Holy Name of Mary  

Catholic School

July 28, 2020

Dear Holy Name of Mary Families,

I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying some summer sunshine. I am writing to inform you of the work we are doing to prepare for a safe reopening of school in September. Our reopening task force, in conjunction with Perrotta Consulting LLC, has been working diligently to ensure an academically sound, safe environment that will also provide for the social and emotional needs of each child.

We will be implementing a five-day, full-day program for all students in grades N - 8. (Parents/guardians will be able to choose full in-school learning, full remote learning or split in-school/remote learning.) Of course, this is all contingent on the Governor’s guidelines that have not been announced as of the writing of this letter. We will accomplish a full return by making sure that the guidelines outlined for us by the CDC, State of New York and Diocese of Rockville Centre are followed. Please see the attached letter from Perrotta Consulting LLC for more details about some of the measures we will be taking in the school building to assure the safety of our students, faculty and staff.

Please note that we will have the capability to teach remotely if remote learning becomes necessary anytime during the 2020-2021 school year or if parents/guardians are not comfortable with their children returning to school full-time. Distance learning would be achieved with Google classroom, with students being able to log into classes and engage in learning in real time. Our faculty has been participating in professional development on enhancing distance learning. In addition, all the textbooks that we will now be using have an online component.

As soon as the Governor issues his guidelines, we will take some time to review our plans, make any necessary adjustments and then contact you will full details about the upcoming school year.

Regardless of the model used, the team at Holy Name of Mary will be ready to provide each child with outstanding academics, in a faith-based environment, where the well-being of the whole child is foremost in our minds. Enjoy the rest of your summer and please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Yours in Christ,

Mrs. Pamela Sanders

Click here to view Holy Name of Mary's Re-Opening Plan

Dear School Parents and Families,

I want to begin this letter with some words of appreciation. THANK YOU! Thank you for partnering with us these past three months as we worked diligently to educate each child virtually. Thank you for your patience and your cooperation. We are definitely a team and the team excelled. Students were able to go online and meet with teachers every day, from the first day we were out of the building through the end of the school year. Both teachers and students did an outstanding job moving forward during this difficult time. I am so appreciative of our faculty and staff for their dedication in creating distance learning experiences that were interesting and challenging - and for continuing to learn more themselves.  We saw a great deal of academic success and we also were able to pray together. That is what makes Holy Name of Mary School such an outstanding school: strong academics and faith formation.

These have been very difficult times. Our hearts go out to all who have lost someone during the pandemic. Please pray for one another, as our school family has suffered greatly. If there is some way we can be of assistance to you or your child(ren), please let us know. My prayers are with you. 

The school community continues to pray for the soul of our Pastor, Msgr. Romauldo Sosing who passed away this spring. “May his soul and the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.” I will always be grateful for the support Msgr. Rom gave to me as principal, especially when I first joined the HNOM Family. 

I am happy to announce that Holy Name of Mary Parish has been assigned a new pastor, Father Dave Regan, current pastor of St. Gertrude’s in Bayville. Father Regan is looking forward to being the pastor of a parish with a school. I am looking forward to working with him for the benefit of all our students. 

Although many of our school traditions were different this year, those that continued were filled with joy. On Friday, June 12 our 8th graders graduated from Holy Name of Mary School in a festive socially distanced outdoor ceremony.  We wish each member of the Class of 2020 a bright and beautiful future. Special thanks goes to Most Reverend Richard G. Henning, Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre, and graduate of Holy Name of Mary School, for praying with us and for us at our graduation ceremony.

We also extend congratulations to our nursery, pre-k and kindergarten students as they move up to the next grade level. 

All summer packets and supply lists are on the teacher’s web pages and under parent resources on the main page of our website. Please continue the good work done this past year over the summer but remember to enjoy time outside in the sunshine and make some wonderful memories.

Looking to the future and the 2020 – 2021 school year, there are many uncertainties, but Holy Name of Mary School will be prepared! We are closely monitoring recommendations by the CDC and guidelines from the State of New York and Diocese of Rockville Centre. Throughout the summer, I will continue to confer with our pastor, Fr. Dave Regan, and our faculty and staff, in addition to principals of other Catholic schools and the local school districts, to create a safe and well-thought-out plan for the coming school year. We are planning to make some changes in the building, such as adding automatic soap dispensers and faucets at all sinks and creating hand-sanitizing stations at the entrances of the school, gymnasium and cafeteria. Other things being discussed are revising the lunch schedule; scheduled sanitizing of the building; optimizing spacing between desks; and utilizing all the space our large school building has to offer. We will also be moving to a 1:1 device policy for students in grades 4 - 8. These students will be assigned their own Chromebook (6 - 8) or iPads (4 - 5) for the entire school year. This 1:1 policy will allow students to bring the devices home to complete assignments, do research, etc.  I will keep you posted of any other changes we are making as we move closer to our re-opening in the fall. Rest assured that the safety and health of our students, faculty and staff - and our school parents and families - is a top priority of mine!

If you know of anyone who is interested in attending Holy Name of Mary School in the fall, we will be offering evening and weekend tours. Please have them reach out to us via phone 516-825-4009 or email psanders200713@hnomschool.org. All registration material can he found under the Admissions Tab.

Our summer office hours are as follows: Mrs. Bagwandeen, Mrs. Schroeder, Miss Ciminelli and I will be covering the office on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 pm – 9 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 am – 12 noon, with the exception of the July 4 weekend and the weekend of August 15 and 16. We are expecting to be back in the building full time beginning on August 24. We will always be available to respond to phone messages and email.

Please check the website and continue to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! Have a wonderful, safe, and healthy summer. If there is anything you wish to speak to me about, please email me and I will get back to you. 
 

Yours in Christ,

Mrs. Sanders

Dear Friends,
Our school virtue of the year is FAITH from “Be on your guard, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). When the school year began in September 2019, we never anticipated how this virtue would manifest itself.
Since March 16, our school has been closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our teachers, students and school families have embraced distance learning. With the use of technology, students and teachers have been able to continue to learn and grow together. While nothing can take the place of face-to-face learning, Google Classroom, Google Meet, Zoom, and class webpages have kept students and teachers connected and true education ongoing.
The creativity and faith of our faculty has impressed me and made me realize even more the importance of Catholic education. The strength and courage of the HNOM family through these difficult times is rooted in deep faith.
Unfortunately, at this time, we cannot offer tours of Holy Name of Mary School. However, we want to be able to help you in any way that we can and supply any information you need. Re-registration and New Student Registration is ongoing. All of the necessary forms are located in the "School Registration" tab at top or by clicking here. Financial assistance is available through the Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation at www.online.factsmgt.com/ga/aid/inst/4KYQC.
If you have any questions, the best way to reach me is through email at psanders200713@hnomschool.org. Messages left on the school answering machine will be returned as soon as possible. Follow us on social media for all the latest on HNOM.

Yours in Christ,
Mrs. Sanders

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

• Frequently Asked Questions and Answers: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) and Children:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/children-faq.html

• World Health Organization (WHO) https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-theyhappen

• New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus

Travel guidance from the CDC:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html