Seven of our teachers have been members of WASC teams in the last two years. These teacher work with a committee to ensure our fellow Catholic schools are teaching what they should be teaching, have a plan in place for improvement and and offer as complete a program as possible. The goal for every school is to receive the maximum six year accreditation.
With many of us, what has become glaringly evident is how truly fortunate we are at Holy Angels. We truly have an abundance, in terms of staffing, resources, funding and extra curricular activities. We so often can get caught up in what we don't have, ( Spanish classes, new bathrooms, new asphalt, new sports uniforms), that we fail to see how much we do have.
The first school I worked at, and which I stayed at for twelve years, was one such school. We did not have supplies as basic as paper. Many of our textbooks were hand me downs from other schools. Many of our teachers are going to schools very similar to this. I personally went to a school where the students said, among many other more relevant topics, that they just wanted some playground equipment.
We are a blessed community, much of this due to the hard work of our parents. But we must not forget one of the basic tenets of Catholicism, which is social justice. We have many wants at our school, but our needs are fulfilled. As we move ahead, and continue to improve our school, we must not forget our responsibility to help those who do not have their needs met. I think it might be a good component to add into all of our fundraising efforts as we look for ways to continue to make our school a great Catholic school.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Saints Come Marching In!
It's always the most fun to use this space to highlight some of the great events that are taking place at Holy Angels. One of the "rites of passage" every second grade student remembers is their Saint Report and Presentation. Each year, the students get to pick a saint, research them, and present them to classmates and parents, while in costume. It encompasses so many of our Schoolwide Learning Expectations, including "Catholics of Living Faith", Confident Communicators", "Lifelong Learners.
As always, the second graders did a great job, and we are very proud of them as they take another step towards receiving their First Holy Eucharist. Great Job!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Being a Catholic School ( Part 1!)
I have stated many times, to many people, I don't put a lot of relevance into what school a child goes to. Public or private, inner city or suburban, a "good" school or a "bad" school, it's all irrelevant. I have known students who have gone to school's labeled as "bad" who have received tremendous educations and gone on to great success. Similarly, I know children who have gone to school's that are considered excellent who have dropped out of school.
As an educator, I do feel the most important component of a child's success in school is his or her home life. We always state that parents are the primary educators, and I agree with this statement whole-heartedly. We at the schools have the tools the students needs to learn, but the parent is the one who will make sure a child uses those tools correctly and understands the importance of their use.
That being said, I think one important factor one should consider in choosing a school is the environment of the school. In my twenty years of teaching, I have always been impressed with the environment of the Catholic schools I have worked in, and this includes Holy Angels. It's a good place for kids to be.
Of course we have discipline issues at the school, although they are rarely severe issues. One thing to remember, however, is that they are almost always children's issues. So often, adults look at a situation from an adult perspective, and completely ignore the fact that childhood is a time for kids to screw up! They are supposed too make mistakes, and then learn from those mistakes. That is how they become responsible adults.
We have a responsibility to view what children do from this perspective. As a Catholic not only do we have this responsibility in dealing with kids who are normally well-behaved, but also with the students who may be a bit more challenging. We also need to consider what may be causing such behavior. Jesus did not preach amongst those who did not need him. He concentrated on the sinners, because he knew that is where he was most needed.
Again, we are fortunate to have relatively few discipline issues at Holy Angels. But we must remember the reason we exist as a Catholic school and adhere to these principles instead of just providing them lip service.
As an educator, I do feel the most important component of a child's success in school is his or her home life. We always state that parents are the primary educators, and I agree with this statement whole-heartedly. We at the schools have the tools the students needs to learn, but the parent is the one who will make sure a child uses those tools correctly and understands the importance of their use.
That being said, I think one important factor one should consider in choosing a school is the environment of the school. In my twenty years of teaching, I have always been impressed with the environment of the Catholic schools I have worked in, and this includes Holy Angels. It's a good place for kids to be.
Of course we have discipline issues at the school, although they are rarely severe issues. One thing to remember, however, is that they are almost always children's issues. So often, adults look at a situation from an adult perspective, and completely ignore the fact that childhood is a time for kids to screw up! They are supposed too make mistakes, and then learn from those mistakes. That is how they become responsible adults.
We have a responsibility to view what children do from this perspective. As a Catholic not only do we have this responsibility in dealing with kids who are normally well-behaved, but also with the students who may be a bit more challenging. We also need to consider what may be causing such behavior. Jesus did not preach amongst those who did not need him. He concentrated on the sinners, because he knew that is where he was most needed.
Again, we are fortunate to have relatively few discipline issues at Holy Angels. But we must remember the reason we exist as a Catholic school and adhere to these principles instead of just providing them lip service.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
41st Annual Jockey Game!!
