St. Philip the Apostle School

Principal Notes

1/19/2021

Dear Parents,

Tomorrow is Inauguration Day; the day when we celebrate the peaceful transfer of power in our great nation. These have been extremely difficult times and navigating them as educators sometimes feels like walking through a swamp full of alligators. However, we owe our students the opportunity to be a part of history. Working with the teachers and referencing educator journals, we have decided on the following:

• Grades TK-3 will learn about inauguration but will not watch the inauguration live. The teacher may show parts of it after it is over. 
• Grades 4th and above will watch the inauguration. The points that will be taught and discussed are as follows;
• The peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy and has been continuous for over 200 years.
• What does inauguration mean? (The beginning of something new)
• Who takes part in the inauguration? (All three branches of government, past presidents, families, and the public)
• Why is this inauguration historic? (First woman and Black vice-president)
• Why is the inauguration at the Capitol? (Three branches of government)
• Why is the inauguration on January 20th? (The constitution)
• What is the oath of office? (Promise to preserve, protect, defend the constitution)
• Why do we need inaugurations? ( A symbol to all that we are united)
• The students will watch an educational video about the inaugural before it begins, then watch the live inauguration.  

What happened on January 6 at our nation’s capitol was shameful for our country. We are a country of laws and we have peaceful means to protest. Our students need to see that regardless of our political opinions, we unite and come together to support our democracy and we do not ever use violence to achieve our goals. Our intention tomorrow is to teach, not politicize, the inauguration of our new president and the historic inauguration of the first woman vice president.  

Please pray for the safety of all involved tomorrow, for those who are suffering the ravages of COVID-19, and for our students and teachers who are continuing to have to navigate remote learning.  

Prayers for all,

Jennifer

A Message from our School Board President

2021 Open House!

Our virtual Open House will take place on Sunday, January 24, 2021 from 9am-10:30am.

There is no need to register for this event, but if you would like to share your information with us, we will keep you informed on the school. You can fill out this link: https://forms.gle/VErAzeg5fFEednPS7

Schedule:

9:00 - 10:00 Panel Presentation of an Introduction and Overview of the School

10:00 - 10:30 Grade-Level Presentations

CLICK HERE FOR THE SCHEDULE AND LINKS!!!!

Take a Look at Our School!

We know during these socially distanced times it can be a bit difficult to stop by and visit us in person. So we made this video for you to see the wonderful things we are doing!