Bishop Mathias, in red at centre, with Robert Griffin and representatives of the Ho Teaching Hospital. A partnership with the hospital will see them staff the mobile medical clinic.
The Diocese of Fredericton's fundraising campaign for a Mobile Medical Clinic in our Companion Diocese of Ho, Ghana has reached its goal! $100,000 has been raised in the Diocese, and the rest of the $268,000 project cost has come from Rotary.
Thank you to all who contributed. The clinic is on schedule to be in Ghana before the year is out, and any further funds donated will be used to purchase more equipment and supplies.
Christ Church Cathedral has a special relationship with the staff and students of St. Hilda’s Anglican School, an elementary school in the rural village of Georgeville. Two hundred children attend the school, ranging between kindergarten and grade 8. Cathedral teams have travelled to Belize five times: in 2005, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2018. Over 60 Cathedral members ranging in age from 15 to 79 have gone on a mission trip to Belize, and hundreds of people in Fredericton have supported the work through organizational support, donations and prayers.
As part of the Cathedral's ongoing financial commitment to St. Hilda's, in 2020 we sent the school $1000 in August and $1000 in December to contribute to ongoing needs for the students and teachers. Although we were unable to do any fundraising in 2020 due to COVID-19, enough funds were available from efforts in 2019 to continue our support for the school.
The money sent to St. Hilda's was helpful in preparing for opening of the school with the restrictions and regulations of COVID-19. They used the funds to purchase cleaning and sanitation supplies, as well as garbage bins, masks, and gloves for teachers. Teachers were also given a stipend to assist with classroom preparation and arrangements for physical distancing.
According to Ms. Jane, principal of St. Hilda’s, the school typically holds fundraising events throughout the year to help with supplies, but has been unable to do so since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We communicate with Ms. Jane on a regular basis, who recently shared, "I continue to express sincere gratitude to our Friends of St. Hilda’s family. You all have truly blessed us. I keep seeing God working through your sponsorship. When we were at our lowest, that’s when the funds came through. We are truly thankful. Prayers for you all during this time. God’s continued blessing on your ministry."
In addition to support of the elementary school, the Cathedral supports scholarships for selected St. Hilda's graduates. In Belize, the average age at which a child leaves school is 13 years old, because of the prohibitive costs of high school. Unemployment in the country is high, there are many large single-parent families, and almost half of Belizeans live below the poverty line. In 2010, Cathedral mission team members established a high school scholarship program which has allowed St. Hilda’s students to apply for a scholarship to continue their education past grade 8. Some of the graduates supported by the Cathedral have gone on to post-secondary education.
Currently, four students attending high school benefit from Cathedral scholarships. $4000 was sent in August 2020 -- $1000 each to four students, which helps to cover the cost of tuition, books and other required materials. The 2020-2021 scholarship students are Edvin Perez Grade 9, Gian Myvette Grade 10, Jenniah Tillett Grade 11, and Joselyn Herrera Grade 12.
Our congregation continues to support and pray for the students and teachers at St. Hilda’s school, past and present.
The following is a letter sent March 11/21 by Ms. Jane Martinez, Principal at St. Hilda’s Anglican School, to Kelley Hall of the Belize Mission Committee.
Good Afternoon Kelley,
I pray all is well with you and your family. I wanted to send you an update so that you know what is going on at St. Hilda’s Anglican. Due to the Covid19 situation, we are only at school Monday and Tuesday. We are still doing distance learning. Teachers print packages every week for students and they also do online sessions twice a week. It has been truly challenging because both teachers and students have to adapt to a new way of teaching and learning. My staff has been very vigilant in this exercise and I must commend their efforts.
It is being said that the vaccine will be given to teachers soon and classes will resume in April. I’m not sure if that will work out. Some people are hesitant about getting the vaccine because much controversy surrounding it. There has been no Education or information given to the public and people are hesitant.
The high school students have gotten some reports so I will forward that to you as well. I’m still waiting for two more students to send theirs. They have also been doing online learning and receiving packages.
I am including pictures of some repairs that we were able to get done in one classroom as well as the signs that we set up. I also bought folders for teachers to create a portfolio with lessons and packages that are sent out. Overall, I must say that we are blessed because we have all been able to cope and have stayed healthy.
I continue to express sincere gratitude to our Friends of St. Hilda’s family. You all have truly blessed us. I keep seeing God working through your sponsorship. When we were at our lowest, that’s when the funds came through. We are truly thankful. Prayers for you all during this time. God’s continued blessing on your ministry.
