COVID-19 Updates

President Evans continues to actively monitor the COVID-19 outbreak. This website serves as Biship Louis Reicher Catholic School's official source of information.

Governor Abbott announced this afternoon that schools will remain closed until May 4, 2020.  Following Governor Abbott's mandate, Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School will remain closed until May 4, 2020.

Bishop Reicher teachers and staff are committed to providing virtual learning opportunities for all students during this closure.  If you need more information or assistance, please visit BishopReicher.com, contact your child's teacher, or contact the administrative staff.  Teacher contact information is listed on our website - www.bishopreicher.com/faculty-and-staff .  

We are in this together and will be stronger because of it.  Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this journey together.  Cougar Nation is the best!

The Diocese of Austin Office of Catholic Schools has mandated that all Catholic schools within the Diocese of Austin remain closed until April 14.  School at Bishop Reicher is now tentatively scheduled to resume on Tuesday, April 14.  We will continue with distance learning, and Mr. Evans will monitor the status of the COVID-19 outbreak.  We thank you for your support and prayers as we proceed with our distance learning plan and will continue to pray for you and our community.  Everyone is doing an outstanding job!  Remember, we are in this together. 
 

we are off to a FANTASTIC start as we transition together to distance learning.  Thank you so much for being patient and understanding with the teachers and school administration, and we are extremely grateful for all you are doing to make this transition a wonderful success for you and your student(s).  We are in this together.

As you know, school will be closed through April 3, so we are moving forward with the second phase of our distance learning plan.  Attached is a copy of the instructions for next week.  Please be sure to read the attachment because some grades have packets that need to be picked up this Friday (March 27).  (NOTE: Not all grades will have packets to be picked up).  This will be our last time for packet pickups. 

We miss our students and can't wait to see them when this COVID-19 pandemic is over.  We will continue to pray for you and please pray for us.  Stay healthy by practicing social distancing and handwashing.  

In light of the shelter-in-place order that has been initiated by the Mayor of the City of Waco, both campuses of Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School are closed as of now until further notice.  

We will continue with our distance learning plan and will communicate the next phase of it to you later this week.  If you need it, here is the link to RenWeb/FACTS - stlo-tx.client.renweb.com/pwr/  

While our school is physically closed, we are here for you!  If you have any questions regarding assignments, etc., please contact the teacher.  If you have any administrative questions, concerns, etc., please contact:

Blake Evans
bevans@stlouiswaco.org
936.635.7666

Gayle Zucha
gzucha@stlouiswaco.org
254.495.0495

Becky Chollett
bchollett@stlouiswaco.org
254.981.0516

Once again, we are here for you and are praying for you.  We miss our students and can’t wait to see their smiling faces.  

Following the executive order announced by Governor Greg Abbott today, Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School will be closed through Friday, April 3, 2020.  We will move forward with our distance learning through that date, and you can anticipate receiving written instructions for the second phase of our distance learning plan early next week.   

At this time, the following events are postponed:

• Junior/Senior Prom scheduled for April 4
• Senior Retreat scheduled for April 2 and 3
• Booster Club Golf Tournament scheduled for March 28

The following events are cancelled:

• SAT scheduled for March 25 – waiting to see if it will be re-scheduled
• All TAPPS academics and athletic events are cancelled

We want to thank all the parents and students who came up to the school this afternoon to pick up their packets and books.  It was great seeing their smiling faces.  Remember you can come this Saturday during your scheduled time to pick up packets and books.  

Once again, thank you for your patience and understanding as we move forward with what is now our new normal.  Let’s continue to pray for our community as we work together over the course of the next two weeks to educate our students in the Catholic school tradition. We are truly blessed to be in a community where we can pray for and encourage each other to lean on God during these trying times.

We want to thank all of our parents and students for their patience and understanding as we journey together through this extremely unusual time.  We also want to thank our faculty and staff for their unwavering dedication to always putting our students first.

After thorough and thoughtful deliberations, President Evans has decided to close school next week and move to the first phase of our distance learning plan beginning on Monday, March 23.  Once again, the administration will continue to monitor on a week-by-week basis the COVID-19 situation and how it is impacting our community.  We will notify you next Thursday if the school will be closing the week of March 30-April 3.  

As we transition next week to distance learning, we pray for your continued patience and understanding with our wonderful teachers.  They are making major adjustments to their teaching styles in an extremely short amount of time and with joyful hearts.  We also understand that our distance learning model is a new experience for you and your student, and we will be praying for you.

Below are some housecleaning items:

• Attached is a copy of the first phase of our distance learning plan.
• Our teachers will be communicating with you several times to help make this transition as easy as possible for everyone.
• Families who have “holds” on their FACTS account now have access.  Holds will be put back on as soon as school resumes, and the families are still obligated to remedy any situations with the school that caused the hold to be placed on their account.
• Report cards will be released Friday afternoon.  For students who have an incomplete on their transcripts, their teachers will work them to remedy the incomplete.
• The school office will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Please call 254.754.2041 for both campuses if you have any questions.  We are here to help and support you.
• Be on the lookout next week on Facebook for a video from Fr. Ryan and Mr. Evans.  

