May 2013
PEOPLE OF GOD
11
CATHOLIC EDUCATION Curl Up with a Nice Book and Share God’s Love
By Kathy Freeze, Parish & Faith Community Outreach Liaison, Catholic Charities Center for Community Involvement
Imagine you just bathed your child in a nice warm tub, you dry them off and put on a new pair of pajamas and then together, you curl up in a chair to read a new book. You stop to think life is good – God is good! This special moment will soon become a reality for the 35 students at the Catholic Charities’ Children’s Learning Center thanks to the 4th grade class at Our Lady of the Annunciation Catholic School. During the month of March, the 4th grade class held a special Lenten collection. Their goal was to collect enough books (new, old and bilingual) along with new pajamas to support this special preschool. Annunciation school encouraged the families to work together and develop a home plan where the children could raise the money to purchase the needed books and pajamas. When we talked with the 4th grade students, they described some of the chores as mainly “extra cleaning stuff that Mom wanted”. The chore completed most often had to do with “dog stuff” followed by vacuuming, dishes, yard work and bed making. At the end,
Catholic Charities received 136 sets of pajamas, 22 boxes/bags of books and $38 (mostly in coins). Catholic Charities’ Children’s Learning Center is dedicated to providing quality early childhood education to children ages 12 months to 5 years. It is a five star, licensed and accredited program committed to giving young children the necessary foundation for a successful transition to elementary school. Most of the children who enter the learning center are Spanish speaking. They have learned to think and learn in Spanish. One of the center’s goals is to provide a quality, bilingual curriculum that includes pre-literacy, numeracy and introduction to English. The 4th grade class learned about this special preschool and now better understand how giving of their time and treasure can greatly enhance the lives of children in the south valley. Many experts say that strong reading skills can be the key to a brighter future. Our Lady of the Annunciation Catholic School is supporting the Catholic Charities’ preschool by helping to build the kingdom of God today. To find out more ways to donate or to get involved, please contact Kathy Freeze at 505.724.4694 or at freezek@ ccasfnm.org.
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Schoolchoice initiatives -- akin to the quiet students in the back of a classroom -- have kept a relatively low profile in recent years while steadily working their way to the front. The movement was given a big boost in late March when the Indiana Supreme Court upheld one of the country’s most comprehensive school-choice programs. The state court backed a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said that because school vouchers primarily benefit families, they could not be viewed as an unconstitutional state support for religion. Currently, there are 30 schoolchoice programs in 17 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 250,000 students. School-choice programs -- primarily vouchers and tax-credit scholarships -- have continued to grow since 1990, when the first
school-voucher program started in Milwaukee, followed close behind by similar programs in Ohio and Florida. In the past two years, five new states have added school-choice legislation, while other states have expanded programs already in place. But for all the steps forward, there are still school-choice programs that do not get approved, including a recent voucher proposal in Kansas. Congress also has not been keen on voucher legislation. Recently, the Senate voted down more than $14 billion in federal money for school vouchers for low-income families in an amendment to a spending bill. John Schoenig, director of the University of Notre Dame’s Program for Educational Access, acknowledges that the “pace may be slow” with school-choice initiatives, but he also thinks the movement is seeing a positive turn.
School-choice Movement Gains Slow but Steady Momentum
SUMMER ACADEMY 2013 By Janine Burford, Fifth Grade Teacher, Queen of Heaven School, Albuquerque At the end of May, most students scream, “Hooray! Summer break!” and teachers are echoing the same thing. But in several schools, dedicated teachers forgo their personal vacation time to assist students. Some students are getting a jump-start on next year while others are reviewing concepts that were difficult for them to grasp during the academic year. Still, others want to expand their minds with new concepts that are not part of a normal school year curriculum. Finally, parents are looking for programs to keep their students entertained or retain concepts learned in the previous year during the summer months while they continue to go to work. For over 15 years, Queen of Heaven has provided a place for students during the month of June to accommodate all the students in our school, parish, and surrounding community. “Students come from all parts of town. Our program is for ANY child, non-Catholics or Catholics, private or public school children. It doesn’t matter to our teachers who or where you come from; only that a student wants to learn,” stated Mrs. Burford who has been implementing and teaching the Summer Academy at Queen of
8-9am 8-9am 9-10am 9-10am 9-10am 10-11am 8-9am 10-11am 11-12pm 8-9am 9-10am 10-12pm 10-11am 11-12pm 11-12am
Reading 1 Reading 2 Writing Reading 3 Phonics Reading 4 Math 1 Math 2 Math 3
Heaven for the past eight years. Classes vary from year to year but always include reading and math. Some years we have art or drama programs. This year, we are proud to offer a life skills class where middle school students can learn how to balance a checkbook and do other realworld tasks. Another exciting class is computer animation where students will animate their own short films. In addition, reading comprehension and math computation classes will be offered. Registration for this program begins April 1st and concludes June 1st. Classes are Monday through Thursday from June 10-27th. The cost is $175 per class for the entire threeweek session. Each class has a maximum number of spaces and those fill up quickly so registering early is recommended. Parents can call Queen of Heaven at 505.881.2484 or come by the office between 7:30am-4pm Monday thought Friday until June 1st. Students are guaranteed a space in each class ONLY when the fee has been paid. Below is a schedule with times and course offerings for this year’s Summer Academy. Classes are Monday through Thursday from 8:00-12:00pm, from June 10-27.
Summer reading and comprehension skills for grades 2-3 Summer reading and comprehension skills for grades K-1 Creative Writing and Research skills for grades 4-8 Summer reading and comprehension skills for grade 4-5 Phonics and decoding skills for grades K-1 Summer reading and comprehension skills for grades 6-8 Math skills for grades 4-6 Math skills for grades K-1 Math skills for grades 2-3 Computer Computer skills and design (grades 5-8) Computer Computer skills and design (grades 2-3) Computer Computer Film and Animation (grades 4-8) Science Art Recycling Art projects (grades 2-5) Science Discover Your World! (Grades K-1) Social Skills Real World Life Skills (grades 5-8)