MIND, HEART AND SOUL

FALL 2018

CLASS UPGRADES

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR: Students and parents have put vacation mode behind them. As they return to the classrooms, there are some exciting developments in store. The Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of New York continue to report rising test scores and a consistent record of outperforming the public-school alternatives – but teachers and administrators are not resting on their laurels. Here’s some of what’s in store for 2018-19.

HERE COME THE ROBOTS!

This fall, kindergarteners at Catholic schools in eight counties are meeting Dash and Dot, two spherical blue robots who will help them develop their computational thinking skills. Using a tablet-based program, students will learn to control the robots, giving them tasks and mapping out routes for them, then estimating the positions of Dash and Dot at particular points in time; they’ll even pick up some basic coding skills in the process. Over the summer, teachers and administrators were trained in the use of the robots: “Dash and Dot are so responsive,” one teacher said. “It’s a great tool to get students’ attention.” The program was developed in partnership with St. John’s University.

THE GOOD SIDE OF TESTING

Assessment tests are not nearly as fun as little blue robots, but the NWEA MAP assessments, introduced into archdiocesan schools last year, are going to pay off for students and families in the long run. The results of tests in language, math and reading will enable teachers and administrators to look at specific students’ results to see how they’re doing on mastery of key concepts and operations.

“Let’s say Bobby was out sick for a month and never mastered some specific skills in an earlier grade,” says Susan Miller, assistant superintendent for curriculum and staff development in the archdiocesan schools. “In the old days, our assessments gave us only a generalized picture of student performance. MAP allows us to target students for help in specific areas where they may have missed something.”

It’s all part of a blended learning program that uses technology to differentiate learning for individual students based on what they have or have not mastered. “This way, students do not need to struggle because they’re missing some piece of the puzzle. It lets us figure out what piece they’re missing and deliver it to them.”

SPECIAL HELP

“Not every child learns in the same way,” says Eileen Murtha, special education director for Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York. “In the archdiocese, there are more than 4,300 students with special needs. All of our schools welcome special needs children, and most have services from their local public school districts, but we wanted to try putting our own teachers and providers in there so that we could tailor the services and deliver a more Catholic education.”

First rolled out three years ago at St. Adalbert’s on Staten Island, the effort is now expanding to four more schools. The new program includes a certified special education teacher, a dedicated resource room and integrated co-teaching model, a rotating educational coach to assist children with social learning, and training for current teachers.

Will the program expand to include more schools in the future? “I see this as starting out small with the intention to grow,” Murtha says. “Because there’s a really great need. Special needs children are so often the ones who get bullied and put down. What better environment than a Catholic school, where we’re teaching the whole child and teaching everyone to respect one another, to educate these special young people?”

AT THE END OF THE DAY

When the school bell rings every afternoon to signal the end of classes, many parents worry about what their kids will be up to. Traditionally, Catholic schools have offered a limited selection of once-a-week club options alongside after-school child care, which allowed parents to leave their children in a Catholic environment with the oversight of responsible adults.

This fall, the archdiocese is raising the bar with an enhanced program integrating after-school care with academic and performing arts clubs, sports and games, and other activities, including coding and robotics – all presented in alignment with the teachings of Christ. Catechesis will also be part of the mix, based around “values of the month” (Respect, Patience, Trustworthiness, etc.) being used during the school day. The specific activities and curriculum will be planned by the school principals but funded by the archdiocese.

For 2018-19, the enhanced after- school offerings will roll out to 14 schools representing all geographical regions of the archdiocese. Going forward, the idea is to bring in more schools, but there’s no set timeline. “We are going to see what works, how it works,” says Cathleen Cassel, regional superintendent for the Rockland and Ulster/Sullivan/Orange regions, “and then make plans and seek funding for expansion.”

For more information, interested parents can call 646-794-2885 or go to catholicschoolsny.org.