Once again, we greatly appreciate your patience, support, and prayers as we work together through this new territory.  Please know we are partners in this distance learning model.   You are not alone.

Bishop Reicher is continuing to monitor the COVID-19 disease through the week to determine the best course of action for the following week and beyond. We want to keep you informed as best we can, so below are school updates and information as of today:

• Spring Break has been extended for the week of March 16-20.
• All meetings and extra-curricular activities scheduled through the end of March have been cancelled. The administration will assess the end of March if any meetings/extra-curricular activities scheduled in April need to be cancelled. 
• You will be notified on or before Thursday morning, March 19, if the school will be closed the following week (March 23-27).
• As of today, we are actively assessing the COVID-19 situation as it relates to our school and community on a week-by-week basis.
• In the event school is closed next week, our distance learning plan will be initiated on Monday, March 23.  You will be emailed on Thursday, March 19, detailed information about our distance learning plan.
• If we have to implement our distance learning plan, students/parents may come to the school Thursday afternoon (March 19) to pick up books, assignment packets, etc.  Detailed information about this opportunity will be included in the email we send to you on Thursday, March 19.
• If your child does not have home access to the internet and/or does not have access to a computer/laptop, tablet, or smartphone, please call, email, or text Becky Chollett at 254.918.0516 or bchollett@stlouiswaco.org.  We are gathering this information to ensure all of our students can be accommodated by our distance learning plan if we have to implement it.
• Spectrum is offering FREE internet services during the school shutdown for families who do not currently have internet access. To enroll in the program, call 1-844-488-8395.  Installation fees will be waived for new student households.   There may be some qualifications.
• If you have any questions regarding technology, please contact Mary Dvorsky (mdvorsky@stlouiswaco.org) for the lower school and Brian Atteberry (batteberry@reicher.org) for the high school.  You may also reach them at 254.754.2041.
• Waco ISD will be providing free curbside “grab and go” breakfasts and lunches for any child between 1 and 18 years old beginning today, Monday, March 16. The parking lot of our lower campus is a meal pick up location.  Please go to www.wacoisd.org/COVID19?fbclid=IwAR241CzYDWHd3f9h-mDNn_IE3kbEjOG_lHAheM9QtDBANHPvLReAP0lczY0#calendar16277/20200316/month for more information.
• To familiarize yourself with how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, please go to our website at bishopreicher.com/covid-19-updates.
• The CDC’s website (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov) is a wonderful tool for discovering what you need to know about the coronavirus disease.  
• We encourage you to call us if you have questions.  The main contact number for both campuses will be 254.754.2041 and office hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. until further notice.

Once again, we appreciate your support and patience as we work together through this ever changing situation.  We ask for your continued prayers for our families, community, and nation.

The administration of Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School has decided that it is the best interest of our students to extend Spring Break by one week.   The administration will be actively accessing the situation and will notify our parents on Thursday, March 19, if Bishop Reicher will be closed the following week (March 23-27). 

We will be emailing a survey on Monday to parents to evaluate the availability of the internet within our community.

Once again, thank you for your patience and understanding with regard to this fluid situation.  

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through the COVID-19 situation with regard to our school.  Please know that the top priority of our administration right now is the well-being of our students, teachers and staff in light of the COVID-19 situation.  President Evans continues to actively monitor the status of the COVID-19 with the Office of Catholic School, Waco-McLennan County Health Department and the Waco Independent School District.  He is working in conjunction with these offices to make well-informed decisions with regard to the safety of our community.

We will keep everyone updated as we take steps to navigate the COVID-19 situation and ensure the well-being of our community. 

Below is an overview of the current situation:

• As of today, there are NO cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Waco or McLennan County according to the Waco-McLennan County Public Health Department.  
• Bishop Reicher Catholic School will resume classes as planned on Monday, March 16.
• TAPPS has cancelled all of their activities until April 14.  TAPPS will re-access the situation on April 14.
• All classrooms, cafeterias, bathrooms, halls, locker handles, rails, hard surfaces, and doorknobs were cleaned and sanitized on both campuses over Spring Break.
• Both campuses will be cleaned and sanitized on a daily basis.
• If we are to cancel school next week (March 16-20), it will be an extended Spring Break for our students.
• The administration and teachers are working in conjunction to develop an effective and workable distance learning contingency plan that will be implemented, if needed, the following week - March 23.
• The distance learning contingency plan will allow for families who do not have access to the internet.
• We encourage all staff and students to stay home if they are feeling ill.
• We ask students, teachers, and staff who have traveled outside of the United States over Spring Break or to Level 2 or higher COVID-19 threat areas to self-quarantine for 14 days.
• Absences due to COVID-19 will be excused absences, and students will be permitted to make up the work when they return.
• We will continue to encourage our students, teachers, and staff to wash their hands often and to cover their mouths when they cough.

Once again, we will continue to keep you posted as the on-going situation with regard to COVID-19 changes. 

We ask that you continue to pray for our families, community, and country as we work together through this situation.