The Catholic Academy of Stamford Service Program
Grades PK-8
September, 2023
Strategic Plan Goal
Strengthen our school’s commitment to foster an authentic and integrated life of faith, grounded in the Gospel, among members of our Catholic school community in order to fulfill our evangelical mission.
Strategic Plan Objective
Implement the school outreach service program
Service Target Areas by Level
Primary Level (PK-2)
Service to the Elderly
Intermediate Level (3-5)
Service to sick children, retired clergy and those who care for them
Middle School Level (6-8):
Service to the poor through social justice
Pre-K & Kindergarten:
Service to the Elderly - Grandparents
Students will learn the value and contribution of the elderly in our society.
Students will respect the elderly in our society and their family.
1. Students will invite their grandparents or a special person elderly figure into their classroom to participate in the “story parent” program.
2. Students will acknowledge the presence of the elderly or a special person elderly figure who has come to read to them by making thank you cards for each elderly visitor.
3. Students will participate in “Grandparents/Special Person Day” at “The Catholic Academy of Stamford once each year.
First Grade:
Service to the Elderly – Homebound Parishioners
Students will respect the elderly who are sick, lonely and unable to actively participate in society due to these conditions.
Students will grow in compassion for the elderly who are sick.
1. Students will participate in homebound formation lessons provided by a priest, Eucharistic minister and/or parishioner prior to completing projects for the elderly in order to learn what it means to be “homebound”.
2. Students will participate in the following activities to serve the homebound parishioners at our Stamford parishes:
1. Make get well cards
2. Make holiday cards (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter)
3. Create seasonal art projects to be sent to these individuals
4. Write stories for the elderly to read
5. Pray for the sick
First Grade:
Service to the Elderly – Homebound Parishioners
Students will respect the elderly who are sick, lonely and unable to actively participate in society due to these conditions.
Students will grow in compassion for the elderly who are sick.
(Continued)
3. Students will pray for the elderly sick/homebound parishioners in the parish as a group.
4. Students will participate in “Grandparents’ Day” at The Catholic Academy of Stamford once each year.
Second Grade:
Service to the Elderly in Residential Homes
Students will respect the elderly who are living in residential homes and come to understand their value and contribution to society.
Students will learn to converse with the elderly in residential homes and come to respect their history and their past
1. Students will create monthly decorations or placemats for holidays and/or celebrations (ex. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter)
2. Students will write cards or create a pen pal program with the elderly living in residential homes.
3. Students will send a video of themselves singing songs during the holidays (or possibly visit)
4. If a visit is possible, students will organize a game day with the elderly
5. Students will participate in “Grandparents’ Day” at The Catholic Academy of Stamford once each year.
Third Grade:
Service to retired priests and religious Students will learn about the men and women who have served the church through a vocation and are now retired. Students will communicate with the retired priests and religious of the Bridgeport Diocese and surrounding religious communities. Students will participate in service activities with and for the retired priests and religious of the Bridgeport Diocese and surrounding religious communities
1. Guest speakers will visit the Third grade classroom(s) so that students can learn about the work of priests and religious in our Diocese.
2. Third grade will participate in a pen pal program with retired priests and religious.
3. Third grade will create Holiday and Feast Day cards for retired priests and religious.
4. Field trips may be planned for students to visit retired priests and religious.
Third Grade:
Service to retired priests and religious
(Continued)
5. Third grade will participate in a monthly mass with a retired priest.
• Invite retired priests once a month to con-celebrate our school Mass
• Third grade will prepare questions to ask the priests when they visit the classroom.
6. Third grade will write the introduction for the priest to be read at the Mass.
Fourth Grade:
Service to those who care for children who are sick
Students will learn of the contributions of doctors and nurses in caring for the sick and support them in this work through prayer and recognition.
Students will participate in service activities for those who minister in support of children who are sick.
1. Those in the healthcare profession who minister to sick children will be invited into the classroom to discuss their responsibilities.
2. The teacher will reach out to the CAS parent community through an online survey in September to compile a list of parents who minister to sick children as well as a list of parents who work in the healthcare field.
3. The class will create and send care packages to those who care for sick children at Stamford Hospital
4. Fourth grade students will ask for donations from the CAS school community of items to create care packages to deliver to the pediatric faculty at Stamford Hospital.
Fourth Grade:
Service to those who care for children who are sick
Students will learn of the contributions of doctors and nurses in caring for the sick and support them in this work through prayer and recognition.
Students will participate in service activities for those who minister in support of children who are sick.
(Continued)
5. Fourth grade students will make prayer cards to send to those in the healthcare profession who minister to sick children.
6. Fourth grade students will organize a mass of thanksgiving to celebrate the Feast of St. John of God (March 8) inviting all of those in the healthcare industry from the parish and school. This includes first responders and child life specialists.
7. Fourth grade students will research and learn about patron saints of doctors, nurses, the sick, and children.
8. Fourth grade students will research and learn about miracles related to sick children. Students will reflect on Jesus’ love of children.
Fifth Grade:
Service to children who are sick
Students will learn of local programs that support children who are sick and in the hospital
Students will understand what compassion is and demonstrate it.
1. Students will invite local health professionals into their classroom to learn about programs that support sick children while they are in the hospital. Often this position is called a “Child Life Specialist.” (St. Vincent, Bridgeport, Yale New Haven, and St. Raphael Hospitals)
2. Students will receive articles about ‘Child Life Specialists’ in which they will learn what they do. They will be able to learn about the different specialties in which they might specialize in.
