Welcome to Catholic Schools Week! This is a time to celebrate the gift of Catholic education in North Idaho at Holy Family Catholic School! We have an exciting week of faith-filled, fun activities planned; it is going to be a joyful week.

On Monday, we celebrate our creativity and trust in God. We will be focusing on our theme song for this year: My Feet are on the Rock, by I am They. We’ve all had a crazy 12 months…and we are standing firm with our faith in God. Student Council will be leading some fun and creative activities for our classes.

Tuesday is Friendship day and we are dressing as dynamic duos. We will be showing our school pride by decorating our classroom doors!

Wednesday is Priest Appreciation Day. We will be praying for and spoiling our amazing priests: Fr. Timothy Ritchey, Fr. Francisco Flores, Fr. John Mosier, and Fr. Antony Chinnabathini!

Thursday is Book Bonanza Day! We’re going to dress in comfy clothes and read, read, read!

Friday, we’re celebrating our school spirit! We will also join the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise’s Catholic School Mass, celebrated by Bishop Peter Christensen. Technology is uniting us in this incredible celebration!

We are so very fortunate at Holy Family Catholic School to have wonderful support from our parents, volunteers, benefactors, priests, and parishes. Thank you, North Idaho, for the gift of Holy Family Catholic School! Thank you for your prayers and intercessions, thank you for your support, and thank you for trusting us with the gift of your children to nurture and to educate. It is a privilege that we treasure every day.

Happy Catholic Schools Week!

…for Catholic Schools Week! Our student council is hard at work creating a week that is fun, exciting, and that celebrates our Catholic Identity at Holy Family Catholic School! This is a fun time for students…as well as an important time for us as a school community.

HFCS is the only Catholic school in the northern Deanery of Idaho. We are in full communion with Rome and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise. We are fully accredited through the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA), which is a rigorous and data driven process. We were founded by parents and adhere to the Catholic Church’s position that the parents are the primary and most important educators of their children. We are here to help support parents and to “promote excellence in education–both spiritually and academically–for the whole person, thereby nourishing the gifts uniquely given to each by God.”

Catholic Schools Week also launches our 2021-2022 registration season! Family registration begins on Monday, February 1st. We are also launching our new enrollment campaign: #beahawk! Open registration begins on March 8th; now is a great time to explore what HFCS has to offer and #beahawk!

Please continue to pray for us as we journey toward Catholic Schools Week.

Go Hawks!

Holy Family Catholic School enjoys the patronage of extraordinarily powerful and holy individuals: the Blessed Mother, who is incomparable in her goodness and holiness; Jesus, who is GOD; and Saint Joseph, who led, protected, nurtured, and loved the Holy Family throughout his life and beyond.

Pope Francis has dedicated this year as the Year of St. Joseph. You can read his Apostolic Letter here. I am so excited for this Year of St. Joseph; not only are there graces to be gained through a devotion to him, he is the Terror of Demons, Protector of the Holy Church–and our special patron as a member of the Holy Family. (Seriously…Terror of Demons…how cool is that?)

During the early part of 2020 and through the March shutdown, my brother and I completed Fr. Donald Calloway’s Consecration to St. Joseph. I highly recommend the book and the consecration; it’s a way to learn more about this amazing man who “[a]t the end of every account in which [he] plays a role, the Gospel tells us that he gets up, takes the child and his mother, and does what God commanded him” (Pope Francis, 2020).

We have a unique opportunity this year to learn about St. Joseph, to ask for his powerful intercession, and to grow closer to Christ by growing closer to his Earthly father. Take the time and opportunity to let St. Joseph into your family life. We will be doing so here at HFCS!

Pope Francis ended his Apostolic Letter with a prayer that I would like to share here:

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.

Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.

St. Joseph, Terror of Demons, pray for us!

Dear HFCS Community,

On 10/15/2020, Panhandle Health moved Kootenai County to the “Orange Zone” due to increased transmission of COVID-19. The CDA School Board is having a special meeting on Monday, 10/19/2020, to discuss their plans. In the spring of 2020, Holy Family Catholic School followed the lead of the CDA school district; we didn’t know as much about COVID-19 and mitigation strategies and were encouraged by the Diocese to follow the lead of the local school district.  Since then, HFCS has created a COVID-19 task force, trained in contact tracing, and learned much about COVID-19 mitigation strategies.  We have been empowered by the Diocese to make our own decisions, independent of the local school district, based on our community’s needs and numbers.  This led to the HFCS Reopening Plan; an updated copy is posted on our website at https://hfcs-cda.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HFCS-2020-21-Full-Open-Model-1.pdf.

The HFCS COVID-19 team met after Panhandle Health made its announcement.  We reviewed our plan and our current status and are NOT changing our instructional plan at this time.  We will continue to offer in-person learning at HFCS five days per week.  The team and I will continue to monitor the situation as it applies to our school and will continue to assess the best path forward.  This means that, even if the CDA district returns to hybrid or distance learning plans, we are not at this time.

