Staying focused, continuing work toward another exceptional academic year
September 7, 2024 at 1:03 p.m.
I get asked all the time, “How was your summer break?” My response is … summer is no break!
Living in New Jersey, the students in the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Trenton each summer enjoy the shore, with its sandy beaches or perhaps time relaxing at the swimming pool, but the Department of Catholic Schools remains busy. There are meetings to plan, policies to review or update to make sure our schools are ready for the new year, newly formatted report cards to upload to the parent portal, school board trainings, summer enrichment programs, an even deeper design of the platform for our teachers to work within for their respective professional development needs and more.
The Department of Catholic Schools, and the Catholic schools themselves, are always working to improve the Catholic communities we serve.
In reality, this summer is no different than those that have come before, with the Department of Catholic Schools reflecting on what has happened over the past school year and planning to build on these successes for the next year. I believe you can join me in being proud of all that our schools have achieved in the previous months. Our programs are stronger than ever and continue to get better with each passing year.
Know that the Catholic identity is the defining element of our programming. Each and every time I enter a Catholic school in the Diocese of Trenton, I am amazed by the overwhelming feel of the Catholic environment…its TRUE IDENTITY. Our schools are constantly developing projects and opportunities for students’ participation, so as to live as servants of Christ. There are true and deep relationships forming between classmates, staff members and the communities of the faithful within the parish. There is just a “feel” to our schools that you do not receive anywhere else in the educational arena. How blessed are our communities to have this Catholic identity cultivated by our staffs, school administrators and priest leaders and lived with our Catholic school students every day.
Our academic achievement is strong and continues to exceed expectations in the post-pandemic era. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, a biennial report of the U.S. Department of Education, (also known as the Nation’s Report Card), released national test scores from 2022 showing that Catholic school students outperformed their public school counterparts in math and reading. This fact is a point of pride for our schools, but it is also in line with the expectations of our parents, for this is an investment being made in our Catholic schools.
I must also mention the development of the overall programing that I see within each of our Catholic schools. Our programs simply improve with all the opportunities available to the students and their families. Our schools, and the students that attend, are continuing to grow at each and every opportunity. Life-long learning is happening in the Diocese of Trenton!
Parental expectations also include matters of school safety. Our safety measures and protocols have been effective, but that is not something to rest upon. To that end, the Diocese of Trenton has made school safety and security a continued focus and priority. The safety of our students is critical. Our schools have invested financially in the resources necessary to make this assurance to our parents. Furthermore, our schools are investing the time necessary to be certified in school safety by the State of New Jersey; currently two-thirds of the schools are certified and the remaining are doing so this year. The administrators feel that this certification is important to assure our families that the schools are doing everything possible to keep our students from harm’s way.
The Department of Catholic Schools is looking forward to its ongoing work building our Catholic schools as they continue to grow and develop the students that our respective communities expect, and our parish communities deserve.
Thank you, and know I will be praying for a wonderful start of the year.
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I get asked all the time, “How was your summer break?” My response is … summer is no break!
Living in New Jersey, the students in the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Trenton each summer enjoy the shore, with its sandy beaches or perhaps time relaxing at the swimming pool, but the Department of Catholic Schools remains busy. There are meetings to plan, policies to review or update to make sure our schools are ready for the new year, newly formatted report cards to upload to the parent portal, school board trainings, summer enrichment programs, an even deeper design of the platform for our teachers to work within for their respective professional development needs and more.
The Department of Catholic Schools, and the Catholic schools themselves, are always working to improve the Catholic communities we serve.
In reality, this summer is no different than those that have come before, with the Department of Catholic Schools reflecting on what has happened over the past school year and planning to build on these successes for the next year. I believe you can join me in being proud of all that our schools have achieved in the previous months. Our programs are stronger than ever and continue to get better with each passing year.
Know that the Catholic identity is the defining element of our programming. Each and every time I enter a Catholic school in the Diocese of Trenton, I am amazed by the overwhelming feel of the Catholic environment…its TRUE IDENTITY. Our schools are constantly developing projects and opportunities for students’ participation, so as to live as servants of Christ. There are true and deep relationships forming between classmates, staff members and the communities of the faithful within the parish. There is just a “feel” to our schools that you do not receive anywhere else in the educational arena. How blessed are our communities to have this Catholic identity cultivated by our staffs, school administrators and priest leaders and lived with our Catholic school students every day.
Our academic achievement is strong and continues to exceed expectations in the post-pandemic era. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, a biennial report of the U.S. Department of Education, (also known as the Nation’s Report Card), released national test scores from 2022 showing that Catholic school students outperformed their public school counterparts in math and reading. This fact is a point of pride for our schools, but it is also in line with the expectations of our parents, for this is an investment being made in our Catholic schools.
I must also mention the development of the overall programing that I see within each of our Catholic schools. Our programs simply improve with all the opportunities available to the students and their families. Our schools, and the students that attend, are continuing to grow at each and every opportunity. Life-long learning is happening in the Diocese of Trenton!
Parental expectations also include matters of school safety. Our safety measures and protocols have been effective, but that is not something to rest upon. To that end, the Diocese of Trenton has made school safety and security a continued focus and priority. The safety of our students is critical. Our schools have invested financially in the resources necessary to make this assurance to our parents. Furthermore, our schools are investing the time necessary to be certified in school safety by the State of New Jersey; currently two-thirds of the schools are certified and the remaining are doing so this year. The administrators feel that this certification is important to assure our families that the schools are doing everything possible to keep our students from harm’s way.
The Department of Catholic Schools is looking forward to its ongoing work building our Catholic schools as they continue to grow and develop the students that our respective communities expect, and our parish communities deserve.
Thank you, and know I will be praying for a wonderful start of the year.