Nourishing the Human Spirit
~ Mind, Body and Soul ~
Through Jesus Christ
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Fall 2020 Return to School FAQs
In preparation for our 2020-2021 school year, Lake Michigan Catholic has a dedicated task force in place to address the many facets of reopening our school in a safe, responsible manner. The task force kicked off in April and identified specific workstreams that feed into a coordinated Return to School plan; this work is being led by members of our administration, CCEC, and external advisors with expertise in particular focus areas. The team has made great progress and there are some very exciting enhancements coming to our schools! Our comprehensive plan will be completed over the coming weeks and shared with parents later in June. To aid in communicating this information in the most efficient way possible, we will be continually updating this list of "Fall 2020 Return to School FAQs." To submit a question to the RTS task force, Click Here and complete the form. Please check back often for updates!
**July 14th CDC Checklist for Parents & Teachers
**July 14th CDC FAQs for Administrators
2020-21 School Calendar *as of June 19, 2020
June 30th Michigan Safe Schools Roadmap
** = new or updated information
Fall 2020 Return to School FAQs
Tuition & ProgramsQ: Is it possible to get an extension of the tuition due date until we know what school will look like for the next year?
A: In an effort to provide additional financial flexibility during these challenging times, Lake Michigan Catholic is extending the deadline for 2020/2021 tuition payment to July 1. Our school also offers a variety of payment options including one-time payment, monthly installments and other arrangements. Please contact our business office at (269) 983-5529 and we will be happy to work with you.Q: Will LMC be able to offer summer camp this year?
A: The most recent Michigan executive order allows day camps to open. We are carefully reviewing the requirements and recommended best practices from the CDC, Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, and various other health agencies and officials in order to develop safe processes and procedures for camp. The health and safety of our Laker family is our first priority. We will focus on implementing the proper procedures, as well as training our staff, over the next two weeks. We plan to open camp (with a smaller group of campers than in previous years) the week of June 22nd! Please see the Lake Michigan Catholic website ( lmclakers.org) for information, description of weeks, registration form and deposit payment information. Registrations will be taken on a first come, first served basis. Updates on availability will be posted on the website as well as via email. Future emails about safe camp procedures will be shared when our plans are complete.Return to School Decision
Q: When will a decision be made as to whether students will come back for in-school instruction or virtual learning?
A: All decisions will be based on how to best protect the health and safety of every member of our Laker family. We expect guidance to come from the state [and the Diocese] sometime in June. The guidance will be incorporated into our already robust Return to School planning. We will communicate to our LMC community regarding all decisions as soon as we are able. Whether we are back at school or remote learning, or an option in between, be assured that LMC will be ready with the best experience possible for your student. We are investing in additional training over the summer to ensure our instruction is second to none, with a focus on improving intentional feedback to students in any learning environment. Individual feedback is key to the learning process; the smaller class sizes at LMC work in our favor by enabling the delivery of this valuable benefit to our students.
Q: How will the back to school decision be made? Who will be involved in the decision making?
A: In preparation for our 2020-2021 school year, we have formed a task force to address the many facets of reopening our school in a safe, responsible manner. The task force and specific work streams will be led by members of our administration, CCEC, and external advisors with expertise in particular focus areas. Our comprehensive return to school plan will include various workstreams.
All decisions will be based on how to best protect the health and safety of every member of our Laker family.
Whether we physically return to school in August or continue virtual learning, our teachers will be well equipped to provide the best experience for your student. We are investing in additional training over the summer to ensure our instruction is second to none, with a focus on improving intentional feedback to students in any learning environment. Individual feedback is key to the learning process; the smaller class sizes at LMC work in our favor by enabling the delivery of this valuable benefit to our students.
Q: What health policies are being required for International students?
A: For the safety of all students and staff, visiting and full-time international students must quarantine in the State of Michigan 14 days prior to visiting and/or returning to campus. Students may begin virtual and live classes as necessary while in quarantine. Pending the intent of the international program, a plan for initial studies will be discussed and communicated.
Technology/Virtual Learning
Q: If we continue any virtual learning in the fall, what platform will be used?
A: All faculty will be using Google Classroom as the primary online platform beginning in the fall. There will be supplementary online applications used as appropriate to enhance learning. Every student (TK-12) will have access to a Chromebook/device to enhance the learning experience in school and at home. Our commitment is to train every student receiving a Chromebook prior to the start of school so he/she is familiar with the device, confident in using it independently at home, and therefore more capable of taking responsibility for personal learning during the school day (as appropriate by grade level).Q: It is great that we have access to so many online learning platforms, but what can the school do to help students and parents manage the login information for all of the different applications?
A: Lake Michigan Catholic is partnering with Clever, a Single Sign-On (SSO) application, to make the log-in process simple and autonomous for young students. Students, specifically elementary level, will have an easy way to sign on to a Chromebook using a Clever “badge.” They hold the badge up to the Chromebook webcam and are automatically logged into their personal portal. Their apps and google classrooms will be available by clicking on icons on the screen.Health/Screenings
Q: Will students, staff, faculty, coaches, parents and volunteers be subject to any type of screening for entering the school every day?
A: Yes. Protecting the health of all our Laker family members is a priority. We have already purchased a touch-free temperature checking system for each school. Within our Return to School task force, we have a workstream dedicated to Health & Safety Practices which will include social distancing guidelines, hygiene behaviors, temperature checks, etc. More information on these new protocols will be shared later in June when the overall Return to School plan is presented.
Q: Will there be temperature screening for students, faculty, staff and volunteers?
A: Yes. We have purchased a temperature screening system for each building that will be located at the main entrances. Everyone entering our school buildings will be screened as they enter to confirm they do not have a fever. In addition, all of our elementary school teachers, bus drivers and MS/HS office locations will have hand-held, touchless thermometers to check temperatures during the school day, as necessary.Facilities
Q: How are we managing the class sizes?
A: The health and safety of everyone in our Laker family is our first priority. We are currently evaluating how many student desks fit into our classrooms when they are spaced 6 feet apart. As part of the process, we are removing all non-essential items from the classrooms in order to allow the most space for students. We will also be creating learning spaces outside of the classrooms to store daily/weekly resources.Q: Water bottle / drinking fountains
A: Based on health and safety recommended best practices, we have turned off all drinking fountains. At the MS/HS, we already had two water bottle fill stations which are centrally located on each floor. We will be replacing some of the drinking fountains at the elementary school with bottle fill stations as well. Three water bottle fill stations recently arrived at the elementary school and will be installed in the coming weeks.
Questions? Contact our principals:
Larry Hoskins, LMC Elementary Principal
James White, LMC Middle/High School Principal