Catholic values, stewardship, family and academic excellence are the pillars of St. Paul the Apostle School. Each year, school programs center on these pillars. Catholic values are infused within the day. Lenten practices include:
• Stations of the Cross
• Class retreats
• Sixth- to eighth-grade Seder meal
• Reconciliation
• The Holy Childhood collection.
The focus on family included Grandparents Day, which more than 200 grandparents attended. The day began with a celebration of Mass and included visits to classrooms and a program. Other opportunities for families include:
• A family rosary
• St. Patrick’s Fun Night
• Family Halloween Party.
Stewardship, like faith, is incorporated throughout the curriculum:
• Fourth and fifth grades sponsor a Senior Thanksgiving Dinner.
• Sixth-grade students serve lunches at Café on Vine.
• Advent collections take place for Birthright, shut-ins and Project Renewal.
“ADHD and Me: What I learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table,” a memoir by Blake E.S. Taylor, and “How to Reach and Teach Children with ADD/ADHD,” by Sandra Rief, are books St. Paul the Apostle teachers are using for professional development this year. The ideas and strategies learned in these resources are being used in conjunction with the strategies of differentiated instruction that have been the focus of professional development the past four years.
One focus for grants this year has been on safety upgrades. These include new flooring, handrails, air filters and playground fences. Funds are being provided through Scott County Regional Authority, the Home and School Association Auction and the school’s main budget. Other grants have helped with technology, including a Smart Board from Hy-Vee, a Mississippi Regional Blood Center grant and a Community Foundation grant for reading software.