Mount Carmel School announced this week that it is aiming to safely resume face-to-face classes for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.
“The safety of our school family is of paramount importance,” said school president, Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero. He added, “That is why we have been working closely with the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force and other educational professionals to develop safety protocols to resume face-to-face classes next year.”
Over the summer, school officials will work to ensure that the campus and classrooms will be safe for everyone should face-to-face classes resume. This will include retrofitting campus facilities to protect students and employees, regularly cleaning and disinfecting common surfaces, securing appropriate personal protective equipment for employees, training faculty and staff in mitigation and response protocols, exploring various options to hold face-to-face sessions while maintaining social distancing, and updating standard operating procedures to align with best practices in health and medicine.
The school also announced that it would improve its current online learning program, should student safety require a hybrid approach that blends online learning with face-to-face learning. Deleon Guerrero noted, “When we transitioned to online learning this year, we were blessed by our robust digital infrastructure that was effectively utilized by many teachers who had been certified, in one way or another, in education technology.”
However, he said there is always room for improvement. “If we continue online learning, we will increase interaction between teachers and students by expanding the number of live synchronous sessions held.” In addition, the school’s teachers are currently reviewing a wide range of e-textbooks to use next year and are exploring other online and digital learning tools to make online learning easier and more engaging for students. The school’s administration is also working with the CNMI Public School System Federal Programs Office to use funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to acquire additional digital equipment, upgrade the school’s network, and provide training for teachers.
In addition to the above measures, the school highlighted several initiatives to help families struggling financially. These initiatives include further discounting the Early Bird Registration from $200 to $100 per child (normally $400) for students registered by July 1; reducing monthly tuition by extending payment plans from 10 months to 12 months; continuing the school’s scholarship and financial aid program; and not raising tuition levels for the upcoming school year.
To apply for admission to Mount Carmel School, or to learn more about the school, visit www.mountcarmelsaipan.com.
