Bishop Maginn High School, a refuge for inner-city and refugee children, opened today after months of chaos and confusion and back-breaking work by the teachers and staff.

Thanks to you – the Army Of Good – the school is as safe as possible, meeting every possible request by parents and city and state health officials.

We supported four separate Amazon Wish Lists, starting all the way back to June to make sure the school had all of the labels, masks, protective screens, cots, medical equipment, and laptops necessary.

We purchased the equipment for a medical emergency room where sick students can be isolated, treated, and sent home.

We recently bought $1,000 worth of special masks that don’t fog up glasses or restrict the breathing of asthmatic students, who can now come to school.

We bought a disinfectant fogger and enough spray for six months.

Sue Silverstein sent me this photo of Principal Mike Tolan explaining to the new students – there are many – what the new safety rules and procedures are.

She said the students reacted wonderfully to the radically new environment.

“It’s surreal, but the kids are troopers about it all,” said Sue.

So far, it looks like they have all the safety equipment they need. I want to replenish the healthy breakfast snack program we authorized in the Spring; all of the snacks were sent out during the pandemic’s first weeks.

I’m still providing gift cards to the few families requesting them, and I’d like to begin replenishing the snacks – for many kids in the school, that was their only breakfast.

You can buy the gift cards here in any amount – please send them to me, Jon Katz, at 2502 State Route 22, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. You can also buy gift cards from Wal-Mart, where many refugee families shop for groceries and personal items such as toiletries and soap.

I send them to Sue Silverstein as needed, and she distributes them as requested.

If any of you don’t wish to purchase these cards online directly, you can send a contribution to me via Paypal, [email protected], or by check Jon Katz, Refugee Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

I’ll be happy to do it for you.

People can also send contributions to me directly if you prefer, same addresses as above.

Thank you so much.

About 40 students are learning virtually, for health or other reasons. We aren’t sure what their needs might be; the school and the teachers will figure it out. Thanks so much for your support. The school could not have opened up without you.

I can’t visit the school, especially not before my heart surgery on the 24th, not for a few weeks afterward. Zinnia can visit, and I hope to start dropping her off with Sue.

Zinnia is doing her therapy work at the Mansion without me; she knows what to do.

That is not something I expected, but I am very happy about it. I miss the school visits and talking to the students, but we are figuring out how to help them anyway.