Brothers News And Daily Updates
Please refer to this page for updates regarding the COVID-19 corona virus for the CBA community.
Wednesday March 18, 2020: The following message was sent via email to CBA families
Good afternoon Students and Parents,
Congratulations on a great first day of digital learning! Thanks to all of your efforts, we distributed over 100 Chromebooks, several WiFi hotspots and to my knowledge, we have every one of our 775 students up and running on our myCBA platform!
I have just a few updates and tips…
- If you still have technology needs or if you experience an issue with your technology, please contact Mr. Legler immediately. Mr. Legler can be contacted by email, [email protected].
- In the classroom setting, students quickly become comfortable approaching faculty and staff members for help on any topic. It is very important that this skill translates swiftly to the digital world. All of your teachers and staff members will be flexible as you transition into this new learning platform. Please do not stress if you have a technology issue – just contact your teacher immediately and they will provide an accommodation or extension.
- All of our support staff is still working remotely. Please consider using the skills and expertise of any of our staff members throughout this digital learning program. Our school nurse, counseling department, administrative team, campus ministry department, and all other faculty and staff members are available remotely to help educate the whole person – mind, body, and spirit.
- We experienced a few initial issues with videos uploading onto myCBA. I believe that we have corrected this problem.
Some documents that were created in formats other than Google Docs did not convert well into myCBA. I believe that this has been rectified as well. - If you have a technology issue from time to time, your teachers probably will as well. Please be patient with your teachers and notify them if a video, document, or any other learning tool does not appear to be working properly – they will resolve the issue and make the appropriate adjustment to deadlines and expectations.
- Enjoy the experience of using some new educational tools! You will use many of these tools in college and eventually in your professional lives. Dive in and, within the guidelines, be creative in how you demonstrate learning to your teachers!
- Finally, all students and parents will receive a survey on Friday to provide feedback regarding their experience throughout the week. We will review the results and make any necessary changes or adjustments. As always, we want your experience to be exceptional.
Good luck with the remainder of the week and God bless each of you.
St John Baptist de La Salle…
Live Jesus in Our Hearts…
Forever!
Mr. Keough
Tuesday March 17, 2020: The following message was sent via email to CBA families.
Good evening Students and Parents,
Earlier today, we distributed our Online Learning Protocol document to all students during an extended homeroom period. I have attached the document to this email and also uploaded it to the resources section in myCBA. I ask that all parents or guardians discuss this document in detail with your child or children. This document puts in place the structure and best practices that ensure the continuity of a high quality education. As with any digital learning program, the dedication and self-motivation of our students will drive the success of the program. We appreciate, and need, the support of our families to monitor and reinforce the expectations set forth in the CBA Digital Learning Program.
In addition to the document, here are other best practices to help support your child or children to be successful in digital learning:
- Digital learning should be viewed as a continuation of school through a different learning platform. Students who are successful through this platform continue with their normal sleep schedule, morning routine, homework schedule, etc.
- Students should be encouraged to be self-advocates and reach out to teachers, support staff, counselors, or administrators to support their academic progress.
The Digital Learning Protocol document is meant to be a comprehensive guide for students and parents. Similar to face-to-face education, please feel free to contact the appropriate administrator or staff member if you have questions.
We recognize that CBA provides much more than an academic program. Throughout the next few weeks, we will seek out opportunities to support our community in various ways consistent with our Lasallian mission.
For those of you who are in need of meal support, the following link lists meal pickup areas in Syracuse:
In addition to these sites, if your family is in need, our faculty and staff have donated food items that I will deliver to our families later this week. My thanks to Ms. Paccia for organizing this drive. If you have extra items and wish to donate, CBA is open from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM tomorrow and items can be dropped off in the box located outside of the security check-in station. You will not need to, or be able to, enter the school. Please email me directly if we can support you or your family in any way. Your information will be kept confidential.
If you remain in need of technology, I invite you to participate in the CBA technology loan program, please email Mr. Legler at [email protected]. The main office will be open tomorrow from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM to pick up any devices.
The CBA campus will close tomorrow at 4:00 PM and remain closed through April 14. Faculty and staff are available by email throughout this time period.