3. Students will learn about the importance of a Child Life Specialist (CLS). Once the children learn more about CLS they will be able to connect to an organization that supports those children in need.
4. Students will participate in a project in which will be donated to those sick children.
5. Students will actively participate in conducting school fundraisers to be able to support these programs.
Sixth Grade:
Service to children who live in poverty
Students will respond to the challenge of the Beatitudes by serving the less fortunate children of our world. Students will learn of the needs of children who live in orphanages, refugee camps, or in poverty-stricken areas of our world. Students will learn of programs that provide shelter, education, food, water, and medical care to the less fortunate children of our world.
1. With resources from Catholic Relief Services, students will read the story Drop by Drop and look at google slides that tell about children around the world who can not go to school as they must retrieve their family’s daily water (as they do not have plumbing and tap water in their homes).
2. A Global Fellow from CRS will present to the class at the start of the year to talk about CRS’s water programs and other programs.
3. With resources from Children International sixth graders will watch 2-3 videos that illustrate besides fresh water what necessities poor children lack. We will look at google slides that illustrate where the most childhood poverty is in the US and what that entails.
Sixth
Grade: Service to children who live in poverty
Students will respond to the challenge of the Beatitudes by serving the less fortunate children of our world. Students will learn of the needs of children who live in orphanages, refugee camps, or in poverty-stricken areas of our world.
Students will learn of programs that provide shelter, education, food, water, and medical care to the less fortunate children of our world.
(Continued)
1. Sixth Grade will participate in Samaritan’s Purse’s Christmas Child donation drive.
a) CAS will have a school wide donation drive at end of Sept./ beg. of Oct. to collect personal hygiene and school items and small toys for poor children around the world.
b) The class will provide decorated boxes for donated items to be put in. We will hang posters around school encouraging this participation. We will go on announcements encouraging this participation and sharing facts (from Samaritan’s Purse literature) on how this program helps provide much needed supplies to children around the world.
c) In November teacher and parents will deliver boxes to church in Greenwich.
d) Receipt of packages will be tracked and possible letters back and forth to children will occur.
2. During Lent, Sixth Grade will coordinate the Rice Bowl Program.
a) Class will make posters to hang around CAS encouraging participation in this program.
b) Announcements will be made encouraging participation in this program by sharing facts (from CRS “Rice Bowls” literature) about childhood poverty and how the “Rice Bowls” help provide much needed supplies.
c) Class will assist the office passing out materials, collecting bowls as they come in, counting the money, etc..
Seventh Grade:
Service to the poor in our local community
Students will learn of the needs of the less fortunate in our local area, Students will understand their baptismal call to respond to these needs. Students will participate in activities that support the needs of the less fortunate in our local area.
1. Early in the 2023-24 school year, students will meet with David Lovegreen, Volunteer Coordinator for the New Covenant Center in Stamford, to learn about the NCC mission and how they serve the community.
2. Several times during the school year, the seventh grade will sponsor/hold school-wide drives that will support the mission of NCC including but not limited to: coat and clothing drives, food drives to re-stock areas of need in NCC’s food pantry, and personal hygiene item collections.
a) This will be facilitated by keeping in contact with NCC to be able to address their most pressing needs at the time.
b) Many of these opportunities may be enhanced by reaching out to and soliciting the participation of the parishioners of St. Gabriel/St. Cecilia, as well as all the local parishes represented by our students.
3. Grade 7 students will create posters and flyers, and collection boxes, to distribute and hang up around the school advertising the various drives and encouraging their peers and members of their local parish to participate.
4. Periodically during the school year, the seventh grade will watch short videos regarding the New Covenant Center and its clients from the Catholic Charities website/YouTube channel.
Eighth Grade:
Service to the poor through social justice
Students will learn what social justice is.
Students will understand their baptismal call to respond to the needs in our world through social justice.
1. A representative from the Knights of Columbus will speak to the eighth grade students at the start of the year in order to discuss the ways it responds to the social justice needs in both our local and national communities. The teacher will discuss ways with the Knights of Columbus in which the eighth grade students can assist throughout the academic year (locally or nationally). This will allow the students to be prepared with various resources and fundraising ideas in order to work alongside the Knights of Columbus.
2. A representative from the Catholic Relief Services will also speak to the eighth grade students towards the start of the 2023-2024 academic year in order to familiarize them with their work and how they contribute to the needs of the community (both locally and nationally). The teacher will also discuss ways with Catholic Relief Services in which the eighth grade students can assist during a crisis (locally or nationally). This will allow the students to be prepared with various resources and fundraising ideas in order to work alongside Catholic Relief Services.
3. The students will be informed about the work of the American Red Cross in order to learn about the needs of their society. This can include resources provided by the American Red Cross. This will allow the students to become more familiar with their work and various service opportunities. This will also allow the students to be prepared to assist the American Red Cross during any type of emergency throughout the academic year (either local or global).
Eighth Grade:
Service to the poor through Social Justice
Students will learn what social justice is. Students will understand their baptismal call to respond to the needs in our world through social justice.
(Continued)
4. Throughout the academic year, the eighth grade students will support the efforts of these three organizations (Knights of Columbus, Catholic Relief Services, and American Red Cross) in order to raise awareness and funds for their efforts to assist our communities (local, national and international). The goal is for these initiatives to not be limited to just dress down days and/or clothing/food drives. Although, fundraising efforts and drives would be specifically important during any type of natural disaster that may occur throughout the academic year. By being “on call” to assist these organizations, the students will become more familiar with the needs of the community around them (both local and global).
