Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: March 17, 2020

Dear Xavier families,

As you may have seen yesterday, the Iowa Senate and House have agreed to waive the requirement for Iowa schools to reschedule days canceled following Governor Reynolds’ recommendation, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Iowa Department of Education has provided guidance that states schools "may choose to use online learning options, but may not require student participation."

Plan for Student Learning
Xavier Catholic School administrators met today with the Archdiocese of Dubuque and then met as a group. Both meetings were conducted via web conference. As Xavier Catholic Schools, we are committed to moving forward with learning opportunities to ensure that students are prepared for when they return on the week of April 13th (as currently scheduled), keeping in mind that closure may extend beyond that time. We will communicate more details after families return from Spring Break.

Tuition
A large portion of our schools' annual budget is dedicated toward teacher salaries. As such, our teachers depend on those budgeted tuition dollars. In accordance with Archdiocesan guidance received earlier today, families are still asked to fulfill their 2019-2020 tuition commitment. We understand that families have been negatively impacted financially by this crisis. With this in mind, if you are encountering financial hardship and are experiencing difficulties, please contact me at chris.mccarville@xaviersaints.org or 319-739-7305. 

Student Belonging Pick-Up
In our planning for next week, please know that we will be allowing students/families the opportunity to pick up belongings. For Xavier High School. this will take place on Wednesday, March 18th and Wednesday, March 25th, with times and procedure listed below. 

Early Learning/Childcare
Per guidance from the CDC and Governor Reynolds', early learning and childcare centers will remain open. However, early learning/childcare for school-aged children will no longer be offered effective Monday, March 23. Should you have any questions, please contact your child's center.

As mentioned in previous communications, we continue to meet on a daily basis and work collaboratively to keep you updated as new information becomes available.

Sincerely,

Brian O'Donnell, Principal, St. Pius X 
Megan Boomgarden, Principal, All Saints 
Amy Conlon, Principal, St. Matthew
Casey Kettmann, Principal, St. Joseph
Heather Williams, Principal, St. Jude
Zach Zeckser, Chief Administrator, Holy Family
Josh Gredys, Principal, Regis
Angela Olson, Principal, Xavier
Chris McCarville, President, Xavier
Cathy Walz, Associate Director of Catholic Schools
Kim Hermsen, Superintendent, Archdiocese of Dubuque