La Salle Parent Newsletter For Parents and Friends of La Salle College Preparatory • Pasadena • California April 2020
Principal Ideas Hello. Well, this is a newsletter article unlike any I have written before. In most of my monthly newsletter articles I am able to talk about the successes of the last month and give you a preview of all the events that are coming up in the next. After all, we all know, the La Salle campus is never quiet; there is always something going on. Well, that was the case until March 13, 2020. Courtney R. Kassakhian Principal
March 13, 2020 was our last day of on-campus learning until at least May 4. It has been an incredible change that has been necessary, but nonetheless difficult for all: employees, parents, and most importantly, our students. One month earlier I don’t think any of us could have imagined that we would all be staying “safer at home” for weeks at a time and be spending these beautiful spring days trying to stay at least 6 feet away from strangers as we walk our neighborhoods or grocery shop. The issue of the coronavirus still seemed pretty distant; something we should be aware of, but not an immediate threat. And now here we are, three weeks into distance learning.
Reflection Prayer St. John Baptist de La Salle
"To touch the hearts of your students is the greatest miracle you can perform." - St. John Baptist de La Salle (Med. 139.3)
Although we had been theoretically talking about the potential of having to remain off campus for some time at some point, that idea seemed unlikely...until it was inevitable. Once the decision was made to move to distance learning, our leadership team jumped into action. We know the roll-out has not been without its hiccups. Despite our talking as faculty for a few weeks about what might be our contingencies for such a change, moving literally overnight to on-line learning has been a challenge for all involved. We thank our students who participated in the distance learning survey and provided us valuable feedback that we are using to make plans for some improvements after our return to distance learning following Easter break.
1