As you may be well aware, Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will be open in a few weeks for full-time, in-person learning. While elementary schools will be open, parents also have the option to continue distance education virtually. Those staying home and learning virtually, however, must be dressed in their uniform and ready to go at the same time as their classmates are at school...

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced earlier this week all schools are set to open this September. Over the last few months, the Office of Catholic Education worked with various partners to develop a safe plan to reopen the parish and regional elementary and secondary schools within the Archdiocese. Read More...

As Congress works on a new stimulus bill, the White House intends to section off funds for scholarship programs specifically for private and religious schools. The COVID-19 continues to affect us all, including families who choose to enroll their children in non-public schools. 

The School District of Philadelphia released the results of a survey that was open for responses from June 15, 2020, through June 22, 2020, on Tuesday. Superintendent Dr. William Hite stated more than 36,000 people responded.

Among the 15,000 parents/guardians who responded, 47 percent said they would send their children back to school under the current circumstances. When asked if safety measures were put in place, this number rose to 62 percent.

In regards to operating with shifts on alternating days of the week, 24 percent of school-based staff and 27 percent of parents/guardians would feel comfortable with this. Daily attendance, but also with shifts was met with favor from 24% of school-based staff and 21% of parents/guardians.

The survey also found wearing a mask (30 percent), daily building cleaning (14 percent), and handwashing/sanitizer stations (14 percent) ranked as the top three safety measures respondents found helpful to "the development of a safe and effective reopening plan."

As the summer continues, Dr. Hite stated the launch of a town hall series for the public to remain informed about a safe and healthy reopening of schools. This will also allow the public to share feedback and have an open discussion. Learn more here.

Christ the King School wishes you a happy Independence Day! Be sure to practice social distancing and stay safe while celebrating our country’s birthday!

This week the Supreme Court ruled that a state cannot exclude religious schools from funding made available to other private schools. This ruling will help our schools hurt by COVID-19, as well as helping out underserved communities seeking Catholic education as an alternative to failing public schools.

This ruling mandates states must allow the inclusion of Catholic schools in programs for scholarships and other aid that is available to other, non-sectarian private schools. Christ the King School sees this as a huge victory for our schools!

We previously mentioned the Office For Catholic Education is building a task force to safely open schools come fall. The task force will officially be known as “Catholic Schools Onward, Best Practices and New Opportunities as We Move Forward” (referred to CSO for short).

CSO is made up of about 30 individuals from our schools, which include principals, nurses, business members, teachers, religious leaders, parents, board members, and central administration. Each member received guidance from the State of Pennsylvania regarding expectations to reopen, CDC guidelines and plans from schools that already reopened. Working together in subcommittees, we will develop specific practices and precautionary measures our schools will use....

Graduating Seniors representing the 17 total high schools within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia recently came together virtually in a video put together by the Archdiocese to celebrate and unveil the total earned in scholarships by the Class of 2020. This is the third year in a row that graduating seniors were granted record-breaking scholarship dollars. The cumulative amount earned was $412,130, 607.00. Way to go seniors!

Catholic schools in Philadelphia are already planning for September with a special 27-person task force consisting of educational professionals, business leaders, and medical experts.

Last week we learned elementary and secondary schools within the green and yellow zones may resume in-person instruction (among other activities) on July 1, per Pennsylvania’s Education Department. In order to open, schools must adopt the necessary health and safety precautions that meet both state and federal guidelines.

Many of us find ourselves wondering what schooling will look like come fall. Come Fall, we may not be in a position to open schools and continue with remote, distance learning. However, while this is doable, and Catholic schools have successfully moved to a digital platform to finish out the school year, a difficult road lies ahead. As it stands now, the school year will likely look and operate differently than what we were previously accustomed to...

Governor Tom Wolf announced on April 9, 2020, that schools would remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Staff of schools within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, like Christ The King School, were well underway in planning how to teach remotely, and have consistently tapped into their creativity to adapt to the changes...

Another week at home comes and goes, but our students and schools show they continue to find new ways to adapt and stay connected. Social media and video calling technologies continue to allow us to keep face to face contact, and allow teachers and students to engage on an ongoing basis...

COVID-19 changed our normal routines quite drastically over the last two months. Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, like Christ The King School, have ensured that students continue through the curriculum and stay on task while at home. 

Christ The King School knows keeping your children occupied with engaging, educational, and fun activities once they finish their school work proves to be harder the longer we remain at home to do our part fighting COVID-19. We invite you to check out this list of live streams that will give you some time to yourself and provide an activity for your kids.

While Christ The King School is an elementary school educating students from Pre-K to Eighth grade, our hope is that our students continue their high school education at a Catholic High School within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, like St. Hubert’s Catholic School for Girls. 
Read more...

The Technology Team from the Archdiocesan Office of Catholic Education (OCE) plans to distribute 720 Chromebooks to parish schools in the Philadelphia community. The opportunity to support those in need was made possible by the Philadelphia School Partnership (PSP). Chromebooks, a Google product, feature the Google platform that provides various free applications that enable teachers and students to work together online and interact effectively. This includes email, group calendars, shared documents and presentations, and video calls.

Archbishop Nelson J. Perez released a special Easter message to the Philadelphia and surrounding region. In it, he celebrates Jesus’ return and life under COVID-19.

It is with a heavy heart Christ The King School must announce that the state of Pennsylvania ordered all schools to remain closed through the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Preparing for a crisis of this magnitude never crossed anyone’s mind, but Christ The King School and the rest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia demonstrated the ability to react proactively.

Archbishop Nelson J. Perez invites all families at Christ The King to join him online to participate in a special Lenten Virtual Retreat. Tune in each night at 7:00 pm. Through Palm Sunday (April 5, 2020). 

Archbishop Perze has stated, “Life as we understand it has temporarily changed, but this too shall pass. We are people whose hearts are grounded in our faith and in our hope. That is the strength that helps us during this time of uncertainty.”

View the videos online at Archbishop Perez’s Facebook and Instagram, or the Archdiocesan Vimeo channel, website and Catholic Philly.

No cable? No problem! To help keep your child’s mind stimulated outside of their current at home distance learning plan created by Christ The King School], take advantage of WHYY’s resources to help further bring the classroom home. Check out PBSkids.org, the PBS Kids App and PBSLearningMedia.org to watch programs online and see all the tools we have to help students stay on track with their education.