St. John the Beloved School Annual Report
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St. John the Beloved School Annual Report 2018 - 2019 St. John the Beloved School 905 Milltown Rd. • Wilmington, DE 19808 www.sjbdel.org ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, COMMUNITY, SERVICE, WORSHIP! Rejoice in the Lord, always! Class of 2019 MIDDLE STATES Accredited NCEA Member Our Mission AMLE MEMBER MISSION STATEMENT The MISSION of St. John the Beloved School is to teach and model the Gospel of Jesus Christ, foster academic excellence, and encourage service to others. BELIEF STATEMENTS 1. We believe that Reverence, Respect and Responsibility are the foundations of our Catholic School. 2. We believe that the whole child will be developed spiritually, intellectually, physically and socially. 3. We believe that the academic and Catholic religious formation of our students is a shared responsibility among the home, the school and the parish. 4. We believe that the academic needs of students are met through the quality of differentiated instructional techniques utilized in our programs. Class of 2019 October, 2019 Dear Staff, Students, Families & Friends of St. John the Beloved School, Once again we look into the value of Catholic education. Many school programs offer quality education and opportunities that allow children to develop into gifted, responsible adults. Catholic education also offers these advantages; so where is the difference? The difference is a deeper understanding and promulgation of Gospel values as initiated by Jesus Christ. This is the mission of the Church and our most important duty. Evangelization involves knowing the Lord, proclaiming His message and witnessing what is believed. Our St. John the Beloved School takes this responsibility seriously. Our parishioners, friends and entire school staff seek to make our school children advance in academia, social skills, athletics and moral behavior. Each child has unique qualities that our school works with to affirm his/her advancement. More so, each child is a Child of God that must be loved and taught to love and respect those around them. The efforts that are spent for this purpose are never wasted. As we progress into another academic year, may the Good Lord bless each one of you for supporting and making sacrifices for Catholic education. Our efforts make a difference in enhancing the world. God Bless You! Vry. Rev. Joseph J. Piekarski Class of 2019 Page 1 St. John the Beloved School Serving 4 year old Early Childhood through 8th Grade 905 Milltown Rd. • Wilmington, DE 19808 • 302-998-5525 A Catholic school in the Franciscan Tradition. www.sjbdel.org October, 2019 Dear Friends, Rejoice in the Lord Always Indeed, St. John the Beloved has been blessed by the Lord for over 60 years. The spirit of the Lord has been the guiding force of our school. We have been given many blessings and so we rejoice. Let us share the good news with you! Our children are successful. When they leave us, they are prepared for high school. All of this happens because of the tremendous work and support of our children, their parents, our parish, and our faculty and staff. We have been blessed with cutting edge resources to offer a quality program and are always searching for innovative ways to educate our 21st century learners in a changing world. We are fortunate to have a good enrollment and plans are in place to keep this a reality. As you read and page through our Annual Report, you will see first hand our blessings as well as the guiding force of Our Lord. St. John the Beloved was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School. We are in the top 15% of schools in the nation. These achievements do not just happen. They are the result of hard work, planning, and prayer. Thank you for your continued support for the success of our mission to teach and model the Gospel of Jesus Christ, foster academic excellence, and encourage service to others. Peace and Joy, Principal Class of 2019 Page 2 Highlights Accomplishments 2018 - 2019 CeCe’s Warriors Fire Co. Visit CATHOLIC IDENTITY CURRICULUM Celebrated monthly liturgies Recognized as National Blue Ribbon Prepared second grade for First School 2016 Communion Adopted the new Renaissance STAR Celebrated First Reconciliation & testing for K – 8th grades Communion for second grade Emphasis placed on Step Up to Student choir and band for liturgies Writing Program school wide Faculty Retreat Program Well-defined Spanish Program EC3 – Retreat experience for our sixth, 8th grades seventh, and eighth grades Instituted an in-depth memorization Instructed Kindergarten in prayer program for multiplication in grades assisted by their eighth grade buddies three through five Recited the Rosary in October and Google Doc school May as a school community All updated Curriculum has online Celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of component the Rosary at Pilgrimage 1:1 Chromebooks 4th – 8th grades Participated in the Stations of the Cross Chrome Book Carts grades 1-3 during Lent Additional iPads for primary grades Eighth grade performed Living Stations Expanded Reading Assist – Mrs. School community honored Mary