If you have never been to our Annual Jockey Game, don't let this year pass without participating. If you have been before, then you know what a great time this is. On Thursday night, our Varsity Basketball team will be challenging the jockeys form Santa Anita for the 41st time! This is a great opportunity for the entire Holy Angels community to come together for no other reason than to have fun, cheer on our kids, and enjoy the evening.
A special thanks goes out to all the participants from Santa Anita, who have been supporting Holy Angels as long as the school has been in existence.
Don't forget...7:00 PM...LaSalle High School...Holy Angels vs. the Jockeys! We hope to see you there!
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Truth About Holy Angels
Every now and then certain rumors come to my attention, most notably because it is brought up numerous times by individuals who "heard" something, usually in the parking lot. Some of the most prevalent of late include the following:
Myth- It is required of all families to sell two raffle tickets for the auction.
Reality- No one is required to sell any raffle tickets. This raffle is an opportunity for us to raise funds beyond our normal school community. It has the potential to bring in $20,000 for the school if everyone sells an average of two tickets. The prizes are great, the odds are better than most raffles and the outcomes could greatly help Holy Angels School.
Myth- We are eliminating SCRIP at Holy Angels.
Reality- We recently discussed the fundraising situation at a CPTA Meeting. For a Catholic school, we have a very miniscule amount of mandatory fundraising. This is partially due to so many families participating in the non-mandatory fundraising. In any event, we are also aware that is seems from the moment we return to school, we are asking parents to buy something, or give to something else. We know it gets overwhelming. We are looking to make this process less burdensome and less continuous, while maintaining the income we need to maintain our programs. Bringing in extra funds at an event like the auction (i.e. previously mentioned raffle tickets) allows us the flexibility to eliminate other fundraising. SCRIP is a potential fundraiser to overhaul or eliminate, since we know the requirements can be difficult to meet, the amount of work to maintain the program is enormous and keeping track of your totals can be difficult.
Myth-Holy Angels is redoing the bathrooms.
Reality- We are constantly assessing the needs of the school, the children, and their safety. We have identified a plethora of needs in the school, and would love to address each and every one of them tomorrow. The reality is that funding, needs versus wants, and alternate remedies all have to be taken into account before any decisions are made. In addition, Holy Angels Parish is currently involved in a master facility planning situation that may render some changes unnecessary or obsolete in several years. The bathrooms are one area of focus, but are by no means the only area of focus, and no decisions have been made. Final decisions will be made based upon what is best for ALL the students of Holy Angels.
The fundamental purpose of this blog is to adress topics concerning Holy Angels School, and I hope this helps dispell some of the misinformation currently circulating!
Myth- It is required of all families to sell two raffle tickets for the auction.
Reality- No one is required to sell any raffle tickets. This raffle is an opportunity for us to raise funds beyond our normal school community. It has the potential to bring in $20,000 for the school if everyone sells an average of two tickets. The prizes are great, the odds are better than most raffles and the outcomes could greatly help Holy Angels School.
Myth- We are eliminating SCRIP at Holy Angels.
Reality- We recently discussed the fundraising situation at a CPTA Meeting. For a Catholic school, we have a very miniscule amount of mandatory fundraising. This is partially due to so many families participating in the non-mandatory fundraising. In any event, we are also aware that is seems from the moment we return to school, we are asking parents to buy something, or give to something else. We know it gets overwhelming. We are looking to make this process less burdensome and less continuous, while maintaining the income we need to maintain our programs. Bringing in extra funds at an event like the auction (i.e. previously mentioned raffle tickets) allows us the flexibility to eliminate other fundraising. SCRIP is a potential fundraiser to overhaul or eliminate, since we know the requirements can be difficult to meet, the amount of work to maintain the program is enormous and keeping track of your totals can be difficult.
Myth-Holy Angels is redoing the bathrooms.
Reality- We are constantly assessing the needs of the school, the children, and their safety. We have identified a plethora of needs in the school, and would love to address each and every one of them tomorrow. The reality is that funding, needs versus wants, and alternate remedies all have to be taken into account before any decisions are made. In addition, Holy Angels Parish is currently involved in a master facility planning situation that may render some changes unnecessary or obsolete in several years. The bathrooms are one area of focus, but are by no means the only area of focus, and no decisions have been made. Final decisions will be made based upon what is best for ALL the students of Holy Angels.
The fundamental purpose of this blog is to adress topics concerning Holy Angels School, and I hope this helps dispell some of the misinformation currently circulating!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Are We A Parish School?
We have recently been going through the process of testing new applicants for the school and meeting with each family. Probably the number one point I have been making with these new families is the importance of being not just an active school family, but active parishioners as well.
