Preschool & Kindergarten

It’s challenging to summarize what 2021 was like for St. Andrew’s Preschool & Kindergarten. The year included the end of the 2020 school year, which in many ways felt triumphant and hopeful. 2021 also included the beginning of this current school year, which has so far presented more obstacles than triumphs and more weariness than hope. This isn’t to say that the past year was bad or without God’s presence. I just feel compelled to share the truth of what it is like to be a Preschool and Kindergarten in the midst of a pandemic, and the truth is that it is incredibly hard to do the work that our teachers and school staff do each day. But this hard work is quite possibly more necessary now than ever.

SPRING SEMESTER OF 2021 The Spring Semester of 2021 started with our teachers working remotely from home. Thanks to the PPP loans the school received, our teachers and school staff were paid throughout the entire school year, regardless of our ability to open our classrooms.

In late January, our teachers were among the first groups able to be vaccinated. Many of us waited in long lines at Kino Park to receive our vaccines while in our cars. By February we were able to re-open our doors to students. Throughout the semester our teachers wore masks, temperature checked students, and insured that their classrooms were as germ free as possible to protect our students. We were blessed to have no campus spread of COVID19 between students or teachers.

Normally our Spring concludes with Family Nights in the Sanctuary on the SW campus, but this year we opted for a more intimate classroom performance in the Chapel. Parents were invited to join their students for the first time all year on campus. Kids sang songs, received certificates or awards, and for a moment, things felt the way they did before the age of COVID19.

SUMMER 2021 A small group of teachers offered a modified summer program for students. We had approximately 40 students participate in classes ranging from STEM to Art. FALL SEMESTER OF 2021 We started the school year optimistic that we had put much of the threat of COVID19 behind us. Teachers didn’t have to wear masks, and we were able to loosen restrictions placed on parents and students. Within two weeks, a spike in cases forced us to reconsider our change in protocols. While we weren’t forced to go back to the stringent policies of 2020, we did have to let go of the idea that COVID19 wouldn’t impact our daily routines just as much as it did the year before.

In September, we welcomed fire fighters on campus, and we resumed our monthly chapels. Pastor Pete led our students in a sermon on prayer, and Shelly Akins and Heather Brannock have continued to assist as chapel helpers.

In October, we enjoyed a modified version of our school’s book fair that included dressing up as storybook characters. Grandparents were invited to partake in an art project and shop the book fair. They wore masks, and it was a wonderful opportunity for our students to experience a little slice of normal with their grandparents. November and December were filled with Fall and Winter activities. Students enjoyed Friendship Feasts outside with their classmates. Santa came for a visit, and our students brought donations for Young Lives to put under the tree at our Christmas Chapel.

NOW At the time of my writing, it’s now January. We’ve been in school for two weeks. We’ve had to close down three classrooms. We’ve had as many as 75 teachers and children out of school due to possible and confirmed COVID spread. I’ve spent a couple nights driving around looking for rapid tests because the health department doesn’t have any to offer. We are down to one sub, and our entire staff is now covering multiple positions at any given time.

We are not unique in the hardships we’re facing. Our entire teaching community is experiencing the same challenges that we are.

Please pray for not just our teachers and staff at St. Andrew’s, but for all educators across Pima County. The work we’re doing now is harder than it ever has been, but it has also never been more necessary.

With Joy, Corey Planer, School Director

nominating committee

The Nominating Committee is a committee of the congregation. Article IV of the Bylaws of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church establishes the composition and task of the committee. The committee is elected annually at the Congregational Meeting and has the responsibility of providing candidates to serve as Deacons, Ruling Elders, and Trustees. This year the committee was tasked in finding six Deacons, four Ruling Elders, and four Trustees. The slate of candidates was presented to the congregation in October. Members of the Nominating Committee included: Judy Markham, Moderator; Katie Vidal, Session Representative; Matt Sexton, Deacon Representative; Larry Allen, Trustee Representative; and Members-at-Large: Toby Drakulich, Marilee Fitzgerald, Chris Markley, Mary Beth Spiece, Freeman Taber, Mike Thompson; and Mat Grover, ex-officio.