Thomas A. Kardish, President Lauren Carr '00, Principal March 26, 2020
Dear Villa Families,
We invite all our students and families to view a live conference with Mr. Kardish and I this Saturday, March 28, at 10:00 a.m. The conference will allow us to address many of the questions you communicated to us either through email or through the survey that was sent out earlier this week. There is a "public chat" forum available during the broadcast. Feel free to submit additional questions. We will address them either at the end of the broadcast or in a later communication. Joining is easy:
You can join the conference anytime beginning at 9:50 a.m., and throughout the duration of the broadcast. We will be recording the meeting, so if you are unable to attend or have connection issues, you can watch it at a later time. The purpose for this conference is to simply communicate what we have in place already and provide any updates for past or future events that we have at this time.
We made it through a full week (and some) of online learning. Let's be honest: this is hard. It is hard to not see our students and staff every day. It is hard to have to switch a lifetime of routine around in pretty much a week. It is hard to get creative and develop lessons that meet all of our students' needs, while accurately reflecting the curriculum, and still make class engaging — all while doing it from behind a computer screen. It is hard not having athletics and clubs and activities to de-stress and decompress. It is hard trying to record social media videos with a toddler and an infant in the background. It is hard having to attend Mass from my living room sofa, and not be in MY pew next to my "regular" parishioners. It is hard having to question which events need to be cancelled, postponed, or left on the calendar as is, because of all the "what ifs" that still exist. It is hard being home with so many distractions. For some, it is hard NOT being home with our loved ones during this unknown time. It is hard to be a student, a teacher, a parent, a senior, a medical professional, a "front line" employee, or any "essential" personnel.
What is easy though? It is easy to see we are lucky to have a roof over our heads. It is easy to appreciate technology, that for a lot of us, was previously a privilege, but now is a necessity in many ways. It is easy to smile when we get that screen share of our students during our class period. It is easy to get creative with our lessons when we realize some students work better online. It is easy to witness the student who manages their time well and hear they finished all their assignments before noon. It is easy to help the student who doesn't manage their time well by sending a weekly planner with specific deadlines, checklists, and details all in one file. It is easy to "reinvent the wheel" of what education should look like when there are no true instruction manuals to rely on. It is easy to take that walk, run round the yard with a sibling, plant a garden, or chalk on the sidewalk on that sunny day now. It is easy to appreciate ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD when the clubs, the sports, and the activities have to be paused momentarily. It is easy to record social media videos with a toddler and infant in the background (especially when they get us more comments than a standard social media post). It is easy to virtually attend Mass all over the world from the comfort of your own home (all while wearing your "Sunday best"…sweatpants!) It is easy to recognize that events are what create lasting memories. It is easy to weigh the risks of hosting an event now versus hosting it in two months. It is easy to appreciate the distractions at home. Whether those distractions are potty training a three-year-old (because why not…we have nowhere to go), finally painting that spare room that you have been putting off for months, or actually finishing the laundry (dried, folded, and …gasp…put away in the drawers), they are now being completed. It is easy to appreciate your loved ones. It is easy to do a puzzle, play a board game, or do charades. It is easy to Facetime with grandparents, cousins, and even friends who you may not have seen in a while because everyone's schedules were too filled. It is easy to look at certain professions in a whole night light.
I sit here at my computer desk in my school office writing to all of you today. I have been here every day since March 13. It is hard not being home with my boys every day, but it is easy to recognize that I had a maternity leave just two short months ago. Whether you are feeling the hard aspects of this global crisis or are reflecting on the easy ones, I encourage all of you to find that perspective balance.
As of right now, we are anticipating a return to school on April 14, 2020. I truly hope that happens. I do not have a crystal ball, or an inside source, but I do have faith that everything will work out the way it is supposed to. For experiences that get rescheduled, the memories will still be created. For events that get cancelled this year, we promise that next year's events will be bigger and better. We're confident that our Villa family will emerge from this more connected and stronger than ever.
We miss you all. Stay safe, stay healthy, and "Let it be".
Lauren Carr '00, Principal
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DATES
Self-guided ONLINE LENTEN RETREAT
ANNUAL SPRING AUCTION
ANNUAL FUND Raised $132,661 (48%) of Our Goal of $275,000 Please remember that every gift, regardless of size, assists Villa in covering the 15% gap in expenses left by tuition and is often unrestricted so it can be used wherever there is greatest need. Care to select where your donation is used? Make a donation today and choose where you feel most called to give!
FOUNDED IN FAITH. FULFILLING THE MISSION Raised $3,540,399 (59%) of Our Goal of $6 Million
Please consider how you can partner with Villa to assure an exemplary Catholic secondary education for future generations of Jems. Interested in learning more? Contact Jennifer McDonald at 215.357.8810 x124 or jmcdonald@vjmhs.org.
IMPORTANT Please note that the above calendar is subject to change after this email has been sent. Please confirm with Villa's online calendars for the most up-to-date information.
Contact Erica Franzzo '03 at efranzzo@vjmhs.org with questions, feedback, or additions for this weekly email. Thanks for reading! Past editions of Calendar/This Week at Villa can be viewed here. Past editions of the Alumnae Newsletter can be viewed here.
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