I pray that this email reaches you in good health. It has been some time since I contacted you but We have been keeping you all in prayer just as I know you have done for us. Our little Belize is battling the pandemic.
In August we were out of school for two weeks because one of our staff members had to get swabbed because she was displaying symptoms. We waited for almost two weeks for her results. Thankfully, the test came back negative. We have to be at school everyday but the students are at home. Some teachers are doing online classes via Google Classroom or WhatsApp. We also prepare learning packages each week for all students.
It has been a very difficult time trying to cope with everything that is happening and staying focused. The funds that you sent were very helpful in preparing for the reopening. Registration has been very slow and we usually get our funds from fundraising activities but unfortunately, we can’t do anything at this time. We were able to purchase cleaning and sanitation supplies as well as garbage bins, masks and gloves for teachers. Teachers were also given a stipend to assist with preparation of classrooms. We had to arrange our furniture to cater for social distancing.
I will be sending you some pictures of the classrooms and other arrangements that were made during this time. I am also attaching receipts from students. They started their sessions on October 5th, Some of them are doing online sessions while others are receiving printed materials as well. So far they are all engaged and have started working. I will keep you updated as the time goes by. We will continue to ask God’s blessings on you all. we love you and pray the best for all our Friends of St. Hilda’s. Be safe.
Greetings from all of us at Bishop McAllister College and Anglican Seminary! We reopened on January 18th with just under 200 students, the finalists in their respective sections. While we continue to face a few challenges, things are actually going quite well. We have received good news this past week. The Ministry of Education has given the green light for all students to return to school. It still won’t be quite back to normal as the different classes have their returns staggered over the coming months to avoid overcrowded conditions and congestion. So over the next few months we still won’t have everyone at the same time. I believe this will work very well at least for the students. Schools have been instructed to not have exams which take up a considerable amount of time each term, but instead to concentrate on teaching new material so students catch up top where they should be in the syllabus. Teachers will need your prayers, as while this staggered format will work well for students, teachers will loose much of their normal vacation time that follows each term. While the calendar for entire year hasn’t been released I expect it will take us into early 2022 so that the students are completely back on track.
On another note we have made a little progress on the music department in 2021, due to a few donations and pledges. which is quite encouraging. We have been able to lay the foundations for the Keyboard Lab and MDD Building (Music, Dance, and Drama). The Choral Rehearsal Room has also taken another step from the first ring beam to the second ring beam . One step at a time!
March 2020
February 19th, 2021
We are excited about the progress, even these small steps. Our hope is to roof the choral rehearsal room this year if all goes well . Things are beginning to look up! “To God be the Glory!”
I can’t tell you how much we appreciate everyones support for so many years. With your help we are truly making a difference. May God continue to bless and keep you!
Paul
Rev. Canon Paul Jeffries
Rector
Bishop McAllister College & Bishop McAllister Anglican Seminary
I want to take this time to wish you a very blessed Ash Wednesday, and to thank you for all the support that you have generously given us over the past few months! It has been a joy to know you are praying for us, and to receive your notes of encouragement since our last update in December.
This year certainly does not feel like any Lent Mary Beth and I have experienced recently: in Belize by this point in the liturgical calendar we are usually boiling from the hot season rolling into town, but at the moment we instead have sub-zero temperatures and mounds of snow where we’re hunkered down in the Midwest. As we prepare for Easter in just over forty days, we ask you to keep our family in your prayers as we seek his strength, provision and guidance in the months ahead.
Yesterday I posted an update on how we are doing, and I invite you to give it a read:
Here is a quick brief summary of what the blog post is sharing:
Academics. So far I am performing very well in my doctoral program—despite having to do everything remotely—and I am enjoying the coursework I am taking. I am still on track to defend my thesis and graduate by 2024 … it will be tough to fit in everything by then, but I am highly motivated to get it done and my track record so far is encouraging. (Read more!)
Family Life. Mary Beth and the boys are doing very well. Because we were unable to proceed to Canada in time for the Winter term, we have rented a small two-bedroom place a few miles from my parents’ home in Indiana, and we are enjoying being together as a family in our own space.A very big development over the last few weeks is that our parish in San Ignacio, St. Andrew’s has decided to rent out the Rectory as soon as next month, so we are shipping our belongings to our home in the States—and we will probably not be returning to Belize this summer to pack out and say goodbye. We are grieving the loss of this opportunity to take an extended time to pack out and say goodbye, but at the same time we have seen God’s hand working in amazing ways. (Read more!)
