Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

I hope that you are having a great summer. Here at Brother Rice, we are preparing to open the new school year in the fall.  I want to assure you that we will do everything in our power to have all of our students on campus to start the year. We do not know what the future will hold, so we are preparing for four scenarios to open the school in the fall:

  • Scenario One– Normal school begins as usual.
    • This is our hope for the fall, and we are prepared for a normal start to school with some minor adjustments.
  •  Scenario Two– Normal start to school with physical changes. All students attend school, but classroom layout and other physical changes must occur to accommodate social distancing.
    • We have a committee called “Crusaders on Campus” to make suggestions for this scenario. President Mark Donahue will be chairing this committee.
  •  Scenario Three– Partial eLearning: Groups of students participate in eLearning based on a set schedule.
    • Half of the students will attend school, and the other half of the school will view the class from home. Students will be divided by their houses.  We will have two houses attend school one day, and the other two houses will attend the next day.
    • Some possible safety protocols to follow: Students wear masks in hallways, sanitize every room every night, have students wipe down their desks before each use, and take a temperature reading at the doors when students enter each day.
  • Scenario Four- Full eLearning: the school year begins with all students at home doing eLearning.
    • I believe that we did a great job with full eLearning this year, but I also believe that we can do better.  We feel the best way to handle full eLearning is to move to a block schedule. We will have periods 1, 3, 5, and 7 on one day and periods 2, 4, 6, and 8 the next day. Classes would be 75 minutes long; a sample schedule is provided below:

Odd Periods “Maroon” Day:

9:00 AM – Period 1

10:15 AM – Screen Break

10:30 AM – Period 3

11:45 AM- Screen Break

12:00 PM – period 5

1:15 PM – Screen Break

1:30 – Period 7

Even Periods “Orange” Day:

9:00 – Period 2

10:15 – Screen Break

10:30 – Period 4

11:45 – Screen Break

12:00 – Period 6

1:15 – Screen Break

1:30 – Period 8

  • Students will have a 15-minute break between each class. Teachers will have a designated time to show their videos, do an Edpuzzle, give a test/quiz, answer questions, etc. This is class time designed to be spent with the students. Students will need to be in attendance for each class.

The last three months we were able to advance the curriculum and continue the educational process for our students. We feel that we did a great job; however, with some time to reflect, we feel that we can do even better. We have planned four in-services in July for our teachers to learn more about eLearning tools so we will be more prepared for the fall.

As we move forward through the summer, I will be in contact with you about any changes we may have to make.  The Graduation Ceremony will be held on July 12 – details to come. We will have student schedule pick-up days on July 21 and 22.  The school year will begin with orientation on Tuesday, August 18th, and the first day of school will be on Wednesday, August 19th.

Thank you,
Bob Alberts ’85
Principal

Required Health Form Information

Class of 2024 – The state of Illinois requires that all freshmen submit both a health physical, including a complete record of childhood vaccines, and proof of a dental exam completed within 12 months of the start of school. We recognize that physician and dental offices are just reopening, so that deadline has been extended to Friday, August 14. These reports are to be turned in together and they must be on file prior to the start of school.

Class of 2021– All students entering senior year must submit written proof of having received the Meningitis Conjugate vaccine (covers several strains of meningitis) after age 16 years. Please be advised that the Meningitis B vaccine is optional. This vaccine is available at your doctor’s office, St. Xavier University Health Center, or at neighborhood pharmacies including CVS and Walgreens. You must have documentation of vaccine compliance prior to receiving your senior class schedule in July.

Students using an inhaler or taking prescription medicine– Renewal forms are required annually and are available on our website by clicking here.  Asthmatic students are asked to submit an inhaler form and a medical authorization form listing the inhaler brand and dose. Please include an asthma action plan if possible. A physician signature is not required for the inhaler. Students taking daily prescription medications at school must submit the medical authorization form signed by both physician and parent.

Health records can be emailed to ssalmon@brrice.org, faxed (Attn: School Nurse) to

773-779-5239, or mailed to the school. Parents are advised to make a copy of health records prior to submission. Please contact me at 773-429-4350 with any questions.

Thank you,

Mrs. Sue Salmon RN

Counseling Office

  • All senior transcripts were sent to colleges/universities/scholarship committees during the first week of June. If there are any issues, please contact Mrs. Diehl at ddiehl@brrice.org.
  • Counselors are currently out of the office for summer vacation. If you need immediate assistance, please contact Mrs. Van Assen at kschissler@brrice.org.

Important Dates

 Wednesday, June 17 at 10 a.m.

Baccalaureate Mass from Holy Name Cathedral

The mass will be available on the Archdiocese of Chicago’s

Facebook, YouTube, and website by clicking here.

Please see this video invitation for the mass.

Sunday, July 12

Graduation

Details TBD

July 21 & 22

Student Schedule Pick-Up

Tuesday, August 18

Freshman, Sophomore, Junior Orientation

Wednesday, August 19

First Day of School