St. Thomas Aquinas Parish School

eLearning Hub

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish School Mission Statement

We believe that each child is a special gift from God, an individual to love, nurture and guide to

his or her greatest potential. We believe the purpose of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish School is to

assist parents with the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical and cultural development of the

child within the guidelines of Catholic teachings and moral values. We believe the school's

academic program provides quality education to develop the foundations for students to become

lifelong Christian learners.

A Student's Prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas

Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, origin of all being, graciously let a ray of your light penetrate the darkness of my understanding. Take from me the double darkness in which I have been born, an obscurity of sin and ignorance. Give me a keen understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm. Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in the completion. I ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Return to School Roadmap

Please click on the image to the left to link to the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish School - Return to School Document. Our document details all aspects and areas of safety as we look to welcome our students and staff back to school for in-person learning during Phases 4-6 of the MI Safe Start Plan.

On behalf of the faculty and staff of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish School, THANK YOU for taking the time to review our document and abiding by the new policies and procedures as we continue to keep our students and staff safe in the year ahead. Together, with Christ, we can do this!

Distance Learning Handbook

Attached to the image to the left is important information for students and families about Distance Learning at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish School. It is important that all families read this document in its entirety and return the final page of acknowledgement of the policies and procedures.

As our mission states, We believe our purpose is to assist parents with the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical and cultural development of the child within the guidelines of Catholic teachings and moral values. In order for us to continue to partner with parents in times of remote learning, regular participation and engagement in school learning is essential for the continued academic and spiritual growth of our students.

Distance Learning will begin when we are placed in Phase 3 of the MI Safe Start Plan. We will continue distance learning until we have moved to Phase 4 of the MI Safe Start Plan. We will observe our school calendar during this time and will not have distance learning on days we are already scheduled to be off of school, unless otherwise stated by the administration of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish School. In the event that distance learning occurs until the end of an academic school year, please look to the school administration to state when the last day of distance learning will take place, as this may not coincide with the scheduled last day of school.

eLearning Pledge

In his message for the 48th World Communications Day, Pope Francis said that technology is a “Gift from God.” The Pope challenged the Church to use this tool to promote the faith, asking how communication can “be at the service of an authentic culture of encounter?”

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish School is committed to academic honesty and integrity with its eLearning community. In order to foster one’s intellectual and character development, independent thought, and respect for the thoughts of others must take place. All forms of cheating, plagiarism, disruption, or inappropriate conduct are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Parents will be notified if there is a discipline issue with a student. We use information and technology in safe, legal, and responsible ways.

Scholar’s eLearning Pledge

1. I pledge to seek the truth and to love all that is good and beautiful.

2. I will strive to achieve clarity of thought, nobility of character and purity of heart.

3. I will pursue my education with diligence, humility, and sincerity; embracing excellence and renouncing mediocrity, and encourage others to do the same.

4. I will treat my teachers and peers with the utmost dignity and respect in all of my communications.

5. I will honor myself and my family by giving my best effort daily, in my school work and contributing at home.

6. I will honor God by developing the gifts He has given me, completing my own work to the best of my ability.

7. Above all, I will aspire to the wisdom of a life lived in faith, hope, and charity; fulfilling my destiny as a child of God.

Tartan eLearning Online Etiquette Guidelines

As an online student, communication is a bit different than in a face-to-face setting. We pride ourselves in providing several opportunities for social interactions, but the difference is that most communication is via written text in an online environment. Because this means you are missing body language cues and immediate feedback from your “listener,” it is very important to understand some common rules for good online etiquette. This ensures that the message you intend to convey is received correctly.

1. Be respectful. While it is easier to say hurtful or disrespectful things without standing face-to-face with someone, it is important to remember that your classmates and teachers are real people who are affected by the words you say and write. It is essential to keep in mind the feelings and opinions of others, even if they differ from your own. If you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, don’t say it online either.

2. Be aware of strong language, all caps, and exclamation points. It is easy for written text to be misread and misunderstood. Have you ever sent a text message with good intent but your recipient thought you were being rude? If so, then you’ve experienced this firsthand. By being cognizant of strong language, you can identify potential confusions before sending messages. Tip: Read everything out loud before you send it.

3. Be careful with humor and sarcasm. Certainly, you shouldn’t avoid being funny. We love to see your personality shine through in online classes. Many of our teachers are exceptionally funny too. As mentioned in Rule #2, make sure that it is clear you are being funny and not being rude. Emoticons and smileys can be helpful when conveying humor or sarcasm so that it is read correctly. Just remember to keep the smiley faces away from academic papers.

4. Yes, grammar and spelling matter. While texting, textspeak can b gr8 4 ur friends. In an educational setting (even online) however, keep it formal. Your written communication should be professional and reflect proper writing style. Save written shortcuts and less than stellar grammar for parent-approved social media, if you must, but follow grammar rules for school.

5. Cite your sources. Whenever you are sharing an idea that originated from someone else (even if it is not word for word), it is good practice to cite that source. This applies to discussion forums too. If you read a great thought in your text, share it, but be sure you let your audience know where you saw it first.

6. Don’t post or share (even privately) inappropriate material. Enough said there. Nothing is truly private online.

7. Be forgiving. Remember that not everyone will know these rules before posting. Try to be understanding of others when they struggle with written communication. It is very different from simply talking to a person face-to-face.

8. Consider others’ privacy. Ask for permission if you want to forward someone’s email messages to third parties. Keep in mind that all private email mail is considered copyrighted by the original author.

9. Think before you hit the send button. Think carefully about the content of your message before contributing it. Once sent to the group, there is no taking it back. Grammar and spelling errors reflect on you, and your audience might not be able to decode misspelled words or poorly constructed sentences.

10. Brevity is best. Be as concise as possible when contributing to a discussion. Your points might be missed if hidden in a flood of text.

11. Stick to the point. Contributions to a discussion should stick to the subject. Don’t waste others’ time by going off on irrelevant tangents.

12. Do not type in all caps. Typing in caps is considered shouting or screaming online. Various studies on the topic reflect that it is more difficult and takes longer to read text that is typed in all caps.

13. Frivolous email. Don’t forward jokes, “chain letters” or unimportant email to other students without their permission. Not only does it fill up their mailboxes but may offend people who do not share the same sense of humor or who are tired of these types of email.

Tartan eLearning Expectations

● Pray! First and foremost, we need your prayers and the prayers of your family. Make it a priority to connect with God during these times to feed your spiritual growth and deepen your relationship with our Lord and Savior.

● Remember you are not “at home” during eLearning but “in school”. Your job is to learn. This is an opportunity to learn a new skill set and grow in responsibility in this new model of learning.

●Adhere to the STA Handbook and eLearning pledge.

● Set up a workspace and daily schedule.

● Complete and submit your work on time.

● Do your own work, not relying on the work of others to help you grow in your academics.

● Continue on your path to successfully completing this school year by striving for academic excellence and earning grades in order to complete your current grade level.

● Do your own work.

● School policies for homework and academic integrity still pertain – please see the STA Handbook.

● Communicate if you have any questions or concerns and please ask for help if you need it. We are here to support each of you.

● Be considerate of others in online discussions.

● Follow STA’s casual dress policies when attending live sessions in Zoom or Google Hangouts.

● Continue to follow your school’s Technology Use Policy and be exceptional digital citizens.

● Remain patient and hopeful knowing your teachers are doing all they can to move your education forward.

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