catholic school teachers, staff, and school leaders are working to deliver remote instruction to your children through this difficult time. My team in the Catholic Schools Office will continue to assist your school leaders and staff through this extended time of remote instruction. I am very proud of the work they are doing and what they have accomplished to ensure that your children’s education remains of the highest quality; imbued with our strong Catholic Identity. It in these difficult times where we must practice the virtues of Patience, Prudence, and Courage. Our children are watching. As St. Pope John Paul II reminds us, “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people, and Hallelujah is our song”.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

David A. Thibault Superintendent

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Updated 3/19/20

Good morning St. Chris parents!

We are excited to get our remote learning program started today! Our teachers were working late into the night preparing and they can't wait to connect with their students online.

Just a reminder that starting today we will be taking attendance each day at 5:00 PM, so students must log into their classroom every day by that time. Doing attendance allows us to count these days as actual school days so we do not have to make them up at the end of the year....yay!

Please reach out if you have any questions. We will continue to keep you informed as we go!

God bless,

Mrs. Cindy Clarke

 

 

 

I want to begin by thanking everyone for their patience as St. Chris transitions to remote learning for our students. While this has been an unexpected challenge for our teachers, we have come together (while practicing our social distancing!) over the last few days to create what we believe will be a new and exciting way to teach our students during this extraordinary time. We may still experience some bumps in the road, but we are confident that our entire St. Chris community will continue to solve any issues with grace and understanding!

So let’s get started!

The following “schedule” will help everyone stay on the same page:

Today (3/18) has been set aside for parents and students to prepare for the start of the remote learning program. Parents are asked to:

• Read the letter and Learning Plan HERE. This will define St. Chris’s goals for remote learning, as well as student and teacher expectations.

• Determine how your child will access Google Classroom. You can access Google Classroom by a variety of device types, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops/desktop computers. Smartphones and tablets have a Google Classroom app available. For laptops/desktop computers, simply open your browser and to https://classroom.google.com/.

Please note: St. Chris does have a limited number of older used iPad Mini 2’s available for sale for $70. While these iPads are older, they are sufficient for use with Google Classroom. Please email cclarke@stchrisschoolnh.org if you are interested in purchasing one.

• Consult the User Name/Password list emailed to each parent and find your child’s information. Use this user name and password to log on to Google Classroom. Please change your child’s password and save it somewhere that you will remember. This will be how your child logs on every school day to Google Classroom.

Some teachers have already set up their online classrooms and students will see invitations to their classes in the Classroom environment. Students should accept all invitations.

• With your student, watch introductory videos on how to use Google classroom. Here are some suggested videos from other schools that have already implemented Google Classroom:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0H25jOMSF0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfgqtCi7hdo

 

Tomorrow (3/19) will be the start of our remote learning program.

• Students should log in to Google Classroom using their user name/password.
• Once logged in, students will see invitations to all of their classes. They should accept these invitations.
• Within each class, students should begin interacting with their teacher and completing work.

Please note: Students should also continue completing any packets or school work that was sent home last Friday. This work will be due when students physically return to school.

If you or your child should have any difficulties logging into Google Classroom, please contact Mrs. Litch at [email protected]. Other content/academic questions should be directed to your classroom teacher either through Google Classroom or via regular email. We are here to help you….don’t be afraid to reach out for assistance!

I will continue to pray that all in our St. Chris community stay well!

Mrs. Cindy Clarke

 

 

 

Dear parents,

In cooperation with Governor Sununu's mandate that all schools remain physically closed through April 3, all Catholic schools will be closed to students through that date. St. Christopher will transition to remote learning this week as previously noted and we will update parents when we are ready.

In the meantime, students are encouraged to begin working with any materials that were sent home on Friday. In addition, St. Chris will be open temporarily tomorrow, Monday, March 16, from 9:00 AM to Noon if families need to retrieve books and/or other supplies.

 

 

 

 

Dear Parents,

 

After much discussion and prayer, and in the best interest of our students and their families, the Diocese of Manchester has decided to close Catholic Schools in NH due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was decided that social distancing, as recommended by the CDC, is one way to help prevent the spread of illness. See Superintendent of Schools David Thibault's letter HERE.

 

Both St. Christopher and Nashua Catholic will not be housing students from March 16^th to March 27^th. However, we will be providing online instruction for our students in order to keep them up to date with their studies and prevent us from having to make up these days at the end of the year. If there is any change to that time frame, we will be in contact with you.

 

On Monday and Tuesday of next week, our teachers will be trained on the use of Google classroom. Once the training is complete, St. Christopher students will be issued an email address and password to access the Google Classroom platform. Parents will receive an email with this information for their students. St. Christopher students and parents should email Mrs. Litch at [email protected] if they have any issues. We will send you more information regarding Google Classroom next Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

Please note that you will not see St. Christopher or Nashua Catholic on the WMUR school closings list because we are still delivering instruction at home through packets, books and Google Classroom.

 

May we use this time at home to practice our Lenten promises and pray that this situation will soon be a passing memory.

 

I appreciate your patience and your support. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at any time. You are all in my prayers.

 

God Bless!

                        

Mrs. Clarke                Father David A. Harris