St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School

We are aware that the Dallas Independent School District announced yesterday that they will begin school with only remote instruction for at least the first four weeks of school. We know that this announcement has caused speculation and even anxiety for many of our families worrying that our school will be similarly affected. At this time, the Catholic Schools Office reopening plans for schools in the Diocese of Dallas are unchanged.

We have a plan to reopen on September 2nd, and we are going to continue with that plan. We believe the low number of cases in our primary feeder zip codes, combined with the numerous safety measures that we have put in place, allow us to move forward with our original plan. Unfortunately, DISD encompasses all of Dallas — it is a huge district (230 schools). Many areas in the district have extremely high infection rates, while others have very low infection rates. Therefore, DISD cannot allow only certain schools to return in person, those in low-risk zip codes, and then mandate others in high-infection rate zip codes to move to virtual learning. Basically, if it’s not safe for students at some schools in DISD to attend, then the whole district must follow suit.

STA has implemented the following safety measures:

• Requiring face masks for everyone, all the time when indoors
• Requiring daily self-screening for faculty and parent screening for students
• Purchasing hand sanitizer stations 
• Increasing opportunities for hand washing during the school day
• Purchasing additional supply of PPE
• Enhancing cleaning protocols, including deep cleaning in the evening 
• Upgrading air filters and air purifiers in all classrooms
• Limiting the number of visitors on campus
• Limiting student movement
• Revising entry/exit protocols
• Adapting outdoor spaces to allow for more time outside

We will be closely monitoring for any cases of COVID-19 and take appropriate action as necessary. We will notify our faculty and families of any changes as they are made.

In light of the information regarding DISD's virtual plan, we are extending grace on changing the learning model for your children. Please contact Lauren Roberts (Lower School) or Jen Watts (Upper School) by email before Sunday, August 23rd at 5 PM if you wish to make a change.

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School believes that technology is imperative in a collaborative learning environment. STA is excited to expand and enrich our student technology resources across all grades. with class sets of iPads for PK-5th grade. The LS has 5-6 iPads in each classroom and a class set in the Library. Grades 3-5 have 10-20 Chromebooks per grade level and a class set in the Library. Both campuses have dedicated computer labs, and 1:1 laptops for 6th-8th grade.

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is providing video conferencing capability as we continue to improve Distance Learning. Teachers will set up conferences with the strictest privacy settings and offer access to students who agree to act in a considerate and responsible manner. This access is a privilege – not a right.

Students and parents will adhere to the following rules and restrictions or will face a loss of technology privileges as well as other disciplinary action:

• Students are responsible for good behavior in video conferences, just as they would be in a classroom or school hallway. General rules for behavior and communication as stated in the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School Parent/Student Handbook apply.
  • This applies to any behavior visible on camera or heard on a microphone during a video conference.
  • Images, sounds or other inappropriate content will not be tolerated, and students may be removed and blocked from the conference and/or any future conferences.
• Students are prohibited from creating a video conferencing account. Students will have the full ability to join and participate in video conferences without the creation of an account through their parents accepting an invitation from the teacher.
• Students are to follow free dress rules as stated in the Parent/Student Handbook when participating in a video conference.
• Any person, especially minors, not associated with the video conference should be prevented from being seen on video so as to protect their online privacy rights.
• Students and parents are prohibited from sharing meeting links and passwords with anyone who did not receive an invitation from teachers. (Students having an issue joining a video conference should contact the teacher hosting the video conference.)
• In accordance with the Parent/Student Handbook, students and parents are prohibited from taking pictures and/or recording video and/or audio of the video conferences in any manner so as to protect student privacy.

Per the Dallas Diocese, the following internal guidelines are in place:

• STA teachers are required to record all video conferences.
• All videos will be archived and saved for internal records.

Beginning with the first computer classes taken at the Lower School, our students learn about their digital footprint. We know that social media is a big part of our students’ lives as they move into middle school. We request that parents monitor their children’s social media usage and continue the discussion of what is and is not appropriate to post.

It is also expected that all parents, volunteers, and students using social networking refrain from:

• Posting photos of children other than their own without permission.
• Disparaging the character of any individual within our community, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish and School, or the Diocese of Dallas.
• Causing embarrassment to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, or any associated organizations or members of the community.
• Harassing any member of the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish and School community.
• Divulging any personal information about children in the community that would jeopardize their safety or well-being in any way.

