As many of you know, several local schools are canceling Monday, April 8 due to the eclipse. St. Michael School is going to be in session. The eclipse itself, is not supposed to be in view until around 1:50 pm. To avoid confusion and so children can get home to view the eclipse, we will dismiss school at 1:30 pm, so no one will be on the road during the eclipse, and everyone has a chance to get to a location to watch it. The SMS bus will run that day. As far as I know the Georgetown bus will run as well. There will be no Ripley bus.
We really wanted to have the opportunity to view the eclipse at school, but the timing of the eclipse creates a logistical issue. Despite looking at several options, we believe this is the most responsible option, with the least amount of confusion.
We have purchased eclipse viewing glasses for every student. They will be sent home with children on Monday, at the end of the day so you can check out the eclipse at home safely.
If there are any children who legitimately want to watch the eclipse, but have no one to go with at 1:30 to be able to watch it, OR if you are in a difficult spot with transportation, please contact me at andy.arn@stmichaelripley.com, and we will work something out. This isn't something that happens every day, and I will do all I can to help.
If you have any other questions feel free to reach out.