It’s that time again — time to come together with our families to celebrate Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 29 – Feb. 4! This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.” These three essential aspects of Catholic school help build our culture and prepare our students to become faithful stewards in school and beyond. This year, we will reunite once again with Bishop Moore High School students, faculty and staff to celebrate Mass as one community in Christ. Learn more about why we’re excited about this year’s celebration of all things Catholic school.
Catholic Schools and COVID-19
Sending your child to Catholic school can benefit them in a number of ways. However, one way that these schools truly stand out is how students performed during the pandemic. While public schools saw dramatic decreases in test scores over the past few years, Catholic students’ scores stayed about the same. Where public school students fell behind, Catholic school students continue to excel. We believe the reasons for that are clear.
Catholic schools embraced hybrid models earlier than their public school counterparts, allowing students to learn in a community environment during an otherwise isolated period. With smaller class sizes, which are proven to lead to higher student achievement in normal times, they had a unique ability to adapt to the unprecedented circumstances 2020 brought with it.
Throughout the difficult times, children, teachers, faculty and staff remained focused on faith, keeping the school community strong. Students had lunch together outside and masked up and socially distanced indoors. With hybrid classes, some students learned online while others came to the classroom, allowing them to safely attend school together.
Parental Involvement
Part of what made adapting possible was the involvement of everyone in the Catholic school community, including the parents. Parental involvement in education benefits children in many ways, from inspiring confidence to knowing that someone has their back. Parents of Catholic school students see the benefits of their children having good role models in our staff members, daily exposure to our Catholic faith, and the highest quality private school education.
Catholic Schools Week provides time for parents who are considering a Catholic education to attend open house sessions to explore our community. For parents of current students, we also have several fun activities planned! All are welcome and encouraged to attend this celebration of all things Catholic school.
Faith
Our students “work hard, play hard and pray hard.” The foundation of an enriching Catholic education is learning about our faith and understanding its importance in living our daily lives, woven into everything they do. Students come together to attend Mass weekly in addition to participating in daily prayer. Nurtured throughout their Catholic education students gain a deep understanding that our Lord walks with them always; providing peace and sowing the seeds for them to become more Christ-like in their involvement with others.
Excellence
Catholic School students excel in educational growth as a direct result of their faith being underscored in their studies. They offer smaller class-size and high-quality education. The National Catholic Educational Association reports a 99% graduation rate from Catholic high schools with 88% of those students moving on to college. On national and standardized tests, Catholic school students are high achievers, in the forefront by as much as 20% in outperforming other students who attend other private or public schools.
Service
Building a sense of community is one of the core values of Catholicism, and Catholic Schools Week sheds light on the importance of being of service to others as one of the most important tenets of our Catholic faith. At St. Charles Borromeo, students are encouraged to be involved in service projects so they learn teamwork while working on a common cause.
Our parents are also invited to participate in P.A.W.S., a parent volunteer program established to reach out to help everyone in our Orlando community. Catholic Schools Week gives us a chance to step away from our normal routines by engaging in some fun activities and welcoming families to campus who are considering becoming part of our community.
St. Charles Borromeo, an Orlando Catholic school located in the Diocese of Orlando, is more than just a place to learn; it’s a community. Our staff is committed to proclaiming the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. We believe in teaching the whole child and want students to love learning, helping them grow into well-rounded, contributing members of society. Learn more about us by contacting us here.