Finances. Shipping our belongings from Belize to the U.S. is going to be a tremendous expense (around $7,000), right at the same time that Mary Beth and I will have to take a salary cut. Our regular/pledged giving is $3,300 below our bare-bones basic SAMS budget each month, and now that we are in 2021 we will have to lower our salaries by 30–40% beginning in March. (Read more!)To make sure that we do not have to decrease our salaries any further, we would ask you prayerfully to consider giving a one-time donation to our missionary account to help us rebuild some margin. And if the Lord is guiding you to become a pledged supporter of our ministry, we would be deeply grateful to have you on the team.
Next month will also mark ten years (!!!) since I left California to become a full-time SAMS missionary in Argentina. So much has happened since then. I want to thank each of you for first supporting me, and then Mary Beth, and now our whole family as we pursue the vision for mission and ministry that the Lord has given us. Please keep us in your prayers, and be in touch as together we move ahead in service to our Lord Jesus Christ!
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (Philippians 1:3-5, NIV)
We give all glory and honour to the Lord for your partnering with us. Without your support and especially your prayers, our ministry would never have been possible. We give our heartfelt special thanks to all of you for your sacrificial giving.
For many reasons, 2020 will be a year we’ll never forget. We were faced with challenges no one was prepared for that changed the way we live and how we connect with each other. As we look back on 2020, we welcome 2021 with many expectations for ministry and life in general.
We pray that even though we live in a time of unprecedented changes in our personal lives and church communities, all of us will have a blessed new year full of the assurance that God is leading us through the hard challenges we are facing.
Certainly it has been a difficult experience this year, but things are better on the island. Since we are no longer locked down on Roatan, islanders, especially those working with tourism, are finding ways to survive until tourism returns. There are still many families in need, but it is not quite as desperate as before. At the moment we are moving the kitchen to a smaller space with the purpose of cooking once a month to support families in need, if we can.
Helping our church members
New kitchen
The space the community kitchen was functioning in will be used for the recycling project that John Delancey is developing.
Impact of Covid 19 in Honduras and Roatan
To update you on the impact of Covid 19 on Honduras, at the moment we have 132,414 people infected. There have been 3,344 deaths and 60.056 people have recovered.
We in Roatán have a few cases of Covid 19; they are recovering at the hospital, and the Covid center will be open again if cases increase. We continue with the biosecurity regulations and we are very optimistic.
Roatan Episcopal Church
At Episcopal/Anglican Church in Roatan our buildings continue to be open as we comply with all the biosecurity requirements. We celebrate Evening Prayer every Sunday, we have a Bible Study during the week, but we see the need to include other ministries such as Sunday school, youth ministry, etc.
Rev. Nelson and Kara Mejia
During the Christmas season we delivered bags of groceries to the church families, worth about CA$25, and we also smoked chicken, one per family, to support the economy in the season. The money was donated by the Anglican Church in Campbellton N.B. The families appreciate this very timely support, as do we.
On the financial side, we continue to be very positive and to pray and praise God with faith and thanksgiving. We also ask you to continue to pray about our finances, that for the rest of the year our support will stabilize and be sufficient to cover our needs. At the moment our balance is very low. Therefore, please consider sending a special offering to cover our expenses and needs.
To donate now, please click on the following link (or copy and paste it into your browser):
Or you can visit the Diocese of Fredericton’s website (www.anglican.nb.ca) then go to “Donate” for various ways to give online. Be sure to select “Honduras Mission Fund”.
Cheques should be made payable to “The Diocesan Synod of Fredericton” and sent to: Anglican Diocesan Synod of Fredericton, 115 Church Street, Fredericton, NB E3B 4C8
Phone: (506) 459-1801
All cheques should have “Honduras Mission” noted on the reference line.
We know that with the global impact of the pandemic it is difficult for everyone in the world. That said, we greatly appreciate your prayer and financial support to date and trust that you will continue to support us.
Please continue to pray for:
1. Please continue to pray for mainland Honduras at a difficult time caused by Covid 19, and Eta followed by Iota; many families are still not able to return to their houses, and others will need to rebuild their entire house.
2. Pray for Stephen Mejia Thompson, our son as he continues studying at Providence University College in Manitoba.
3. Continued and stable financial support for the next years as we continue to serve the Lord in Roatán, Honduras.
4. The ongoing construction in Coxen Hole. Pray for the remaining installation stages: Cement concrete for the floor at the moment.