Thank you again for all that you are doing to ensure that this is a smooth transition. Our first day of digital learning will begin at 8:15 AM on Wednesday morning. Continued blessings on all of your families as we navigate this change together!
God bless,
Mr. Keough
CBA Digital Learning Protocol
Sunday March 15, 2020: The following message was sent via email to CBA families.
Good evening Students and Parents,
Throughout the day, we have continued to have conversations regarding our response to Covid-19, the coronavirus. These discussions have involved our ad hoc coronavirus committee, comprised of internal personnel and external experts. These conversations have also included various doctors, including infectious disease and emergency specialists. Upstate University Hospital has communicated that it is likely that a positive test for coronavirus will emerge within the next few days. Given these conversations, the additional surrounding County closures, and in an effort to minimize uncertainty and anxiety throughout the week, we have modified the schedule for the upcoming week.
The school closure mandate, executed by the County Executive, delayed closing until after Friday to ensure that schools had adequate time to prepare students, faculty, and staff to transition to online learning; to develop policies to maintain the essential needs of their community such as free breakfast and lunch; and to provide advance notice for parents to arrange for childcare for younger students.
While there is still no confirmed coronavirus case in Onondaga County, we believe that we can mitigate the concerns of the County Executive while accelerating our timeline. Given these circumstances, CBA will now operate according to the following schedule:
Monday, March 16, 2020 – Students will attend regular class schedule and CBA will close at the end of the day.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020 – No Class for Students and In-Person Professional Development for Faculty and Staff.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 – Students Begin CBA’s Digital Learning Program
Monday, April 6 – Monday, April 13 – No Digital Learning (Easter Recess/Spring Break)
Tuesday, April 14, 2020 – Students Return to Attend Regular Classes (tentative)
This modified schedule allows for teachers to meet with students prior to transitioning to our Digital Learning Program. This schedule will also allow students to bring home all materials from their locker at the end of the day on Monday. Finally, an in-person day of school will allow CBA to operate our technology loan program to ensure equal access to education for all of our students.
As we prepare to move to CBA’s Digital Learning Program, there are several necessary steps to ensure its success:
1) Please confirm that students and parents have access to myCBA. If you experience difficulties logging into myCBA, please contact Mr. Hilliard at [email protected]
2) Parents, please update all contact information in myCBA, including your email address. If you have questions on this procedure, please contact Mr. Hilliard at the email listed above.
3) We understand that having multiple family members working from home could put stress on the number of personal computers, laptops, or chromebooks in your household. For this reason, CBA has prepared chromebooks to be loaned to our students for academic purposes. In addition, for families without internet access in their home, CBA has purchased mobile hotspots. Please email Mr. Legler at [email protected] to reserve a chromebook or mobile hotspot on loan from CBA. These items are available for students or parents to pick up in the main office on Monday afternoon from 2:45 – 4:00 PM.
4) All student lockers and PE lockers need to be emptied completely at the end of the day tomorrow, March 16.
Official school updates will continue to be emailed and posted to the CBA website under the “Covid-19 Updates and Information” link. In addition, students and parents can access prior email communications, digital learning policies and procedures, and coronavirus resources under the “Resources” tab in myCBA. These documents will be populated throughout the next 48 hours. I will have an additional update tomorrow evening to communicate our Digital Learning Protocols.
Thank you again for your continued flexibility in ensuring the health of our students and the continuity of their education. We believe that this schedule modification will help CBA do our part in responding to this epidemic, reduce anxiety within our community, and provide the opportunity to successfully transition to our Digital Learning Program.
Sincerely,
Mr. Matthew Keough, Principal
Br. Joe Jozwiak, President
Saturday March 14, 2020: The following message was sent via email to CBA families.
Good evening Students and Parents,
As was announced by the County Executive earlier this evening, and in collaboration between school and governmental leaders – all schools in the county, including CBA, will be closed from March 23 through April 13. Thus, Friday, March 20 will be our last in-person meeting with students and we will return to in-person classes on Tuesday, April 14. Certain districts may choose to lengthen their closure based upon their local situation. During this time of closure, we will shift to remote learning. As previously noted, this is an ever evolving situation and should circumstances change, we will certainly adjust these dates and close earlier, or extend longer, if necessary and appropriate. We will continue to monitor the situation and communicate any changes immediately.
