President’s Letter – 9/13

September 13, 2022 - 1:56 pm

September 13, 2022

“We choose what attitudes we have right now. And it’s a continuing choice.”
John C. Maxwell

Peace & Greetings:

It’s been inspiring to have our students and faculty back on campus as we begin the 2022-2022 academic year. I’m pleased to report that our student body consists of 403 students including 112 incoming freshmen and 13 transfer students. Welcome Home!

Congratulations to Mrs. Silva on the birth of her son, Cristiano, over the Labor Day weekend! I’m please to share that Mrs. Greger will teach Mrs. Silva’s English classes until her return. Mrs. Greger taught at St. Paul before her retirement in June 2020 and we’re fortunate to be able to welcome her back.

We are definitely off and running with academic classes underway, interscholastic athletic contests started, auditions completed for the fall play and the club fair scheduled for next week. We held our first pep rally and Welcome Home dance under the tents/courtyard last Friday. Next Thursday, our Senior Class will be on retreat at Holy Family Retreat and Conference Center, West Hartford. While there are the typical hiccups with the start of a next year, overall we’ve been pleased with the energy and attitude of our student body.

#charactercounts

As you know, this year’s school theme focuses on one of our five core values – character. The choices we make matters … ultimately defining who we are! This Friday, we’re pleased to welcome Deacon Arthur Miller to St. Paul. Deacon in the Archdiocese of Hartford, author, radio host, retired businessman, Deacon Miller is nationally known and a powerful speaker who will share his life’s examples and perspective in defining one’s character. “If God were to give us an 11th commandment,” Deacon Miller proposes, “I believe it would read: Thou shall not be a bystander.” Following Deacon Miller’s presentation, students will discuss our summer reading book, “The Red Bandanna” in their house advisories and reflect on character as a personal core value.

Parent Back to School Night

A reminder that parents/guardians will be welcomed Back to School next Wednesday night, September 21st. There will be an Athletic Presentation for all new parents/guardians in the Auditorium at 5:30 pm followed by an Academic Program at 6:15 pm whereby you will follow your child’s schedule for the evening and briefly meet with their teachers. We encourage every family to be represented.

COVID-19 Update

The health and well-being of students, faculty, staff and visitors on our campus is of primary importance. With the start of school, it’s inevitable that our school community has experienced some positive cases of COVID-19. Recent guidance from the Bristol-Burlington Health District (BBHD) may be helpful in making personal decisions contributing to everyone’s good health:

  • If you test POSITIVE for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status or symptoms isolate at home for at least five full days. Day 1 is the day after the onset of symptoms or a positive test, whichever comes first. You can return to school on Day 6 although if still testing positive or experiencing mild symptoms you are required to wear a mask indoors until Day 10.
  • If you have mild symptoms, regardless of vaccination status with NO fever (> 100 F) and with NO household member or close contact with COVID-19, it is recommended that you test every day you are symptomatic. If you test negative, you can attend school although are encouraged to wear a mask.
  • If you have mild symptoms, regardless of vaccination status and had a close contact or live with someone COVID-19 positive, stay home until symptoms resolve. If you have a fever, you must be fever free for 24 hours (without use of fever reducing medication) before returning to school. Again, we recommend testing every day while symptomatic.
  • If you had a close contact or live with someone COVID-19 positive, regardless of vaccination status, with NO symptoms, you may attend school as long as not symptomatic. We recommend you separate from the positive person, test every day and wear a mask in school through five days after exposure.

COVID-19 testing kits are available for FREE in the health room. Any COVID-19 concerns or questions should be directed to Ann Marie Pahl, school health aide: apahl@spchs.com or my attention cdupont@spchs.com.

School Safety

The physical safety of our students, faculty and staff is of utmost importance. Our ALICE  (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training and practices were reviewed during faculty orientation before school started and will be reviewed with the students at next week’s Monday Morning Assembly. We are going to test our Voice Reach emergency response automated system next Friday morning, September 23rd in conjunction with our planned active intruder drill. This is only a drill. You will receive a robo phone call from St. Paul that you can activate by answering “hello.” Please send in your SPCHS Information Form, if you haven’t already done so earlier this summer otherwise you will not be notified.

I think that’s it for now. It is our differences – personalities, interests, skills, passion – that contribute to our greatness as a school community. But it is our commonality – the choice that we make to call St. Paul home – that defines our strength. It is in coming together by respecting and nurturing each other that we become one unified body. Let’s contribute to and celebrate our moments of greatness, understanding that it doesn’t come without intentional effort –#charactercounts.

St. Paul, pray for us!

Cary M. Dupont ‘72
President/Chief Administrator