Learning | Praying | Serving | Growing
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OUR VISION Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic School strives to develop the Catholic faith, demonstrate Christian living, commit to student learning, and foster good stewardship of God’s world. learning | praying | serving | growing 2 Dear Saint Jude Family and Friends, As I reflect on the end of another school year, it brings me great joy to think of our many accomplishments. From welcoming new families in August, celebrating the lives of the saints in November, sending 11,800 meals to children in Swaziland during Catholic Schools Week, walking with Christ during His final hours as our 8th Graders lead the Living Stations in the spring, celebrating First Holy Eucharist with our 2nd Graders, and graduating 47 wonderful young men and women in May, we are grateful for the learning, loving, and laughter of each day. I am delighted to share our 2017-2018 Annual Report with you. We began our school year with 100% participation in the Annual Fund from our Faculty and Staff and ended the year with 100% parent participation for the third consecutive year! Your generosity and continued financial support make much possible for so many. Thank you! Our wonderful volunteers continue to bring to reality the plans and ideas for all to enjoy. Thank you for giving so selflessly of your time and talents. Your dedication, support, and commitment are the true embodiment of Christ’s spirit alive in our midst. The PTA Shine Auction has funded the update of gratitude the entire campus to LED lighting and replaced the aging air conditioner in can transform the gym. Thank you for your support of this fun event! The Saint Jude Faculty and Staff are outstanding individuals who continue common days into to make Saint Jude a School of Excellence. It is my pleasure to work with thanksgiving, these dedicated and enthusiastic men and women. They are devoted to the academic progress and the spiritual growth of the children entrusted to turn routine jobs them. May God continue to bless their work! into joy, and change It takes many people to make our school a success. I sincerely offer my ordinary opportunities appreciation for all that you do for the children of Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic School. I look forward to another great school year filled with into blessings. exciting new challenges and bountiful rewards! – William Arthur Ward God Bless, Patty Childs, Principal 1 profile best of 2O17|2O18 Hosted 1st annual Family STREAM Night in April Continued implementation of our STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts, mathematics) initiative across the curriculum Our 6th Circus of the Kids took place in September 2017 Hosted our 4th annual Chastain Night on the SJA soccer fields kicking-off our Annual Fund Achieved 100% parent participation for the 3rd year in a row in the Annual Fund campaign Partnered with Rise Against Hunger for a school-wide service project during Catholic Schools Week; students packaged over 11,800 meals in one day that were sent to children in Swaziland Hosted the bi-annual Auction on April 14; proceeds allowed us to re-lamp the entire school with LED lights and provided for a new air conditioning unit in the gym Middle School drama students presented Charlie Brown Christmas in December and Peter Pan Jr. in the spring; both productions delighted and entertained our audiences Three Odyssey of the Mind teams won their regional competition and went on to place in the state competition; one team competed in the World Competition held in Iowa in May Placed first in Future City competition; went to represent the state of Georgia in the national competition in Washington, DC Celebrated our 30th annual Grandparents’ Day on May 11 2 profile Accreditations Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic School was established in and Affiliations 1962 as part of Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic Church. District-wide Accreditation by As a parish school, we serve as an extension of the church AdvancEd, parent corporation community aiding in the formation of citizens willing and of SACS (Southern Association able to serve God and live as useful members of society. of Colleges and Schools) Serving students from kindergarten through 8th grade, our teachers average National Catholic Education 15 years of teaching experience. The curriculum includes religion Association (NCEA) and all required elementary school subjects. In addition, computer, Spanish and French enrichment, physical GA Independent Schools education, chorus, art, drama, and band are offered. Association (GISA) Saint Jude recognizes the value of technology in Association for Middle Level the classroom as a teaching tool for our students to Education (AMLE) develop the skills and attributes they need to meet their own current and future goals. Here are National Association of some of the ways technology is utilized by students: Independent Schools (NAIS) In grades K-2, a set of eight