Mount Carmel School Post Office Box 500006 • Saipan, MP 96950

670.234.6184 • 670.235.4751 (facsimile) www.mountcarmelsaipan.com • www.facebook.com/mtcarmelcnmi

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March 30, 2021

Dear Mount Carmel School Families,

As we celebrate Holy Week, allow me to wish you the hopeful renewal that this week brings as we anticipate our Lord’s Resurrection. In that spirit of renewal, please also allow me to share with you some important updates and information, which are bulleted below and explained in detail thereafter:

• We will dismiss from 11:35 a. m. to 12:00 noon tomorrow. • We will not have face-to-face classes from April 1 through April 9. • 3rd quarter report cards will be emailed out on April 14. • Only about one month is left for the 2021-2022 Early Bird Discount. • Join us in celebrating International Jazz Day on April 30. • The Theatre Club presents William Shakespeare’s As You Like It on April 30 and May 1. • We have some important information about public health vaccines. • Stay safe, stay vigilant, and stay healthy!

NOON DISMISSAL TOMORROW

To help our school family prepare spiritually for Holy Week, we will hold a series of prayers and reflections tomorrow, Wednesday, March 31. Given the impact this will have on our regular classes, please note that we will dismiss early tomorrow, from 11:35 a. m. to 12:00 noon. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and support in picking up your children on time.

NO FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES APRIL 1—9

In observance of Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and with Spring Break at hand, please note that we will not have face-to-face classes from April 1 through April 9. Office hours during Spring Break will be 8:00 am to 11:00 am and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Also note that 4th quarter face-to-face classes will resume on Monday, April 12.

3RD QUARTER REPORT CARDS TO BE EMAILED OUT ON APRIL 14

3rd quarter report cards will be emailed out on April 14 via our secure student information management system. Report cards will be emailed to addresses registered with that system. If you do not receive the email please check your spam folder to make sure that the email was not inadvertently directed there. If you still have trouble accessing report cards, please contact our Office Manager, Leeani Villagomez, at leeani.villagomez@mcsknights.com.

Also, as stated on page 13 of the 2020-2021 Mount Carmel School Handbook, failure to make timely tuition payments may result in your child(ren) not receiving final assessment services, which will, in turn, result in an “incomplete” reflected in your child(ren)’s transcripts. This means that your student will not receive a report card. Furthermore, failure to make timely tuition payments will result in lack of grades that qualify a student for the President’s List and Honor Roll.

Our mission is to educate the whole person to see with Christ’s eyes.

ONLY ONE MONTH LEFT FOR THE EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT

Note that there is only about one month left until the May 1st deadline for the Early Bird Registration Discount, which is $50 per K4/K5 student (normally $100) and $100 per 1st—12th grade student (normally $400).

In addition to the Early Bird Discount, we are helping families during these challenging times with the following forms of financial assistance:

• Family Discounts: $600 for the 2nd child, $1,000 discount for the 3rd child, and $1,500 discount for the 4th child

• Academic and Extracurricular Scholarships (Application forms available May 1) • The School’s Leadership Team is exploring ways to expand scholarship funding and financial aid.

This may include earmarking a portion of all Education Tax Credit (ETC) revenue towards the school’s scholarship and financial aid program.

Please also note the following for the 2021-2022 school year:

• The first day of classes will be Thursday, August 12. • We will restore face-to-face classes to five days a week, from Monday through Friday. • We will reinstate our school’s After School Extended Care and Enrichment Programs.

For enrollment, please note the following:

• Apply online at the school’s website, www.mountcarmelsaipan.com. • Register (with registration fee payment) at the school’s Business Office.

INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY

We are proud to announce that we will join the rest of the world in celebrating International Jazz Day on April 30. As part of the celebration, we invite our students to participate in the following:

•Poster Contest (K-4): Create a poster that illustrates your love and appreciation for jazz music. •Poetry Contest (5-8): Write a poem that celebrates the power of jazz music. •Essay Contest (7-12): Write an essay that explains why we should learn more about jazz music. •TikTok Contest (all grades): Create a 10-30 second video that tells the world how you feel about jazz music. (Video submissions must be appropriate for all ages. And, if using music in your video submission, please ensure that you are legally authorized to use such music, pursuant to all applicable copyright laws, and attribute copyright permission in the video’s credits.)

All contest submissions are due April 23 and must be submitted online at the following link: https://forms.gle/iGtWeZqqgzhNahPNA. Winners of each contest will be awarded the following prizes: 1st Place: $50 • 2nd Place: $25 • 3rd Place: $10.

In addition to these contests, the MCS Jazz Knights, under the leadership of Maestro Julian Greening, will hold a special concert on April 30, where we will also announce contest winners. And, leading up to International Jazz Day, teachers will engage students in special lesson plans about jazz music history and appreciation.

For more information about International Jazz Day, visit www.jazzday.com.

Our mission is to educate the whole person to see with Christ’s eyes.

THE MCS THEATRE CLUB PRESENTS SHAKESPEARE’S “AS YOU LIKE IT”

As part of the continuing celebration of its 25th anniversary, the Theatre Club proudly presents an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic comedy As You Like It on campus on April 30 and May 1 starting at 7:00 pm each night. Tickets will be available soon and will be $25 for front-row premium seats and $10 for general admission.

As You Like It follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia to find safety and, eventually, love, in the Forest of Arden. In the forest, they encounter a variety of memorable characters, notably Jaques, who speaks many of Shakespeare's most famous speeches, including a monologue that begins with the Theatre Club’s slogan, “All the world’s a stage.”

PUBLIC HEALTH VACCINES

As announced previously, COVID-19 vaccinations are now open to individuals 16 years and older. You can register at www.vaccinatecnmi.com. Please also be sure that your children of all ages are up to date with other vaccines that protect against other diseases. We will be sending home reminder letters from the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation for students that need to update their respective vaccines.

STAY VIGILANT. STAY SAFE. STAY HEALTHY.

Our diligent and collective efforts as a community have kept the CNMI one of the safest places in the world with one of the lowest transmission rates in the nation. Likewise, here at the school, we thank all our families for working with us and cooperating with our COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Whether teaching your children proper hygiene, complying with our procedures and protocols, or following traffic safety procedures, you have helped our school safely conduct face-to-face classes. However, we must not become complacent. We must remain vigilant. As such, remember the three simple Ws:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

• Watch your distance by maintaining a physical distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and other people you don’t live with.

• Wear a mask in public settings around people who don’t live in your household.

These are challenging times, but we have survived devastating typhoons, economic recessions, and many other tragedies. But, we’re all in this together, and with FAITH in our Lord, HOPE for a better tomorrow, and LOVE for each other, we will get through this. We are KNIGHT STRONG. We are MARIANAS STRONG.

Sincerely in Christ,

Galvin Deleon Guerrero, EdD President

Our mission is to educate the whole person to see with Christ’s eyes.