At this time, I would like to update you on our additional health protocols for this upcoming week.
As directed by Onondaga County, all extracurricular activities, including athletics, are canceled until April 14. This week, unless students are seeking additional help from their classroom instructor, or making up missed assignments, students should plan for transportation immediately after school.
At this time, no long-term decision has been made regarding extracurricular or athletic activities after April 14. The decision to close schools was done in part with the intent to quell this epidemic and potentially save future events, activities, and athletics.
In addition to the protocols directed by Onondaga County, we have put in place several policies and procedures to further protect the health of our community. I have attached our internal response matrix to this email to help community members understand our approach to this epidemic. The response matrix represents how we will handle a variety of situations. In sharing this document, I hope that families will have a clear understanding of our precautionary protocols as well as our responses should a case of coronavirus be confirmed in our community or in Central New York. These policies and procedures are effective Monday, March 16 and will remain in effect after we return from this closure. The response matrix is a working and evolving document that will continue to be revised upon the guidance of the CDC, other health organizations, and local government. I will share significant policy revisions when appropriate. In addition to the response matrix, if a case of coronavirus is confirmed in Onondaga County prior to this Friday, CBA will close at the conclusion of that school day. If, as a family, you decide to keep your child home for health concerns or transportation issues due to district closures, we support your decision and will record the absence as excused/legal.
I would also like to reassure families that we have prepared several other policies and procedures including a technology loan program, a maintenance of student 504 and IEP accommodations in the digital world policy, and a distance learning protocol. I will share these documents in the course of our communications throughout the upcoming week.
In a time such as this, I am reminded of the many Lasallian ministries around the world that despite challenging situations – remain distinctly Lasallian. In France, Christian Brothers travel with the Gypsy population and educate while migrating in vans. In Pakistan, with an approximately 1% Christian population – Lasallian schools educate thousands of students. All of these communities applied the spirit of our Founder to their reality – embracing their diversity, creativity, faith, and zeal. Certainly, moving into a digital world through this epidemic creates its own challenges – but similarly, we will make it uniquely Lasallian.
As I have previously indicated, I will provide weekly email communications beginning tomorrow evening. At that time, I will offer further information regarding the specifics of our remote learning program as well as important additional updates. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
God bless,
Mr. Keough
Coronavirus Response Matrix Students and Parents
March 13, 2020: The following message was sent via email to CBA families this morning.
Good morning Students and Parents,
On behalf of Brother Joe and I, we would like to update you on the most recent discussions and decisions at it relates to the COVID-19, caused by the novel corona virus. This is a constantly evolving situation and we have been in thorough discussions with our internal response team and with health experts externally. It is important to note that to date, CBA has not received any official notification of a student, staff member, or any immediate family members of students or staff members with a confirmed case of the corona virus.
In the near future, we expect further guidance from the New York State Government, the Onondaga County Health Department, and the New York State Education Department. In the meantime, we have prepared for a variety of scenarios to ensure both the health of our students and the continuity of their education. As a precautionary measure, we have canceled all of this weekend’s activities. This includes the Father-Daughter Communion Mass and Breakfast and the Junior High March Madness event. We are still in active discussions regarding future events and activities. Beginning this Sunday, and each Sunday thereafter, I will provide weekly email updates to all students and parents on this topic, our educational response, and any other pertinent information.
Academically, our student management software, myCBA, allows us to continue to offer a rigorous educational program that integrates the latest educational technology and leverages best practices of pedagogy in the digital world. Should this epidemic necessitate closure, we are certain our current platform and integrated resources will maintain our high quality education and also teach a new set of digital skills for students to apply to their future education or professional lives.
As we continue our discussions, I will update the community on any necessary further responses from CBA in my Sunday email correspondence. At that time, I will share some of our internal documents that will guide both the health and educational decisions during the upcoming weeks. We are in the process of creating a section on our website that will house all correspondences and important information related to this topic.
Thank you for your continued support and please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Mr. Matthew Keough, Principal
Br. Joseph Jozwiak, President
