Uniquely Jesuit, Independent, Coeducational

Office of the Headmaster

980 Park Avenue • New York, NY 10028-0805

Telephone: 212.288.3522 • Fax: 212.861.1021 • Website: www.loyola-nyc.org

November 2, 2012 Dear Loyola Families, Mr. Oroszlany and I hope that this letter finds you and your entire family safe. The events of the past few days have presented us with tremendous challenges, and we know that a number of Loyola families are still grappling with significant difficulties. Many are without power, some are displaced from their homes and apartments, and some have suffered substantial damages as a result of the storm’s wind, rain, and floods. Please let us know if there is some way that we can be of help in the coming days. Loyola is a strong community and we will all be there for one another during this time of recovery. Fr. Paredes celebrated Mass yesterday in the Loyola Chapel on the occasion of All Saints Day, and those who were able to join him – Mr. Oroszlany, Ms. Diaz-Imbelli, Ms. Cupillari and I – prayed with him for the Loyola community and for everyone who is feeling the effects of the storm. Loyola did not suffer any flooding or damage and did not lose power. In consultation with Mr. Oroszlany and the other members of our administrative team, I have determined that we are ready to reopen for classes on Monday, November 5th. We will resume, as scheduled, with a “Day 5.” Our cafeteria service, Cater To You, assures us that they will be fully operational. Of course, transportation to school continues to be an issue. Our primary concern is for the safety of our students – your sons and daughters. If you do not believe that your son or daughter is able to get to school safely, please do not let him or her come in. We will be doing our best to coordinate the posting of instructional materials and assignments on the “Moodle” course pages, so that students can try to keep up with some school work from home if they cannot get in – and if they have access to the Internet. For those who have a safe option for transportation into school, it is likely that there will be delays – detoured routes, slower trains, longer commute times, etc. Your son or daughter should try to take these possible delays into account and allow a bit of extra time for transportation so that he or she can arrive at school for the normal starting time. Please know, however, that should a student arrive late because of transportation delays, “Ms. Coop” will, of course, temper justice with mercy – no JUG will be assigned for such circumstances. A great many of our teachers have posted some instructional material and assignments on their “Moodle” course pages, in the hopes that between now and Monday, students might be able to make some forward progress in the curriculum. But with the loss of five days of classes and the inability of many to do much work over the past few days, I have also asked teachers to be flexible with deadlines for already assigned work. In addition, we will extend the first marking period by one full cycle: the first quarter will end on Wednesday, November 14. Because of this extension, we will most likely not be able to mail out the report cards until just after the Thanksgiving recess.

We have not made a decision yet regarding the timing of the second quarter estimates, which would impact the timing of the Parent/Teacher Conferences scheduled for December 6, but it seems likely that we will need to adjust these dates. In addition, in order to reclaim some of the lost instructional time, it is possible that we will have regular classes on some of the days that had been allocated to “Faculty In-Service Days” on the school calendar. I will keep you posted as we make these decisions. Mr. Oroszlany looks forward to greeting many of your sons and daughters on the front steps of Loyola on Monday morning, and I look forward to seeing them in the stands at morning assembly. Please know that we understand the need to be flexible and adaptable in the coming days, and know that you are in our prayers. God bless!

James Lyness Headmaster