Principal Update
April 7, 2024
Principal's Note
Hello St. C Families,
I hope this finds you well, and that you've had a happy Easter and special week with your children. Working at a school is a face-paced, busy environment....all....the...time. We love this about our profession; however, when breaks come, it is certainly a time we treasure to rest and recharge. With only ten weeks left in the school year, it will be full steam ahead upon our return. We look forward to this time of growth and learning!
Today, the Catholic church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday. While I find this day one of personal prayer and reflection, I couldn't explain it better than our parish has this past week: "The message of The Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us – all of us. And He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy."
The week before break, the St. Catherine Parish Rosary group graciously prepared a lesson for our middle school students in which they learned about Divine Mercy, and prayed together. We continue to be grateful for this dedicated group of volunteers, and the time and energy they give to our students.
Wishing you all a great week ahead!
Warmly,
Kathy Cox
Principal
Social Awakening - Max Stossel
Recently, Max Stossel, Social Awakening CEO and Education Advisor, visited St. Catherine to work with staff, students and parents. Max shared three different presentations, each with thought-provoking messaging about social media use in today's world. With students, Max acknowledged the "magical" nature of internet and social online capabilities, while spending the bulk of their time together helping them understand the challenges that they may be tasked with navigating social media and having an online presence.
Max shared that the most important and impactful thing that schools today can do is to follow the "away for the day" practice. St. Catherine has adhered to this practice for a number of years, recognizing, as Max stated, that kids need a chance to just be--to be in class and focus, to be with friends and navigate conversations, to be bored, to go outside and play and socialize.
With parents, Max shared information that can help guide guide and support our children in navigating the digital world they live in today. While I will attach the resources Max shared for our community, two of his biggest suggestions were to hold off on giving students smart phones prior to 8th grade and to not allow social media accounts until they are 16 years old. As a parent and educator, I found Max's presentation insightful and applicable in navigating the social media world with teens. I hope you are able to dive into the resources linked below, and check out the number one recommended app (One Sec) for adults or teens in helping you take pause and scroll more intentionally.
Solar Eclipse Tomorrow!
Tomorrow's solar eclipse is certainly an incredible learning opportunity! Our science specialist extraordinaire, Ms. Payne, has prepared mini lessons for teachers in grades preschool-5th grade to share with their students. While we would like for all students to witness this first hand, only students in grades 6-8 will be viewing the solar eclipse. They will be doing so with special safety viewing glasses provided generously by Roosevelt Vision. With the unpredictability of younger students possibly not adhering to keeping glasses on while viewing, they will be learning about this inside their classrooms.
Looking forward to this rare learning opportunity!
Partners in the Gospel
New Leadership Announced for our Parish Family (beginning July 1, 2024)
This weekend, parishes shared with parishioners the new leadership assignments for parish families. These assignments will begin July 1, 2024. Please see Archbishop Etienne's letter below for our family's determination.
Drama (and AV) at St. Catherine!
For anyone who had the opportunity to be a part of production, supporting your children in the production, or enjoying the musical as part of the audience, I think we could all shout from the rooftops that Grease was absolutely amazing! Our drama lead teachers, Ava Jones and Clara Cimino, worked tirelessly with students from October to March, to produce our annual musical. For any of you who know these two wonderful individuals, you know they do this with excitement and out of true passion for the arts (and they have a WHOLE lot of fun along the way with students!).
Post production this year, a few parents reached out with great appreciation for the program, while also inquiring about the sound quality of the AV system in the gym. This has been an area we've been aware of for a number of years, as our system is clearly showing signs of aging. This year, we put some money and energy into some improvements. While we indeed noticed a difference, there is certainly still room for improvement.
In my recent Finance Council meeting, we got approval to pursue this endeavor jointly with the parish, as both the church and school will benefit from improvements utilizing Victoria Hall for so many events. If you have any expertise in this field, and would like to work with me on this endeavor, shoot me an email. Thanks!
Mission/Philosophy
St. Catherine of Siena Parish School is a welcoming, Christ-centered community, rooted in the Catholic faith and inspired by Gospel values. As an extension of the parish and with Jesus as our model, we are dedicated to lifelong growth in faith, love, and learning.
We recognize that the care and education of the child begins with the family and that parents are the primary educators of their children. In partnership with parents, we work to promote our students’ achievement and spiritual growth. Together we are committed to developing responsible, ethical leaders who think critically, act justly, communicate effectively, and serve willingly.
Vision
We are committed to providing a faith-filled, inclusive, and welcoming learning environment for all our students. Through our rigorous academic programs, our students will gain the cognitive, technological, and social skills necessary to become ethical, innovative leaders who successfully navigate the complex challenges of today’s world.