All of our children began their Catholic education in Pre-K. This early childhood foundation “helped form their future education and learning experience. Throughout the day, they’re living their faith at the same time. Mr. and Mrs. A. Catholic School Parents 2012-2013 ANNUAL REPORT Reporting Our Progress La escuela católica vale la pena porque los hijos tienen una seguridad, la educación es “de alta calidad, y es una excelente forma de contribuir al futuro de los hijos. Señora D., Catholic School Parent Table of Contents Letter from Cardinal Dolan ..................................................................3 Executive Summary ..............................................................................5 Manhattan Region ................................................................................8 Northwest/South Bronx Region ........................................................10 Northeast/East Bronx Region ............................................................ 12 Staten Island Region .......................................................................... 14 Central Westchester Region ............................................................... 16 Northern Westchester/Putnam Region ............................................. 18 Rockland Region ................................................................................20 Ulster/Sullivan/Orange Region .........................................................22 Dutchess Region .................................................................................24 Secondary Education ..........................................................................26 Staff Listing.........................................................................................28 1 October 30, 2013: Cardinal Dolan celebrated Mass and visited classrooms during his tour of Saint Francis Xavier School in the Northeast/East Region of the Bronx 2 Office of the Cardinal 1011 First Avenue New York, NY 10022 January 2014 Dear Friends in Christ, I continue to be invigorated and inspired by visiting our wonderful Catholic schools. The enthusiasm of the students is energizing; the dedication of principals, teachers, religious sisters and brothers, our priests, and staff, praiseworthy; and the trust and commitment of our Catholic school parents, humbling. It is a tremendous privilege to partner with them in helping to form future leaders of the Church and our communities, and pass on our enduring Catholic faith. I truly believe that our strength as a Church has deep roots in Catholic schools. It is precisely those deep roots that have allowed our schools to adapt and grow in new directions over their rich 200 year history. That history shored my confidence when I first arrived at the Archdiocese of New York in the spring of 2009, and it became clear we needed to find new ways to fund and sustain our Catholic schools for present and future generations of New Yorkers. It was an idea whose time had come. As you have heard me say many times over the past years, the Catholic school model of “one parish, one school” that had so successfully served us for so many years, was no longer viable and it became painfully obvious that a new model was needed. Now, after years of planning and hard work undertaken by our Superintendent, Dr. Timothy McNiff and his staff, and with the unfailing support from our pastors, principals, teachers and dedicated parishioners, an innovative model, regionalization, has become a reality. With regionalization, every parish, even those without a school on the property, and those whose schools remain parish-based, has a voice and an investment in the Catholic schools in their communities. Now, everybody is doing their part, sharing responsibilities and working together to ensure a bright and vibrant future for our schools. Thankfully, with the laity’s enhanced role in governance, our irreplaceable pastors can devote more of their energy to the sacraments, liturgy and catechesis, vigorously assuring our schools maintain their robust Catholic identity. 2013 was a pivotal year for our Catholic schools, with hope-filled beginning after years of painful, but necessary, school closings. But even in our darkest hours, we remained a community of faith and passionately committed to Catholic education, evidenced by the fact that more than 60 percent of our families from closing schools made the decision to transition their children to another Catholic school. With closures, please God, behind us and our new model of school governance in place, we are moving forward together with the belief that our future will be even brighter than our past. Just as important for our schools’ future as regionalization is our continued focus on improving our already sound academics, intensifying our Catholic identity, fostering the formation of our principals, and improving our marketing and student outreach. As you will see from this Annual Report, the Superintendent, his staff, and the regional boards are excited and committed to continue to do the work that needs to be done to keep our schools “the pearl of great price” in this world. Thank you for all the great work you do for our schools! Faithfully in Christ, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan Archbishop of New York 3 Our first priority is their education. Timothy J. McNiff, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools and students from Blessed Sacrament School and Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Manhattan 4 Executive Summary Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York are New York Archdiocese committed to maintaining the highest quality academics 2013-2014 At A Glance and equipping students with the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly competitive world. With that purpose in Superintendent of Schools Office: mind, the archdiocese continued to take a proactive 1011 First Avenue, New York, NY 10022 stance in embracing The National Common Core Total Number of Schools: 218 Learning Standards (“CCLS”), a single set of clear, Enrollment: 71,167 consistent learning expectations in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics designed to help prepare students Web: www.buildboldfutures.org in grades K -12 for college and career success. www.adnyeducation.org The CCLS mark the first time our country has collectively taken action to find common ground in how education is After years of preparation and consultation, delivered and assessed. The CCLS represent a fundamental we have completed the regionalization phase shift in the teaching and learning process by establishing of Pathways to Excellence, our strategic plan new, more challenging and measurable goals for students. designed not only to preserve, but also to advance the mission of Catholic education in New York. Over the past year, Catholic schools continued One of the most ambitious — and necessary — strategies of their leadership in Early Childhood Education this wide-ranging plan was to keep our schools accessible with more than 7,500 children enrolled in Pre-K3, Pre-K4 and affordable by transitioning most elementary schools and free Universal Pre-K programs. The archdiocese is from the historical parish-based school model to a more helping schools in all regions identify and develop new sustainable regional one. The various regional reports in opportunities to meet the growing demand, so more this publication are testimony to the initial success of our children can begin their education at an early age and get a strategic plan. solid start on the road to active learning. Regionalization’s new governance structure Integral to our success is the high-caliber school relies on Boards of Trustees comprised of pastors, leadership provided by our outstanding principals. religious and lay persons, chosen for their knowledge, In aggressively seeking out and training exceptional experience and dedication to Catholic education, to oversee candidates, the archdiocese has fortified its ties with the operations of the schools in their region. the Curran Principal Academy, a two-year program that collaborates with Fordham University, St. John’s One of the key components of regionalization was University and the University of Notre Dame. A new the establishment of a financial management and operational infrastructure for the schools and their regional support offices. These new financial systems ensure the management, oversight and accountability I feel like my children are getting a superior of the financial resources and income streams of the education at their Catholic school and thriving both schools and the regions. educationally and socially... In keeping with the strategies outlined in and it all started in Pre-K. Pathways to Excellence, gains were also made in Mrs. M., the key areas of: Catholic Identity, Leadership, Catholic School Parent Academics and Communication and Recruitment. At the heart of everything we do is our Catholic faith. To ensure that our schools provide faith-infused curriculums, we instituted a Catholic Identity Assessment Program, designed to help each elementary school principal sustain a truly Christ-centered learning environment in which students are encouraged to grow spiritually, as well as intellectually. We also remained committed to our Chastity Education Program, inviting dynamic speakers from Generation Life to talk to 7th and 8th grade students in an age-appropriate way that resonates with them and remains faithful to Church teaching on human sexuality. 5 mentoring program for graduates of the Curran Academy boost investment in all New York schools by encouraging