Please continue your excellent work of keeping our students safe by adhering to social distancing strategies, the mask mandate, and keeping sick children home.  We’re all in this together, and we can keep each other safe if we continue to care for one another through our actions.  I will continue to keep you posted as the COVID-19 situation progresses in Kootenai County and the State of Idaho.

If you have any questions, please email us at office@hfcs-cda.org.  This is our new office email; it is checked daily, no matter who is scheduled to be in the office any given day. Stay safe, HFCS!

This week is our annual SUCCESS phonathon! We have a team of dedicated callers and clerical support who are diligently working to raise critical funds for our school. Thank you to all who have contributed to our SUCCESS campaign and all those who are donating time, talent, and snacks to our phonathon and other areas of SUCCESS! You are appreciated!

If you haven’t donated yet, don’t worry; there’s plenty of time to show your support for HFCS! An easy way to donate is through this very website. Just follow this link: https://hfcs.schoolauction.net/success/give. Thank you for your support!

This is our first week back in person with all students, all five days. It has been a joyful reunion and I’m so proud of our students for their diligence in following our protocols so we can all be safe.

Dear HFCS Community,

Welcome back to Holy Family Catholic School!  I was just reading my back to school message from last year and reflecting on all that’s transpired in the last 12 months.  Wow!  It’s really incredible that we find ourselves where we are today…and to ponder the events that led us here.  Regardless, whether you are a returning family or new to our school, I pray that you and your students have a blessed, exciting, faith-forming and fun-filled school year. 

Even in our uncertain times, HFCS is committed to providing the best possible educational environment for all students—and we will support our teachers in ensuring that they have the tools and support that they need to be successful!  We are taking our time getting into the swing of school because it’s important for our students.  We are going to use this time to assess and gather data so that we can tailor our instruction to each child’s strengths and weaknesses.  We will provide “excellence in education—both spiritually and academically—for the whole person, thereby nourishing the gifts uniquely given to each by God.”

We’ve done a lot of work to keep our students, staff, and teachers safe this school year.  Thank you for complying with our requests and requirements and understanding that we are implementing precautions not out of fear, but out of respect and love.

I’m very excited for this school year.  I’m anticipating a year full of faith, growth, excitement, and engagement!  Let’s make this the best year HFCS has ever seen!  Go Hawks!

Dear HFCS Community,

I really cannot believe that it is the last week of July!  I can’t say that I’m enjoying the super-warm weather, but I am so thankful for the technology that brings us air conditioning! 

We have a lot going on at HFCS, trying to prepare for the new school year and navigate best practices to keep our students, faculty, and staff safe.  This post is intended to give you a brief outline of our plans.  A more complete document is on its way, pending approval from Panhandle Health and the Diocese of Boise.

Although we are hoping to begin the school year fully open on September 2^nd, we also must plan for the different scenarios that the pandemic may throw at us between now and then—and beyond.  We have three different educational opportunities that we are planning for the 2020-2021 school year:

1. Full Open:  A full open schedule will see us in the school every day.  There will be social distancing and hand washing protocols in place and we will be adhering to the Panhandle Health mask mandate.  I do not foresee students wearing masks all day; only when they cannot be safely socially distanced.  Teachers will be asked to structure their classrooms so that students can work at their desks without masks.  Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols will be in place.
2. Hybrid Open:  A hybrid schedule will have students physically in the school building on alternating days.  Families will be assigned to “A” days or “B” days.  On your designated days, your students will attend school physically while the other group works at home.  Teachers will live stream classes daily for students working at home.  Specials will be on the days students are physically at school (so both A and B groups will have music and PE on their days at school).  Social distancing, masks, cleaning protocols, etc., will still be in place.
3. Distance Learning:  This option can happen for two reasons:  1) The school is closed for a short time pending a COVID investigation and/or due to uncontrolled community spread and 2) if parents/guardians are uncomfortable with the physical risks at HFCS and wish their students to attend HFCS virtually.  Teachers will be live stream classes daily for students who are at home, whether for quarantine or by choice.

Right now, we all have a part to play in making the school year a success.  Our children will follow our leads and need to know that—while this isn’t a perfect situation—it is the scenario under which we are allowed to be together again!  We all have to sacrifice a little to make HFCS a safe place for us all.  Please practice mask wearing and handwashing hygiene with your child(ren) before the start of the school year.  

All of these precautions are really a social work of mercy:  we are trying to not only stay safe ourselves, but also to keep those around us healthy and safe.  There are many diverging views and opinions; I am confident that we can come together as a community and do what’s best for our children and our school.

Please take care and stay safe!

Many blessings,

Bridgit Arkoosh, Principal