1/26/2010

Read about how our faculty and staff incorporate Gospel values into what they do each day, and how that impacts your child.


"Each morning as a class, we begin our day with prayer.  This year in addition to our morning prayers, I have included saying a daily morning intention with the students.  During this time, we pray for members of our families and the community.  Through this important prayer time, the students and I are experiencing praying through formal prayers, sharing thoughts and "talking" to God, and also thanking God for our many blessings.  After we share these prayers and intentions orally, we also have a few moments in which we pray and add our own intentions silently.  I feel it is important to have the time to pray with the students and yet also give each person time to add their own thoughts and intentions in a private way.  We also include in our daily discussions different ways we can assist the community inmaking the world a better place by participating in various activities."

"Working with a special needs student, I am particularly aware of how important it is to instill community and participation with each and every student in the classroom.  Part of my job is to ensure full inclusion for the student, which emphasizes Catholic family for all students.  Each and every student is treated with dignity and respect in the classroom, and we work together for the needs of all.  We modify the curriculum where necessary so that our special needs student is able to feel part of the group and participate in large group activities with the class.  We emphasize a family atmosphere in our classroom."

"In my guidance groups, I discuss topics with the children that reinforce what parents are teaching at home and are also relevant to their daily interactions with each other, both in academic and social settings.  The importance of family in our lives, being contributing members, helping each other, using good manners, being responsible in all areas of your lives and learning how to solve problems all help students recognize the importance of families and their roles within their own families in helping to build stronger communities."

"I spend my day teaching my students many different concepts.  Some of the most important concepts I teach are not found in a textbook.  These concepts include teaching the value of prayer, helping others and including others in their play.  In our classroom, we engage in prayer in the morning, before lunch and at the end of the day.  At the beginning of the day, I allow my students to share special intentions with the entire class.  This shows that the students are participating in the needs of others.  Also, my students are assigned jobs to help others in the classroom each day.  My students are learning the importance of giving to others.  They feel good when they are complimented by me or by another student.  By holding my students accountable for sharing special intentions and helping others in the classroom, they are showing how they are called to participate in their families and communities."

"Within each of my classes, I hold high expectations for the exhibit of respect, honor and appreciation among my students.  In addition, I always try to reflect these characteristics myself, so that my students are also constantly reminded that I am here to help them on their paths, not just academically, but spiritually and emotionally."

"As a junior high teacher, I try to teach my students that we are all connected as humans.  We depend on others for almost all aspects of our lives.  I attempt to instill in my students the importance of our relationships, especially in the classroom.  In my classroom, we respect and support each other.  This is shown in our actions and our words.  I tell my seventh and eighth graders that our relationships with others are extremely important.  We can learn from one another, we can help one another, and we can grow with one another."

"I help the children understand the importance and power of prayer.  They soon realize you do not need a religion book to discuss God.  We stop everything we are doing when a siren is heard or a funeral passes by the school building.  Each child stops and prays for those in our community who need prayers.  When things are lost we pray to St. Anthony.  Our papers are sometimes headed with JMJ+ which means we are praying to the Holy Family.  These prayers are then passed on by the children to their families."