Andrew Price - Technology Specialist
aprice@staschool.org
214-826-0566, ext. 4449

TECHNOLOGY DETAILS

At the Lower School prerecorded prayer services will be streamed into each classroom on Monday mornings through Q1. Thursday morning Masses will be livestreamed into each classroom at the Upper School beginning in September through Q1.

The church will use the guidance of the Diocese to determine when it is safe to worship as a school community in the Church and Lower School Chapel.

Confession schedule will be revised and updated for the school year.

Celebrate Catholic Schools Week
January 31 - February 6, 2021

We are still planning on Grandparents and Special Friends Day being February 5 at the Upper School and February 6 at the Lower School. This is subject to change based on COVID-19 health mandates.

Information about sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation will be given out after school starts. Eighth grade parents will receive more information at the 8th grade parent meeting.

Sacramental Preparation:
Dottie Lucas, Religion Program and Sacramental Preparation Coordinator
dlucas@staschool.org
214.826.0566 ext.4431

First Communion Preparation:
Erin Antosh, Coordinator of Elementary Evangelization and Discipleship at the Church
antosh@stadallas.org
469.930.5532

STA Catholic Identity

Our STA website has been updated and will keep you inform with updated information daily. The Parents Portal of the website, located at the top right of the homepage, has all the resource information parents need including lunch menus, forms, schedules, and more.

Parents Portal

Click here to view the All School Calendar. Use the Quicklinks tab at the top of the homepage to go to the school calendar. You can subscribe to any and all of the school calendars on any device; if an event changes it will automatically change on your calendar. Directions to filter and subscribe to the calendar are at the top of the calendar page.

CALENDAR

Every Friday afternoon at 1 PM you will receive the school’s weekly e-newsletter in your inbox. The Week at a Glance (WAAG) is your primary source of information for the upcoming weekend and the week ahead. Please add communications@staschool.org to your address book to ensure delivery. We ask that you take a moment over the weekend to read the WAAG and mark your calendar accordingly.

Communication is very important this year. Steps to make sure you receive emails and Parent Alerts:

1. Check your spam/junk/clutter folders.
2. Check your contact information in FACTS Family Portal.  
3. Add communications@staschool.org to your contacts.
4. Contact us to troubleshoot any issues.

Shelley Kirby
Communications Associate
skirby@staschool.org
214-826-0566, ext. 4217

You will receive email reminders from your child’s teachers and homeroom parents of upcoming events or changes in already scheduled events. Please check your email regularly.

Our ParentAlert system sends messages directly to your phone. ParentAlert is for emergency purposes only, including COVID-19 updates and severe weather alerts that affect carpool.

We will conduct a ParentAlert test on Tuesday, August 18.

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School participates in the Dallas Parochial League. Offering 11 sports throughout the year, our STA athletic program emphasizes Christian principles and good sportsmanship between teams and among athletes for students in 5th – 8th grade. Last year, 97% of all STA 5th–8th grade students participated in at least one DPL sport!

FALL: Cheerleading, football, cross country, volleyball (cancelled)
WINTER: Basketball
SPRING: Baseball, softball, golf tournament, soccer, futsal, track & field

In order to participate in athletics, please do the following:

• The Athletic Director will send an email with registration and payment information before each season begins. Register for your sport BEFORE the deadline.
• Complete the DPL Sports Physical Form and return to the AD office.
• Complete Concussion Baseline Testing (all 5th & 7th grade students and new Upper School students). Instructions will be sent by AD.
• STA requires all student-athletes to maintain acceptable grades and satisfactory behavior.

Genevieve Dittmar, Athletic Director
gdittmar@staschool.org
214.826.0566, ext. 4212

Volunteer coaches are important to the success of STA Wildcat Athletics. If you are interested in being a volunteer coach, please contact the Athletic Director. Please note that the STA varsity teams are coached by non-parent volunteers.

The full Faculty and Staff Directory can be found on the website under About Us or the Quicklinks tab at the top right of the homepage.

Directory

You can access email addresses, phone numbers, and home addresses of parents and students in the FACTS Family Portal (formerly ParentsWeb). You will need your login and password to access the Family Directory. Once logged in, go to School/Directory on the left menu bar. You can filter by grade and homeroom.

FACTS Family Portal

You can update your contact information in FACTS Family Portal formerly ParentsWeb under WebForms.