The U.S. House of Representatives could vote soon on legislation governing elements of a schools disciplinary policy and practice.
The bill (HR 4247) would affect all public schools and private schools whose students or teachers benefit from any federal education program (about 80 percent of Catholic schools, for example). The measure represents an unprecedented and unwarranted degree of federal regulation of religious and independent education.
The impact of the earthquake in Haiti will be felt for years, especially in the life of the Catholic Church. The cathedral, many parishes, Catholic schools and other church buildings have been destroyed. Pastoral programs will also need to be rebuilt so that the Church in Haiti will continue to be a place of sacramental life.
I took a few minutes to comment about my dividends for a lifetime from my Catholic education. My Catholic education brought me and my family...
When our family first toured St. John the Baptist in anticipation of sending our daughter to kindergarten, we were immediately impressed how...
Making the decision about your child’s education will be one of the most important decisions you will have to make for your child. It will...
Cardinal Pacelli School is recognized for its welcoming atmosphere, foundation in faith and excellence in education. A National Blue Ribbon School, Pacelli is known for its Technology, Fine Arts, and Foreign Language programs.
During 2009-10, Cardinal Pacelli School made significant investments to further integrate technology into the daily curriculum. 90 computers, 25 tablet computers and 32 netbooks are used daily by students. 1 in 3 classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards.
Religious education includes a strong focus on service to the community. Pacelli also offers a full compliment of athletic activities, after-care and enrichment programs.
Open Houses are held annually in November and January. Registrations are accepted year-round and prospective families can tour the school by appointment.
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As Mrs. McGowan's principal the past 15 years, I have witnessed her almost magical ability to turn reluctant readers into bookies, weak writers into budding authors, and insecure adolescents into confident young adults.
It is not often that I am surprised by a request for classroom materials from Mrs. McGowan. About eight years ago, she asked for a portable stage. I should have not been surprised. This is the teacher who has students sit under their desks to read Number the Stars (to set the tone of the life of a Jewish teenager hiding during the Holocaust). This is the teacher whose hat collection brings character after character to life in junior high literature.
One morning last spring, I was in the building early and was startled to hear the sound of excited conflict echoing through the halls. In near panic, I ran to see what was happening only to find Mrs. McGowan coaching students for an upcoming speech contest. This is classic McGowan. She brings passion out in her students and gives them the opportunity to shine. She was the driving force in instituting a speech contest for all the 6-7 and 8th graders in the local Catholic grade school. Over 400 students participate each spring.
Mrs. McGowan brings the best out in our students. Having students with a wide range of abilities (87 of our students have identified disabilities) has motivated Mrs. McGowan to design her lessons to allow each student's talents to be stretched. A good example is her "Talking Statues" project on biographies. Some students have challenging biographies to read, speeches to memorize, and costumes to create on their own. Particular students, like one of her students with Down Syndrome, were guided through developmentally appropriate text, helped with costumes, and given an assistant "producer" to use cue cards for presentations. During a project where her students made marionettes to teach their "little reading buddies" an objective out of the second grade religion curriculum, Mrs. McGowan cleverly asked her student with autism (along with ODD, ADHD, and bipolar disorder) to be the emcee. He loved it and did a great job!
Career days, talking statues, puppet shows, debates, and speeches are all woven into a rigorous routine of vocabulary building, writing drills, study of genres, and English. Mrs. McGowan not only makes learning fun, she gets results. Parent and student satisfaction surveys indicate nothing but the highest remarks and, by popular demand, I make sure as many students as possible can have her for a teacher during their career here. Her success with promoting student achievement is evidenced in our standardized test scores. The mean reading national percentile of our eighth graders is 87. This is 37 points higher than the national average of 50!
Mrs. McGowan has modeled effective teaching practices as well as her Catholic faith in our community for over thirty-four years.
98% of Catholic high school students graduate
98% of Class of 2009 continued their education
64% of Class of 2009 received scholarships, in excess of $173 million
75% of Catholic elementary students enter a Catholic high school
