Superintendent Letter Around ADAPP Resources for Families 3/25/20

March 25, 2020
The Feast of the Annunciation

Dear Catholic School Families,

Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York have the most dedicated principals, teachers and staff in education today. By now you and your child(ren) have been introduced to the faith home-based learning program that our educators have created and will continue to deliver until our students return on April 20 ^th.

In providing a faith based academically superior education, we are committed to teaching the  whole child; addressing the spiritual, intellectual, physical and emotional needs of our students. Never in recent history has our mission been more critical! We are blessed to be your partners in this work; most especially, we rely on the guidance counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals at the Archdiocese of New York Drug Abuse Prevention Program (ADAPP).

During this stressful and uncertain time, while many are struggling with how to manage day to day activities and adjust to a new "normal", ADAPP will provide supports in a variety of ways. These include the attached resources for parents/teachers and caregivers to use with their families, and direct access for parents and students to our qualified staff.
During this time, ADAPP will be offering  brief mental health phone consultations and support to parents who have concerns about their child(ren) and refer them, as appropriate, to additional resources. To participate in this program, please email  [email protected].

We also know that there are other challenges that face our families, which is why we have partnered with Catholic Charities of NY as well as ADAPP to provide you information on community benefit and social justice programs. Many of these programs are available for all, regardless of income so we encourage you to be screened for these services. You can download the FIND HELP- NEW YORK catholic charities app on your iPhone or android or visit  https://catholiccharitiesny.org/find-help. You can also send an email to  [email protected].
  
For all emails please type in the subject section the name of the school your child attends, their grade and the city in which the school is located. In the email, please describe your concern so the counselor can be prepared to respond and leave a phone number if you would like a call back.  Every attempt will be made to respond within 24 hours during the hours of 8 am to 4 pm.  **If you have a mental health emergency, please call 911**

Please continue to check our website  www.CatholicSchoolsNY.org as we update it with additional resources on a regular basis. We will continue to lift each other up, be a stronger, more resilient community of faith in the days and months ahead.
 
Sincerely yours,
  Mr. Michael J. Deegan
Superintendent of Schools
Archdiocese of New York