5. Our congregations: St. Peter by the Sea in Brick Bay, and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole, that we can embrace the new year with a different way of worship, but focus on Jesus Christ.
6. Please pray for the Rev. Robert Browning and for his ministry to English-speakers in Eastern Roatán.
7. Evangelism and practical outreach in the local communities in the midst of the pandemic.
8. For leadership for the Church in Roatán that embraces the new challenges as we serve in the Kingdom of God.
9. The Episcopal Church in Honduras, for the process toward self-sufficiency to be continued in 2021-25
Thank you to all who have faithfully prayed and faithfully given to support this incredible work of ministering to the people in our congregations.
Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Your prayers and continued support enable us to continue touching people’s lives with Jesus’ love.
With the library project coming to a successful conclusion in 2019, my mind began to turn in a new direction. Over the years I have seen first hand the love and passion students and adults have for Music, Dance, and Drama, nowhere more so than in the schools annual Music, Dance and Drama competition, and more recently as hosts to West Ankole Diocese church choir competitions in the same category. But more than this there have many examples over the year of the students love for music and a desire to learn and develop their talent, whether it is the choir, or learning the key board. We have been very fortunate for a number of students who taught themselves how to play the keyboard and helped facilitate chapel worship. It seemed now was the time to give them a great opportunity. So I began to dream a bit about a program for Music, Dance and Drama. A program that would also include opportunities to learn to play a variety of musical instruments, particularly the keyboard but including guitar and drums, and revitalising the school brass band.
So this is what I came up with …..
Architects Artistic Drawings of Music Department L-R Band/Dance/Drama Rehearsal Room; Electronic Keyboard Lab; Choral Rehearsal Room; Ensemble Room.
Boys dorm in background; St. Andrews Church foreground.
For those of you have known me and have supported this ministry over the years, you know I’m always prepared to dream a bit, always ready with a plan to match, but never big on the details like a time frame, other than God’s time. But always ready to take the first step and see where it goes from there.
So in January 2020 I resolved that we should take the first step and see what happens. And so we did.
Step one was to clear the space where the new music department was to be constructed.
It was a great start to the new school year! The transformation continues!
As we prepare new site for construction (as well as harvest timbers), we were joined today by Chairman of BOG Lay Canon Freedom James and my long time friend and colleague, Rev. Canon Caleb Twinamatsiko, former Headteacher of Bishop McAllister College to break ground for our new music department project. Praise God for this wonderful start to the new year!
By March we were under way with construction of the foundation for the Choral Rehearsal Room. Praise God for this incredible development.
By mid – March we were making steady progress ….
By the end of March we had reached the first ring beam. Praise God!
With the coming of Covid and school closure work came to a halt. But only for a short time we hope and pray! We are so grateful for everyones financial support which has brought this far.
The Cathedral's Monday Outreach is a longstanding program which aims to provide comfort and support to individuals in our community who are financially disadvantaged. Dean Geoffrey Hall was recently interviewed about the program by Terry Seguin, host of CBC Information Morning. He was joined by Jane Blakely from St. Paul’s United Church and Lynn McKinnon from Wilmot United Church. Together, they all spoke of the challenges and blessings of running outreach programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A look back at Monday Outreach during the pandemic
December 2020: Normally, the Cathedral Outreach Committee stages a big, colourful Christmas party for upwards of 65 people in need, complete with a Bible reading about the birth of Jesus, a decorated tree, live music, abundant food and coffee, and gift bags for all. By necessity, the 2020 version was much quieter. Forty-three people filed past to receive a $20 grocery voucher and a small gift bag containing homemade cookies, fruit, chocolates, candy canes, granola bars, hot chocolate packets, tissues, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a Christmas card. Children got an extra little gift, and adults could choose from items such as scarves, socks and soap. One visitor said: "Thanks for doing what you can to help us when so many others have pulled back in fear of the virus." The next voucher distribution, assuming health regulations allow, will take place outdoors at Cathedral Memorial Hall on Monday, January 25, 2021.
November 2020: Volunteer Sandy Robb poses with cookies she baked as well as fruit, juice, muffins, cookies and other treats to be packed into goodie bags for Monday Morning Outreach guests. November was the ninth month that the Outreach Committee has distributed goodie bags and bus tickets or $10 gift cards for supermarkets to people in need outdoors at Cathedral Memorial Hall. The pandemic has prevented the usual weekly indoor gatherings which featured a buffet of food items, a used clothing bank, live music, a Bible study, and services of the parish nurse. Average monthly attendance had been 45 people, but 55 turned up Nov. 30th including a dozen who were new to the program. The committee, which hopes to continue its efforts throughout the winter, thanks the congregation for its ongoing support.
