Goals

Saint Stanislaus Kostka School is well aware of the need for growth and change in order to meet the ever-changing needs of our students and their families. Our attention is focused on a school wide increase in the daily use of technology. To this end, faculty has attended workshops leading to the implementation of technological techniques and skills in classroom activities and projects. Equipment, including hardware, software and peripherals, has been acquired and updated. The school’s website has been used to communicate events and assignments to students and parents. Teachers apply, in classroom instruction, assignments and activities, the technologic skills and materials in which the students have received instruction. With the state of the art changing so regularly and so quickly, the need for all staff to keep up with the changes remains a constant. We remain committed to this goal. Continued efforts are needed to research financial sources and funding availability. In addition, continued efforts are needed to acquire direct access and shared control of the school website as well as to provide parent information on educational advantages and advances in technology. Equipment is being installed in some classrooms to project computer images for ease of student viewing and to facilitate teacher demonstration. Students are being trained in the use of laptops in all subject areas. Technology projects are, and will continue to be, included on every grade level, thereby increasing a school wide use of technology in every subject on a daily basis.

Progress has been made in our goal to increase knowledge about and the use of teaching strategies that meet the needs of multiple intelligences. The faculty focused on a methodical study of Thomas Armstrong’s book Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. Implementing the concepts that have been read about and discussed into daily class activities and lessons remains a constant pursuit. A weekly music program for Pre-kindergarten through grade 4 has been initiated and is an additional teaching strategy to meet the multiple intelligence needs of the children.

Our goal to strengthen the Catholic identity of the school has been pursued with vigor and enthusiasm. Many opportunities have been provided to the students for prayer, personal reflection, liturgies and celebration of the sacraments and seasons of the Church year. A new music program includes a Church music component. Assemblies for developing respect, kindness and a bully free environment, seasonal plays with religious themes, school devotional and retreat experiences, and prayer services involving parents, are a regular occurrence that will continue to be a focus. The Peace Club of the school has experienced an overflow of participants who are intent on becoming involved in activities to further the understanding and pursuit of non-violent solutions to local and world-wide problems. We continue to encourage involvement of the parish priests by keeping an open line of communication among the parish, the school, the Regional Vicar and the Office of Catholic Education. Each of these activities has resulted in a sense of strengthened Catholic identity in students, faculty, and families.

Our efforts to secure a full-time health care provider whose focus would be to attend to medical needs of students has not met with success. Our initiative to investigate the changes that would need to be made in the physical setting of the school building (installing a sink and running water to the room that the health care provider would use) came to a halt when city funds were not allocated for hiring a health care provider. However, we have continued to maintain liaison on the issue with the New York City Board of Health and with the Public Policy Director of the Diocese.