Dear Parents/Guardians,
This school year has been deeply challenging for all of us—especially our students and faculty. We all yearn for a return to normalcy and to be together, on campus. Today, we should have had Friday Mass in the Smith Gym, lessons in classrooms, and we should be looking forward to a football game tonight.
But we remain in the midst of a global pandemic, our state's rising rate of infection, and state emergency orders. For eight months, we have been following closely Governor Brown's orders regarding schools and other institutions--including today's press conference announcing a "pause" in activities in Multnomah County, starting on Wednesday, November 11.
While our teachers and program directors are working double time to provide meaningful lessons and events in a remote environment, we have been advocating with state leaders for a safe return to campus for students, in communion with our fellow Catholic high schools.
Now, though the rates of infection are rising, the metrics for a return to school have been recently revised. As our letter of Tuesday, November 3 stated, the state has established different guidelines for different school levels in Oregon. For example, some elementary schools have met the guidelines for in-person learning.
Our letter also acknowledges "confusion in our community about the ability of the Jesuit leadership team to unilaterally decide to move to in-person learning. As we have stated on a number of occasions, we are legally prohibited from doing so by the Governor's Executive Order declaring a state of emergency."
In another attempt to provide timely and transparent communication about Jesuit's response to the pandemic and the Governor's orders, the two of us will be hosting a Zoom webinar at 4:00 pm on Wednesday, November 11. We will discuss the current state of affairs, and address questions that you may have.
We recognize that this is Veteran's Day, which is a holiday for our students and staff. We hope that many of you will have the opportunity to join us if you have concerns about how our community is complying with the Governor's Executive Orders.
Because we do not have classes on November 11, Monday, November 9 will follow a normal Tuesday schedule—meaning students will have periods 1-4, beginning at 8:00 am on Monday. We have reminded students of next week's schedule.
May Christ's peace be with you in this tumultuous time.
Peace. Gratitude. AMDG. Thomas D. Arndorfer President Paul J. Hogan Principal
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