by Tharan RA Coordinator participating in a traditional May Employed Instructional Coach – Mrs. Crowning Ryan Students participated in a monthly service Established weekly Activity Period project that benefited various for Middle School Organizations Franciscan Award at eighth grade FACILITY ENHANCEMENTS graduation Music Room relocated, remodeled Franciscan Value Awards awarded each and sound proofed trimester to those who model our New security system – cameras, locks st Franciscan Values 1 floor – new drop ceilings, Continued support to our sister school with carpeting and painting Neighbors to Nicaragua MAINTENANCE Stripped and waxed all floors Area Carpets Cleaned Asbestos Inspections Detailed Student Bathrooms Class of 2019 Page 3 COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACHIEVEMENTS & RECOGNITIONS Raised over $5,000.00 for various Received acceptances of all Graduates Charities including Special Olympics, into a High School of their choice Little Sisters of the Poor, Family 7 students received ten scholarships to Promise, & Neighbors to Nicaragua various High Schools Easter Baskets for Ministry of Caring Celebrated the life and retirement of 1 Raised money for John Paul II school teacher in Nicaragua Fifteen 8th grade students received Adopted 25 families for Christmas U.S. President’s Award for Restocked Outreach throughout the Educational Excellence year Honors Awards and Breakfast of Raised over $60,000.00 during the Bi- Champions Annual Bid-A-Mania. HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION/ STUDENT ACTIVITIES, ATHLETICS BID-A-MANIA COMMITTEE EXTENDED CARE & SUMMER Finances the following after school SCHOOL programs: Italian Club, Science Hosted Art Fairs in January and April Explorers, Math Leagues, Science Received first and/or second place by Olympiads, It’s Academic, Jr. and Sr. several athletic teams in all sports Chess Club, Discover your Palette Fourth grade hosted Career Week Breakfast with Santa and Santa’s Annual Christmas concert K – 3rd Secret Workshop with school Choir Bid-A-Mania Band Recognition – Jazz Fest at U of Grade Level Socials DE, Superior Performance at the Father/Daughter Dance National Catholic Band Association at Mother/Son Jump Villanova Family Night Bingo Soccer Shots Multiple Business Take-Overs Spring Concert featuring choir/band National Spelling and Geography Bees Math League & Science Olympiad Speech Debate St. Nicholas Day TECHNOLOGY IPADS – ECP through Kindergarten PARENT PARTNERSHIP Ongoing Upgraded technology Special Persons Week curriculum Coffee and Conversation with the Updated School Check In Principal Web-based curriculum for Math, 4th grade Career Week Science, Social Studies, Reading & Library Volunteers Vocabulary Parent Volunteers Smart Boards in all classrooms Clear Touch Interactive board – next generation Smart board – 1st grade Additional Chromebook Carts purchased ADMINISTRATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS Principal NCEA Lead, Learn, Proclaim Award Emmaus Series for Catholic School Leaders Certificate Program Class of 2019 Page 4 Our History Celebrating over 60 years of Catholic Education In 1953, after two years of searching for a desirable site, his Excellency Bishop E. J. Fitzmaurice and Monsignor John J. Lynch decided to purchase a nine acre farm on Milltown Road, which included a nine room house. Boundaries for the proposed parish were loosely drawn up and some 500 families began congregating at the armory on Kirkwood Highway for Sunday service. Bishop Fitzmaurice appointed Rev. John J. Sheehy, the founding pastor of the parish, to select a new name for the community, to organize a building program and to establish various parish committees. During this time, a contract for the design of the school was confirmed. Construction began in the summer of 1956 and in August 1957, seven Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia moved into their new home and began preparations for students to enter their new school. On September 4, 1957, Sister M. Eutropia, the grade school principal, along with four sisters and four lay teachers, opened the doors to approximately 500 students. The school at this time was a nine classroom structure. With time and the expansion of surrounding suburbia, St. John the Beloved’s much heralded school became increasingly crowded. Enrollment increased from 500 in 1957 to 940 in 1963, requiring the scheduling of split academic sessions, under the principalship of Sister Edward Augustine, OSF. To meet the demands of this growth a new junior school was built and on September 6, 1964, it opened to provide much needed classroom space. In its first 15 years of growth, St. John’s experienced many clergy changes; the second and third pastors respectively were the Rev. Alex Gorski and the Rev. Monsignor John H. Dewson, and the third principal was Sister M. Synesia, OSF. Later, in 1971, Sister M. Rita Thomas, OSF, assumed the principalship of the school and introduced updated teaching methods in reading and mathematics. In 1974, the new church was built. The fulfillment of a promise made to the parishioners since 1955 was realized on December 21, 1976 with the dedication of the church.