CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

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By Sister Joanne Callahan
Diocesan superintendent of schools

On Sunday we begin our annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week around our nation. I love to pass our schools and see visible signs stating that we are celebrating Faith, Academics and Service this year. What does that mean? Why Catholic schools?

We celebrate the fact that we can teach about, discuss and pray to God publicly every day. This is what distinguishes us from other schools. The Catholic faith needs to be taught to our young people; they need to know right from wrong; they need to understand that they are the leaders of tomorrow who will be making important decisions for their families, parish, nation and our world. In our schools, faith is incorporated into every lesson and we help our students become informed leaders committed to Jesus Christ and His Church.

We celebrate that we, like other schools, strive to offer the best academic program possible. Forty-seven states have accepted the new Common Core Standards. Our schools have embraced this national and state agenda too. We are working with our teachers and principals to help them to understand the new standards and to make sure our students are prepared for state tests, but more importantly that they become life-long learners with the skills they will need to succeed in the world.  

I find working with the Common Core Standards fascinating. For example, some of the material currently being taught in grade three will shift down to grades K, one and two or up to grades four and eight. This is new for all teachers across the country and we are providing our teachers the education and support necessary to meet these standards with our students. If you have questions about the Common Core Standards an excellent resource is Engage NY at http://engageny.org/common-core/. The website tells us: “Common Core standards serve as a guidepost for educators — so that we can ensure that every student across New York is on track for college and career success.”

We celebrate the service of our young people who are involved within our communities on Long Island and beyond.  Each week we can see pictures and articles in The Long Island Catholic and local newspapers about the good work being done by the students attending Catholic schools — collecting food for the poor, visiting the elderly, raising money for natural disaster relief around the globe, just to name a few.

People often ask me: “Why should I send my child to a Catholic school?” It is because we are dedicated to all three — Faith, Academics and Service — and parents should look carefully at what our schools have to offer. We do a wonderful job of educating the students in our schools. Our students are a delight. We held a meeting for the Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation (the organization which raises funds to provide scholarships for students in Catholic elementary schools) at one of our schools last week. The students led us in prayer; a seventh-grade student sang a solo of “God Bless America” and then the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students sang “God Bless America” and signed it as well. It reminded me and all of the members of the foundation of why we do what we do on behalf of Catholic education — for the students who are tomorrow’s hope and our hope for a bright, faith-filled future for them, our parishes, our nation and our world.

Come visit a Catholic school next week and see all that we can offer your children. I am so proud of what we do in our classrooms each day. I am grateful to the administrators and teachers who educate the students, and to the pastors, parishioners and donors who support the work in our schools.