Winter is coming! Those of you who have been here on the extended plan (like me) might remember that we used to have multiple options for the last day of school, depending on how many snow days we used. This made it difficult to say exactly when the school year would end, so STM did what it does best–we adapted and found a better way!
Now, we have a definitive end of school year date each year that is published on the school calendar. In the case of inclement weather or another emergency closure (think: water main burst, electricity/heat outage, etc.), we have instituted something called Homestead Studies. With the minutes calculated to complete all instructional time during the school day, students are able to complete assignments, turn them in for a grade, and we do not have to extend the school year to make that day up.
There are three (3) different options for each subject on each day. These options are curriculum flexible, so that they could be used tomorrow, in January, or even in March. However, they are worthwhile instructional choices made specifically for your child’s grade level. You will choose one (1) option per subject each day and work reasonably to match the minutes listed at the top of the subject.
As noted in Mrs. Davis’ letter, assignments will be due seven (7) days after the day off, so if we have an unexpected weather day on a Monday, it will be due the following Monday.
You may ask, what do I mean by instructional time above? If you take out all of the transitions, bathroom breaks, snack time, lunches, and recess times, you will find the instructional times per day. This is set by the Diocesan minutes for instruction, which is given to the teachers each year as their schedules are built. Homestead Studies should take no more than four (4) hours to complete.
Today, you may have received many different materials for Homestead Studies. Please put them in a safe place that you will remember. Many options will be posted on Seesaw (K-2) or Google Classroom (3-5) as well, but in the event of a power outage, your child will have everything they need without having to access a device.
Questions regarding Homestead Studies? Let’s chat.