Each of our weekly staff meetings have different focuses, two each month have to do with teaching, learning and data. The other two are focused on a book study of Made This Way and committees. I love that the staff is willing to make SHOJ a better place by working on a committee that focuses on Catholicity, assemblies, communication, community engagement and school improvement. Our K-5 students had faith families on Thursday which was exciting for all of us. We shared the video of the entire school celebrating the saints on Tuesday (as well as noticed new saint pictures hanging in the hallway). Please remember to invite family members who are Veterans to our school Mass on Nov. 14. We will honor them with an introduction, thank you card and sweet treat after Mass.
The school improvement committee would like to thank all those that filled out the Catholic Identity Program Effectiveness Survey during September and October. During a recent meeting we analyzed the results. The highest scoring items were: our school mission clearly expresses a commitment to Catholic Identity; our school provides opportunities outside the classroom for faith formation; our school provide opportunities for faith formation for faculty and staff; administrators, faculty, and staff serve as role models of faith and service to students; and our school uses standardized and teacher-developed assessments to document student learning and report the outcomes to parents.
The lowest scoring items were as follows: our school consistently shares its financial plan with the school community; our school maintains and shares a technology management plan; our school maintains and shares plans for managing facilities and equipment; our school leaders take responsibility for ensuring that the financial plans and budgets are implemented using best practices; and our school’s financial plan is the result of a collaborative process including expert advisors.
It was easy to see that the lowest scoring items can be remedied by sharing some specific information with you in a direct way. We are working on getting these things together to share with you. As you know, Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School is a ministry of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, so financial information (including the parish budget that mailed to parishioners recently) is information about the school as well. Thanks again for your input and always feel free to reach out with any questions.
Finally, one more survey. This one is specifically about our recent Halloween activities. We take seriously our role as partners with families in education of children, and for example, try to plan field trips that enrich lives differently than what you do as a family. If you have thoughts that you want to share, there are only three questions and 2 places to type thoughts.
https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7097120/School-Halloween
Nov. 11 spirit day
Nov. 14 Veteran’s Day Mass
Nov. 22 near and dear day with early dismissal
Rooted in Christ,
Kathy Rhodes