iPads can be found Atlanta Area Association of in each classroom. Students use them for learning Independent Schools (AAAIS) centers or in combination with a cart of iPads so students can work in pairs or individually. The primary grades also 65% of faculty have access to a cart of 30 Chromebooks to complete student work. have advanced degrees In grades 3-5, students have access to iPads and Chromebooks in the 491 students from classroom to enhance learning, complete assignments, and create multimedia projects. Each grade has one iPad cart and one Chromebook cart. 320 families in 21 parishes 6th, 7th, & 8th grade students take part in a 1:1 Chromebook program where 16:1 student / faculty ratio they access learning resources, class notes, teacher communication, and other information on a daily basis. Class of 2018 All classrooms contain an interactive LCD Projector/whiteboard that is connected High school matriculation to the teacher computer for viewing class materials and curriculum resources. Blessed Trinity 17 Enrichment classes such as foreign language, art, and music have access to a class Marist 2 set of iPads and Chromebooks for student use to augment these subject areas. Saint Pius 22 Public high schools 6 All grade levels attend the Technology Lab for instruction once a week. Teachers may sign up for additional weekly time slots as needed for student research and project completion. The Tech Lab houses 34 Chromebooks and Twice recognized two 3-D printers. National Blue Ribbon The Media Center provides 30 Chromebooks for online student research School of Excellence and access to our library management system. The Media Center is also 2003 | 2014 equipped with a state-of-the-art broadcast studio. The student-led news crew delivers a Morning Prayer and News Show. 3 Future City: For the fourth time in the past five years, a Future City team from Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic School won first place in the regional Future City competition and represented the State of Georgia at the World Competition in Washington, DC. Future City is one of the nation’s leading engineering population and keep them a short oral presentation regional competition, educational programs. Its engaged and independent. to a panel of STEM the team brought home purpose is to encourage The students must professionals. There is a three special awards: middle school students imagine, research, design, spending limit of $100 to Best Team Presentation, to develop their interest and build their city of complete the task. The Most Innovative Power in science, technology, the future to showcase a Saint Jude winning team Generation, and Best engineering, and math solution. consisted of 7th graders Research Essay. Upon (STEM), and starts with Alex Guigou, Caoimhina returning home from a question...How can we At the competition, the Sloan, and Christina Washington, the team make the world a better teams present their Sweeney, and was guided was invited to the office of place? This year’s challenge vision of the future by school STEM faculty Georgia’s Representative was for the students to through a virtual city advisor Eleonora Straub for the 6th district, envision The Age Friendly design (using SimCity™ along with coaches Peter Karen Handel, where City and address the trials software), a 1500-word Sloan and Stephanie they were honored to in designing innovative essay, a scale model of Sweeney. In addition to present their city named solutions that could serve their city (built with coming in first overall GRACE Springs to the an urban area’s older recycled materials), and at the 26th annual Congresswoman. After finishing first in the regional Odyssey of the Mind: contest, a team of fourth and fifth graders from Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic School placed second in the state Odyssey of the Mind (OOTM) competition. In May, they traveled to Ames, Iowa to compete in the World Competition. There were over 240 teams from nearly every state in the U.S. and approximately 25 other countries competing. OOTM is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from 4 Circus of the Kids: The Florida-based educational program, Circus of the Kids, once again visited Saint Jude kudos❶ Team Work: The kids in each act are interdependent the Apostle Catholic on each other. School in September. ❷ Perseverance: Circus, in some form, hurts – stick In less than three weeks , middle with it, it’s worth it. school students were introduced to, practiced, and perfected such ❸ Stage Presence: enough said! acts as trapeze, acrobatics, various ❹ Commitment: You made a balancing acts, aerial silks, Spanish commitment to this show, web, juggling, and more! Talk about stick with it. courage! At the end of their three weeks of practice, they presented a “Cirque de Soleil” type circus to the school and community. According to principal Patty Childs, participants in the circus learn more than just physical stunts… they learn the value of trying new things and the courage that comes with the mastery of a new skill.