2013-2014 Annual Report Reporting Our Progress 2 Table of Contents

2013-2014 ANNUAL REPORT Reporting Our Progress 2 Table of Contents Letter from Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan .....................................3 Superintendent of Schools Executive Summary ..................................5 Special Education ................................................................................11 Manhattan Region .............................................................................. 12 Northwest/South Bronx Region ........................................................ 14 Northeast/East Bronx Region ............................................................ 16 Staten Island Region .......................................................................... 18 Central Westchester Region ...............................................................20 Northern Westchester/Putnam Region .............................................22 Rockland Region ................................................................................24 Ulster/Sullivan/Orange Region .........................................................26 Dutchess Region .................................................................................28 Secondary Education ..........................................................................30 Staff Listing.........................................................................................32 1 His Eminence, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan visited Immaculate Conception School in Tuckahoe on September 30, 2014 and accepted mementos of the school from students and Fr. Eric Raaser. 22 Office of the Cardinal 1011 First Avenue New York, NY 10022 January, 2015 Year of Consecrated Life Dear Friends in Christ, Five years ago, we embarked on an ambitious endeavor to advance Catholic education in the Archdiocese of New York, as outlined in the strategic plan, Pathways to Excellence. It demanded a bold vision to take a hard look at our beloved Catholic school system – that has served generations of students with distinction for nearly 200 years – with new eyes, creative ideas, and a confident faith in its promise. As this year’s annual report details, I can say with gratitude that this faith was not in vain. From Wall Street in Manhattan to Main Street in Ulster County; from the Verrazano Narrows to the foothills of the Adirondacks, the state of Catholic education in the archdiocese is, praise God, steady for the future. Regional boards of trustees, comprised of committed laity, clergy, and religious, are up and running, providing responsible oversight of school governance and finances, while cultivating broader avenues of support for our schools. Professional development initiatives are in place to provide our dedicated teachers with the resources needed to improve classroom instruction. Technology is being upgraded and better integrated in curriculums so students can keep competitive pace with learning in the 21st century. Innovative marketing strategies are spreading the good news about Catholic education across the digital landscape and the Catholic identity of our schools is being fostered and strengthened. In these dynamically changing times, the faith-formation of our students remains at the heart of all we do. Following Christ’s command to “Go and teach,” we continue to help foster responsible young men and women of upstanding character, virtue, and compassion with a moral commitment to serving others. I am grateful to all who rolled up their sleeves, doing their part to ensure that Catholic education in the archdiocese remains excellent, accessible, and affordable for present and future generations. It’s a long list, indeed, that includes our regional board members, regional superintendents, regional office staff, pastors, teachers, donors, and, most importantly, our parents. Permit me to extend a special heartfelt thanks to those who are perhaps the most unsung heroes in all this, our outstanding principals. How happy I am to see them featured in a special way throughout this report. It is only fitting that the Holy Father designated 2014 as the “Year of the Family,” as our Catholic school community is, at its heart, just that: a family. Every member matters, whether you take attendance or volunteer in a school cafeteria. Like any family, we’ve endured some difficult times, but we pulled together and emerged with a renewed commitment to our shared mission of making our schools even better. This past year, we made great strides in building that brighter future both for our schools and the hearts and minds they continue to inspire. How pleased I am to share with you this annual report highlighting our accomplishments over the past year, and I hope you enjoy it. With gratitude for your continued support and prayerful best wishes, I remain, Faithfully in Christ, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan Archbishop of New York 3 You show me a school that is thriving, “and I’ll show you a strong school leader with a vision. — Timothy McNiff,” Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools, with students at Cathedral High School in Manhattan, November 10, 2014 4 archdiocese, collaborates with Fordham University, Saint Executive Summary John’s University and the University of Notre Dame. New York Archdiocese 2014-2015 At A Glance Many of our experienced school leaders graciously Timothy McNiff, Ed.D. serve as mentors to graduates of the Curran Academy. Superintendent of Schools We continue to make professional development a priority 1011 First Avenue, New York, NY 10022 for current principals, as well. Total Number of Schools: 220 Raising Standards Enrollment: 69,787 No less important are our teachers who inspire the Web: www.buildboldfutures.org students in their classrooms. Academic excellence has long been a hallmark of Catholic education. This past Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York year has been one of adjustment with the continued continue to be places where children grow and learn. I implementation of the National Common Core Learning firmly maintain, however, it is the adults in our school Standards (“CCLS”). Last spring, students in grades 3 buildings who make the magic of effective learning happen, through 8 took State ELA and Mathematics tests based specifically our dedicated principals. You show me a school on these higher standards. As with anything new, there that is thriving, and I’ll show you a strong school leader were “growing pains” and scores reflected the difficulty of with a vision, which is why we decided to spotlight some of these rigorous standards. To maximize student readiness, our exceptional principals in this year’s Annual Report. comprehensive training was provided to teachers by Our strategic plan, Pathways to Excellence, laid out Catapult Learning, a national leader in educational the roadmap for advancing Catholic education in the professional development. Regional Instructional Archdiocese of New York, but implementing its strategies Specialists were also hired for each region to provide required resolve and heavy lifting on the part of our ongoing, onsite assistance to schools. principals. While they are supported by a talented team Over the past year, other dynamic changes have occurred of Regional Boards of Trustees, Regional Superintendents to enhance classroom instruction. We shifted our school and Regional Business Managers, the principals are accreditation process from Middle States to AdvancEd, ultimately the ones who set the tone for everything that the largest community of education professionals in the happens in our Catholic schools. Excellence Starts at the Top “Principals must be innovators and inspirational role models for our young people. Investing in them is investing in our Catholic faith.” Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan The principals highlighted in this report emulate the many outstanding principals from across the archdiocese, who perform heroically throughout the school year. We are blessed with a wealth of homegrown talent. We are also committed to those promising principal candidates, currently teaching in our Catholic schools, who aspire to be principals through the Curran Principal Academy, a two-year training program that, in partnership with the TCPA 5 world. This shift provides us with a more consistent and comprehensive diagnostic evaluation of our schools’ performance, with a focus on continued improvement. We have also explored unique opportunities to more effectively integrate technology into our classrooms, piloting blended learning programs at several schools. These schools are using technology in creative ways to enhance learning. Technology is also helping teachers refine their skills through our innovative partnership with TEQ, an online portal that provides teachers access to cutting-edge professional development resources to better enable student achievement. Faith Comes First Yet our schools are about so much more than academics. Everything we do is ultimately rooted in our Catholic Among our proudest accomplishments this past year, faith. It is the core mission of our schools to pass on the archdiocese spearheaded a partnership with Word on the faith within a distinctively Christ-centered learning Fire Productions to create “The Catholicism Project,” a environment where the dignity of the human person is multi-media resource currently available for grades 6-11, paramount. To that end, we continually strive to enhance based on Fr. Robert Barron’s acclaimed “Catholicism” the spiritual formation of our students, as well as of our video series. This donor-funded initiative provides grade- principals and teachers.

Load more