Summer Update No. 4 from Mrs. Esparza

Welcome to August! It's a time of finalizing important Summer projects that run the gamut of fresh paint and tree pruning to onboarding new faculty and finalizing bell schedules. It's a very exciting time indeed…

MEET OUR TEAM

On the Faculty side, we are thrilled to welcome Nell Nutaitis and Carrie Michalski as Instructional Assistants in our JK classrooms.

Nell is a familiar face with two children already enrolled at St. Mary’s. She has been a regular substitute teacher and is excited to join our ECDC team on a full time basis. Nell has a Masters degree in Educational Policy from the University of Pennsylvania and a strong background in both the Education and Nonprofit sectors.

Carrie and her four children are new to St. Mary's this year. With a nursing background and the experience of homeschooling her kids for the past four years, Carrie holds an undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science and Psychology from UVA and a Masters Degree in Nursing from VCU.

Tom Tucholka and Bailey Kamper are beloved and familiar faces who will be assuming new roles in ECDC as Instructional Assistants in 1st grade and Kindergarten, respectively. We are fortunate to have them assume these new roles and look forward to their continued contributions in the classroom.

Speaking of familiar faces, Mr. Caulder is stepping into our Middle School Science role as a Long Term Substitute. After several recruitment rounds, "Mr. C" is taking over the Science Lab; a place he feels passionate about given his years of involvement in Mr. T’s Rocket Club and related STEM activities at St. Mary's. Mr. Caulder has also taught Science in his previous roles in Henrico County Public Schools. We know he will bring enormous energy to our IB MYP hallway!

On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, we are sad to bid farewell to longtime ECDC Instructional Assistant, Kathleen Tucholka. Kathleen's 13 years of love and dedication is nothing short of legendary. We will share details about an opportunity for our community to honor her service at a later date.

ASC UPDATE & FORM

As we complete our Back-to-School planning, we know that many of you are doing the same as you tackle Back-to-School to-do lists, schedules and logistics for your family. We recognize that ASC is an important puzzle piece providing much needed care and support of your children.

Please review the following updates and complete this form if your needs have changed.

FULL TIME ASC CARE

At present, we are able to accommodate all families who requested full time ASC enrollment. Priority for full time spots was indicated during the enrollment process and we are pleased to extend spots to all families who requested them.

PART TIME ASC CARE

While we are still in the process of interviewing candidates whose onboarding would facilitate the acceptance of part time registrations, at this time we cannot guarantee the availability of part time spots. I will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available and recognize the urgency you may feel without a guaranteed spot for your family. My advice to you would be to secure alternative care at least for the first quarter of school.

If you are unsure if you requested full or part time when you completed your online enrollment contract earlier this year, please reach out to us and we are happy to confirm with you.

Our entire Monarch Faculty and Staff joins me in looking forward to welcoming you back to campus soon!