October 2020: “DC,” one of 48 guests, picks up his voucher and goodie bag at Cathedral Memorial Hall on Monday morning, Oct. 26th. The Outreach Committee thanks the cathedral family for baking cookies and muffins and for donating chocolate, chips and other treats. St. Margaret's Anglican Church donated bananas and citrus fruit. The Outreach budget paid for city transit tickets and $10 gift cards to supermarkets. Another guest said: “Thank you for the special effort you put out every month. I really like coming here.”
September 2020: Bill Turney from the cathedral congregation adds to a big bowl of treats to be packed into goodie bags for people in need. Bill and his wife Carolyn are among the frequent contributors to the Monday morning outreach program, baking delicious cookies for the guests. On Sept. 28th, 48 people received goodie bags, plus either city bus tickets or a $10 gift card for a local supermarket. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, distribution is done outdoors on the steps at the hall with social distancing. This method has been used since March and will be repeated again Oct. 26th. The outreach team thanks the congregation for its support.
Here are a few comments from our guests to help you realize how important your contribution is to these folks:
"This is like gold to me!" - B.W., looking in his goodie bag; he had eaten nothing except Mr. Noodle for a week
"Oh wow, I never get fruit!" - M.B., reaching immediately into the bag for a banana
"Thank you so much for helping us out!" - H.C., who has four young children
This was the Outreach Committee's seventh month distributing gift cards and bus tickets outdoors since the pandemic started. The average attendance over that period has been 44 guests per month.
August 2020:Fran Miles, recently retired Office Administrator at the cathedral, made a big batch of her famous "healthy cookies" for the goodie bags handed out to people in need on Aug. 31st. Due to the pandemic, the weekly drop-in, featuring self-serve food and coffee, live music, a used clothing bank and the services of the parish nurse, has not been held since mid-March. However, supermarket gift cards are distributed outdoors at Cathedral Memorial Hall on the last Monday of the month. This time 38 people received a $10 gift card or bus tickets, plus a goodie bag containing bananas, homemade muffins, cookies, a cheese sandwich, a cereal bar, and bottled water.
July 2020:Canon Patricia Drummond packs goodie bags as part of the cathedral's summer outreach efforts. Due to the pandemic, the weekly drop-in for people in need has not been held since mid-March, but supermarket gift cards are distributed outdoors on the last Monday of the month. On July 27th, 50 people received a gift card or bus tickets plus a bar of soap and a goodie bag containing bananas, homemade muffins, cookies, a sandwich, a granola bar, and bottled water. Food items were donated by members of the cathedral family.
June 2020:Before the pandemic, St. Margaret's Anglican parish in Fredericton helped monthly with outreach drop-ins at Christ Church Cathedral. That event has not been held indoors in the normal way since mid-March, but grocery store gift cards are distributed outdoors to people in need on the last Monday of the month. Penny Ericson (left), chair of the outreach committee, was delighted to receive a large donation of bananas delivered by Wendy and Rick Chase from St. Margaret's to help with the June 29th session. On that date 48 people received a gift card or some bus tickets plus a bar of soap and a goodie bag containing bananas, homemade muffins and cookies, and bottled water - all donated by members of the cathedral family.
May 2020:This morning, forty-five outreach guests received goodie bags, along with a $10 gift card for a local supermarket, at Cathedral Memorial Hall. Despite the recent provincial move into the less restrictive yellow zone during the pandemic, an indoor, sit-down drop-in with self-serve food and beverages is not permitted at this time. People were pleased with the surprise treats, the warmer weather, and news that a similar outdoor distribution of vouchers will be done again next month.
April 2020:Due to COVID-19, the Outreach Committee can't operate its Monday morning drop-ins in the usual way, i.e., refreshments, used clothing bank, live music, Bible study, and services of the parish nurse. However, on the last Monday morning of the month, people in need can stop by Cathedral Memorial Hall to get a $10 gift card for a local supermarket. Outreach Committee treasurer Doug Milander distributed the gift cards outdoors to 40 people on April 27th. Appropriate social distancing was followed.
March 30, 2020: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Outreach Committee can't operate its normal Monday morning drop-in for people in need at this time, but its volunteers did hand out $10 gift cards for local supermarkets on March 30th. The vouchers were distributed outdoors at Cathedral Memorial Hall to 32 people. Brent Wheaton (standing by the sign) and Danny Brewer were among those who really appreciated the help with groceries at this challenging time.