Many years ago, Catholic schools were parish schools, with the population of the school being made up parishioners. More and more, we are seeing Catholic schools become commuter schools, with the population coming from outside the parish boundaries. The result is we have very active school families, and very active parish families, but not as much interaction between the two as in the past. Ultimately, some activities are viewed as "parish" events and others as "school" events. This is not a good situation for either entity.
Holy Angels exists because sixty years ago, a group of dedicated parishioners worked to raise the funds necessary to build the school. We are all reaping the benefits of their labor. It is our responsiblity to continue this tradition for the next generation of Holy Angels students and parishioners The school is a ministry of the parish, supported by the parish and should be comprised of parishioners who are active beyond the $400 criteria used to define an "active" parishioner.
Catholic schools provide a great environmnet for children to grow, academically and morally. Catholic schools will only remain strong if they remain connected to, and involved with, the parish that they are an outgrowth of. It is the responsibility of every parent at Holy Angels who receives a lowered tuition because of their "active" status to truly be active parishioners and strenghten the bonds between the church and school in order to ensure a strong, vibrant and relevant school for the future generations.
Many years ago, Catholic schools were parish schools, with the population of the school being made up parishioners. More and more, we are seeing Catholic schools become commuter schools, with the population coming from outside the parish boundaries. The result is we have very active school families, and very active parish families, but not as much interaction between the two as in the past. Ultimately, some activities are viewed as "parish" events and others as "school" events. This is not a good situation for either entity.
Holy Angels exists because sixty years ago, a group of dedicated parishioners worked to raise the funds necessary to build the school. We are all reaping the benefits of their labor. It is our responsiblity to continue this tradition for the next generation of Holy Angels students and parishioners The school is a ministry of the parish, supported by the parish and should be comprised of parishioners who are active beyond the $400 criteria used to define an "active" parishioner.
Catholic schools provide a great environmnet for children to grow, academically and morally. Catholic schools will only remain strong if they remain connected to, and involved with, the parish that they are an outgrowth of. It is the responsibility of every parent at Holy Angels who receives a lowered tuition because of their "active" status to truly be active parishioners and strenghten the bonds between the church and school in order to ensure a strong, vibrant and relevant school for the future generations.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Safeguard The Children
Regarding my inaction on the blog lately, it is not because of a lack of material. In fact, I have an over abundance of topics to cover, but time limitations have prevented me from getting to them!
First and foremost, one of the recent events taking place at Holy Angels has been the reactivation of our Safeguard the Children Committee. For those of you unfamiliar with this committee, it was mandated by the Archdiocese roughly seven years ago for all parishes as a way of ensuring the safety of all the children of Catholic schools and Religious Education from any type of predatory behaviors or individuals.
After accomplishing initial goals, the committees seemed to fade out in many communities, including Holy Angels. Last year, as an end product of an audit process we completed, we made the decison to re-commit to Safeguard the Children.
The focus of this committee has been modified a bit, with our purpose now focusing on identifying dangers throughout the parish and making the entire community as safe as possible for children. While this may include fingerprinting volunteers and educating parents on the dangers of predators within the world we live, it also will include highlighting areas that may be dangerous in a physical sense, or practices we can institute to best ensure all our children's safety.
Currently, the committee meets at 7:00 pm on the first Monday of each month. Parent and parish involvement is the cornerstone of making this committee the most beneficial it can be. Currently, we have a parent information night planned, a booklet to be distributed at the start of next year, and a grounds walk-through to point out potential hazards. Any individuals interested in offering input are welcome to join us at our next meeting.
First and foremost, one of the recent events taking place at Holy Angels has been the reactivation of our Safeguard the Children Committee. For those of you unfamiliar with this committee, it was mandated by the Archdiocese roughly seven years ago for all parishes as a way of ensuring the safety of all the children of Catholic schools and Religious Education from any type of predatory behaviors or individuals.
After accomplishing initial goals, the committees seemed to fade out in many communities, including Holy Angels. Last year, as an end product of an audit process we completed, we made the decison to re-commit to Safeguard the Children.
The focus of this committee has been modified a bit, with our purpose now focusing on identifying dangers throughout the parish and making the entire community as safe as possible for children. While this may include fingerprinting volunteers and educating parents on the dangers of predators within the world we live, it also will include highlighting areas that may be dangerous in a physical sense, or practices we can institute to best ensure all our children's safety.
Currently, the committee meets at 7:00 pm on the first Monday of each month. Parent and parish involvement is the cornerstone of making this committee the most beneficial it can be. Currently, we have a parent information night planned, a booklet to be distributed at the start of next year, and a grounds walk-through to point out potential hazards. Any individuals interested in offering input are welcome to join us at our next meeting.
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