September 19, 2005

Dear Parents and Guardians,

What a pleasure and blessing it is to write this letter! Despite the destruction that surrounds us, we are so blessed to have our lives and to have one another at this very difficult time.

As you have seen driving through our grounds, we were truly spared the wrath of Katrina. The tidal surge never touched our building. Columns and flooring from the Danzler house came up to our building, but the main structure blocked the tidal surge from ever reaching us. We sustained major damage to the gym due to the loss of a section of roof that ran the length of the room. A section of windows blew out in the cafeteria and a few window panes broke in several upstairs classrooms. And that was it! What a miracle for a school with a Beach Blvd. address.

Along with being spared major destruction, we also were blessed with help when we needed it most. Due to the large volume of relief workers, the City of Biloxi approached us about using our school grounds to feed the law enforcement, fire fighters, relief personnel and others who have come from all over the country to help us. We, of course, were happy to help in this way. As a result, Navy Seabees and city workers cleared the debris both inside and outside our school. From the height of the debris piles, I think you would agree that there is no way we could have done it without their help.

In surveying our staff some of us were very fortunate to have been spared major damage to our homes, but over one third of our staff members have lost all physical possessions. Many of you have lost homes, businesses and jobs while others sustained more moderate damage. But we are here, as a family of faith, to work together and to be there for one another. Our school theme, “Come Follow Me...” calls us to follow God’s way even in the most difficult of times.

That brings us to today, our first day back to school. We met as a staff this past week to see one another and to hear one another’s stories. After doing so, we talked about the beginning of this next portion of the school year. A few details:

    1. The relief workers will continue to eat here on our school grounds at least through the next week and until the need subsides. Our Biloxi Police Department has worked out a traffic flow process for us—entrance from Benachi, drop-off at the office door, exit through the back of school and onto Porter Ave. Parents and family members wishing to park and come into school are asked to park off the school grounds and walk in to school. (Food Giant is a great place to park!)
    2. All visitors to our school will sign in at the office. All relief workers are wearing or carrying identification and will be monitored closely. Children will not leave the classroom unsupervised and/or unaccompanied during the school day.
    3 Our children will eat lunch in two lunch periods this week:
11 :00-PreK-Gr. 2 and 11 :30-Gr. 3-6. There will be no charge for school lunch this week. Our relief workers will be eating after we have finished. Our cafeteria staff will work with our city workers in preparing the food. Your child, of course, is free to bring a bag lunch. Because of the loss of some refrigeration (our walk-in cooler and large freezers), we will have some adjustments in our lunches for several weeks. Also, we are unsure about milk delivery at this time.
    4. At this time, we will not be using “school water’ for cooking or drinking. Bottled water has been provided for each classroom and teachers have been asked to put each child’s name on the bottle so that there is no sharing of containers. Drinking fountains will be covered and anti bacterial cleaner and/or baby wipes will be used following hand washing in the restrooms.
    5. A RESOURCE ROOM has been established in the classroom opposite the office. Donated items from near and far will be in there for you to look through and take as needed. We simply ask you to stop in the office, sign in and then do some shopping. Schools, parishes and individuals from all over the country are collecting school supplies, back packs, lunch kits, tennis shoes, uniform shorts and shirts and personal items for us to share with you and others in need. Please take advantage of these resources for you and for your family.
    6. A Nativity BVM School Katrina Relief Fund has been established at The Peoples Bank. The purpose of this fund is to provide for tuition assistance, relief for our families and staff and to take care of the needs of our school. In the next week or so you will be contacted to determine your needs for aid in meeting tuition expenses.
    7. Until further notice, teachers will not be giving homework assignments. Because many children are displaced, we felt that this might put an additional burden on families. They will be welcome to bring home books to read but written assignments (even completing class work not finished during the day) will not be given until further notice.
    8. Because of debris, our play areas will be restricted to the actual playground areas both in the front and back of school. Navy personnel from both the United States and Canada carefully worked on these playgrounds to make sure that they were safe for the children. (They also tested all the equipment!)
    9. Our dress code will be relaxed to allow families time to get needed items. Children who have uniforms should wear them. We are working on securing uniforms for those who do not have any at this time. Tennis shoes are preferred for safety reasons.
    10. Some of our students will be returning to school over the next few weeks after their homes have been repaired. Several children will be joining us from other Catholic schools as well as public schools until their schools are ready for them.

I am sure that there are many other things that I could write at this time. However, for now, know that you and your families have been in my thoughts and prayers throughout these days. Many, many people around the world have held us in prayer. May our loving God continue to be with you and sustain you in the days ahead.

/s Sister Mary Jo