March 16, 2020:Volunteers wearing gloves served food and beverages to outreach drop-in guests, rather than the usual buffet-style format. Seating was carefully arranged to ensure social distancing. Our parish nurse gave a short talk about ways to avoid COVID-19, and the minister from New Maryland United Church offered a beautiful prayer. There will be no gathering March 23rd. On March 30th the plan is to quickly distribute vouchers on the front steps of the church hall, but no drop-in will be held. Plans for April will be formulated based on the situation at the time and advice from the health department. Please keep these vulnerable members of our community in your prayers at this challenging time.
Greetings from Uganda! It is has turned out to be a year none of us would ever have anticipated. We got off to a great start in February. Students had reported for the new school year and had quickly settled in to the school routine, the library was opened and being used for the first time, and even work had begun on the new music department. We were all full of great optimism for what 2020 had in store for us.
It wasn’t long before news of Covid began to trickle in to us, but like everyone around the world we had no sense of how bad this was going to be. I was still planning to travel home in March, and everything was going smoothly at school. At the beginning of March I could see travel was getting complicated so cancelled my trip, and tried to prepare the school for what might be coming our way. No one could believe me, but in less than three weeks all schools were closed in Uganda.
Again there was no sense of urgency, all of us expected this to be a short term thing, and we would reopen within a months time. Well within in a months time I found myself giving away a month worth of food (that was meant to take us to the end of term)that was in the store before it spoiled. As the one month became two, then three months and so forth I began to panic fearing what this was going to do to the school and the impact it would have on the staff and students. By July I found it necessary to launch an appeal for help.
The response was tremendous. I’m so grateful for the positive response I received from the many Churches, groups and individuals who have supported the school for so many years. The funds that have been sent and the funds that are on the way are going to make a great difference in the coming months and into the new year.
In October he government decided in its wisdom schools should partially open, and that finalists could return to school. This means the senior students of each section (elementary, middle school, and high school) would return and complete their school year and sit final exams. For many private schools like Bishop McAllister partial opening would be very challenging financially. The number of students returning would not cover operating costs, even with cut backs, before even considering the accumulated costs of maintaining schools while closed or the costs of implementing the SOP’s issued by the Ministry of Education. Some private schools chose to simply not open.
But thanks be to God Bishop McAllister College was not in the same position as others. Because of our unique facilities and financial support from overseas we have been able to reopen relatively smoothly. There were a couple of hectic weeks trying to put everything in place, restructuring and organizing teachers who were being called back, and helping them prepare to adjust to new working conditions and even subjects/topics they may have not been teaching prior to the schools closing.
I’m happy to report that on October 15th we successfully reopened for finalists. We were inspected a few days before to see that we had met all the new SOP’s, and we were given a certificate allowing us to open. One of the big challenges for most schools was how to meet the requirement of social distancing in classrooms. For many schools it meant taking one class and dividing it into five classes, multiply the teaching lessons and cost by the same number. But as I mentioned our facilities saved us. While I might never anticipated this, the library now houses the two classes from middle school, the dining hall the high school class, and the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist the elementary class.
It was a whole new world for students (and teachers) as they arrived at the gate.
Masks must be on before entering (and worn at all times). The next step was to have your temperature checked, then wash your hands and have your property sprayed. Throughout the school we have placed new hand washing stations at dorms, classrooms, and kitchen to encourage frequent hand washing, and signs and posters are scattered every where offering reminders of what we should be doing. Wearing our masks, washing our hands, not touching our face, and social distancing. So far we off to a good start. Staff and students will have their temperature checked on a daily basis.
The finalist program will take us up until May 3rd when the last exam will be completed (normally they are completed early December).
As for all the lower classes we don’t know what the future holds. There are hints and rumours that all students will report back to school in January. The Ministry of Education is now in the process of reinspecting schools to see how well the SOP’s were implemented and maintained. As there have been no serious problems since schools reopened in October I’m optimistic that some additional classes if not all of them will be allowed to return. The one difficulty I see would be is whether or not it is possible to maintain the SOP’s with an increased number of students present on campus.
No doubt the road ahead is long, and will be full of challenges. But I’m confident that we are prepared to meet and overcome what ever comes our way. Of course none of this would be possible without the prayers and financial support that has provided us with such wonderful facilities, and the financial support that has come in response to our appeal for assistance.
On behalf of everyone here, thank you so much for your continued love and support.
