The team has to love what they are doing and understand in a lived way what they are trying to convey. Rather, "the Catholic school sets out to be a school for the human person and of human persons.". The students come to assume that the parents are collectively “in the know” about what goes on at school. Teachers, administrators, bishops, parents, and school-board members would all take part in the review. As facilitators of learning, teachers must help their students embody these principles through engagement, integrated curriculum, and differentiated instruction. Since 1975, more than 30 percent of Catholic schools have been closed, denying families of this exceptional option and burdening local school districts with a sudden infusion of displaced and discouraged students. // Custom Javascript here... Social Media & Directions & Online Giving, © 2020 St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Facility Scheduling & Fundraising Guidelines, Sacrament of First Eucharist/First Holy Communion, Prayer Page & information about the Prayer Line, Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time. Theirs is a supernatural calling and not simply the exercise of a profession. Some schools we work with have called this a kind of Renaissance model for student fulfillment, encouraging students to explore and experiment joyfully to discover their gifts and true passions. This concern ensures that the student is seen as a person whose intellectual growth is harmonized with spiritual, religious, emotional, and social growth. T. S. Eliot puts it just right: "Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? . But this is precisely what makes successful Catholic schools utterly unique, and well worth paying for. Given the political dynamics of this debate, the role of philanthropy is to enrich the value proposition by ensuring equity and access for all who seek this extraordinary experience for their children, regardless of ability to pay. . Spirituality in the Catholic school is a search for God. A fourth distinctive characteristic of … They promote solidarity, mutual enhancement, and joint responsibility in the educational plan, and, above all, they give an explicit Christian testimony. As they pass through our program, we want each student to meet a teacher along the way who is similar in personality and style to themselves. Pope John Paul II reminded a group of American bishops during their 2004 ad limina visit: It is of utmost importance, therefore, that the Church's institutions be genuinely Catholic: Catholic in their self-understanding and Catholic in their identity. It is he who, through his Incarnation, is united with each student. The members of the outgoing 8th grade class anoint the hands of the 7th graders with blessed oil. What does this mean? can ambassador to other parents. In the United States, various accrediting agencies monitor the institutional effectiveness of schools' educational activities. Social and Emotional well-being is recognised as fundamental to success in learning and life. Yet, that is what they are asked to do in a Catholic school.”. Suspicion is seeded and resentment spreads. And what makes Catholicism distinct from most other Christian sects and other religions or philosophies is that it considers itself to be solidly grounded in reason. The Catholic school is part of the mission of the Church to build up the kingdom of God, to make society more just, to create a civilization of love. We have learned that it is essential that the members of the parish community continually be kept informed of the personnel working in the school, the kinds of programming it provides, and the innovations that take place as the school grows. the pressing challenge of clearly identifying the aims of Catholic education, and applying proper methods in Catholic elementary and secondary education. This, however, does not mean that they have license to interfere with classroom organization and management, or the content of the curriculum. Our school is not “a drain on our parish resources.” We stopped saying that our school is More than 7,000 Catholic schools are educating upwards of 2.3 million students annually. The interview has three parts: 1) a conversation about the collected results of the survey, 2) a plea for his/her willingness to prepare for leadership, and 3) a shared moment of prayer in which we ask God to help the student recognize the gifts he or she has that will help build up our school. Catholic schools are welcoming to all who seek to share their life and wish to entrust their children’s future to Catholic schools because of their explicit goals and acknowledged educational quality. These might or might not be marked by warmth and friendship, depending on the concrete situation. 3 in The Holy See's Teaching on Catholic Schools (Atlanta: Sophia Institute Press, 2006): 17-63. He cowrote this article with the Faith Integration Committee of the Diocese of Green. Papal interventions and Roman documents repeatedly emphasize that certain characteristics must be present for a school to be considered authentically Catholic. We also want them to meet teachers different in personality and style than themselves and learn to work with them. div.hungryfeed_item_author {}
For young Catholics, such instruction embraces both teaching the truths of the faith and fostering its practice. “Therefore all in the Church, whether they belong to the hierarchy or are care it, are called to holiness …”, , 39). To fulfill their responsibility of speaking about the Father, educators in Catholic schools, with very few exceptions, should be practicing Catholics who are committed to the Church and living her sacramental life. Families and children become the victims of every Catholic school closure. The Catholic philosophy of education has always paid special attention to the quality of interpersonal relations in the school community, especially those between teachers and students. div.hungryfeed_item {margin-bottom: 10px;}
Catholic school graduates are a leaven in society, helping the broader community to be the best that it can be. Finally, it proposes Christ, Incarnate Son of God and perfect Man, as both model and means; to imitate him is, for all men and women, the inexhaustible source of personal and communal perfection. The organization and management of learning environments is the province of the principal and faculty. After a certain point in an establishment oriented school, change and innovative progress completely shut down. A third mark of catholicity is the emphasis on the school as a community – a community of persons and, even more to the point, "a genuine community of faith." All this says nothing more than the words from the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, so frequently quoted by Pope John Paul II: "It is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear. At the same time, we have much yet to discover and learn. Long Range (Five to Seven Years) Planning is essential. Our schools recognise and value parents as the first educators of their child and work in close partnership with families to develop young men and women who will become constructive and compassionate members of society. Fluency with the Catechism of the Catholic Church is essential for everyone working in a Catholic school, but especially for the faculty. There are no comments on this blog entry. When they return in the Fall as the 8th grade leaders of the school, they are reminded at every opportunity of their role as leaders and that they are a vital part of the school’s administrative team. Learning in the Catholic school is a means to bring students to Christ. It calls for the fullest development of all that is human, because we have been made masters of the world by its Creator. Such a "Catholic" accreditation process would involve an internal review of the five benchmark indicators – as well as others that could be developed. The difference is that when we determine eligibility for the Parishioner Tuition Rate we never look at how much money they give. If a Catholic school is to deliver on its promise to provide students with an integral education, it must foster love for wisdom and truth, and must integrate faith, culture, and life. DSHA requires its students to complete a full credit of service before graduation. Even those who in the end might not particularly like the way it’s going to get done, get behind it anyway because it is clearly seen that this is what needs to be done and what people want to do.