Message from the Pastor

Since 1974, the last Sunday of every January marks the start of Catholic Schools Week in the United States. This week-long event, jointly sponsored by National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is a time to honor the mission of Catholic education, its impact on individuals and the community, and to emphasize effective marketing of Catholic schools.

This year the theme for Catholic Schools Week is Catholic Schools: Faith. Academics. Service. The annual observance starts today and runs all week.

First some fun facts: Total Catholic school student enrollment for the 2010-2011 academic year in the United States was 2,065,872 students. Currently, there are 6,980 Catholic schools in the United States: 5,774 elementary schools; 1,206 high schools. Last year, 34 new schools opened and, sadly, 172 schools closed or consolidated. Our school is very strong.

Our parish has been blessed from the beginning to have a fine Catholic school; since 1913 the Sisters of St. Francis have been an integral part of the story of ICS. Also through the years, dedicated lay teachers have given our children not only a fine academic education, but more importantly, training in virtue and Christian living. Over the years, ICS has adapted to the changing times and academic advances in education.

In the area of technology, ICS is very advanced. There are now a total of 21 e-boards: SMART or Promethean interactive education white boards. They are in all the classes from Pre-K 3 through 8^th grades, including Music, Technology, Physical Education/Health, and Art. Our students use Apple MacBooks in the tech lab and our 5^th - 8^th graders are invited to bring e-readers to school.  Some of our text books are CD’s. All our teachers are trained to use the SMART or Promethean boards, ELMOs (a wireless tablet) and AIRLINERS (you can use the pen to write on the surface of the wireless slate, your handwriting displays on both your computer screen and the SMART Board interactive whiteboard or a projection screen for all to see). Education has certainly changed over the years. No more getting out of class early to clap the erasers - there are no more erasers!!

There are special events slated for Catholic Schools Week at ICS. There will be an Open House for all our parishioners and guests to visit the school on Monday, January 30 6:00-8:00 PM and on Wednesday, February 1 9:00 AM-2:00 PM. Tuesday is the current families day to visit their children’s classrooms and have lunch with them. Thursday, February 2 is Teacher Appreciation Day and a few of our Alumni will come back for Career Visits. Then on Friday, February 3 is a special invitation to attend the 9:15 AM School Mass.

At that Mass, we will be starting a new tradition in honor of the Sisters of St. Francis, who taught in our school for almost 100 years. We want the spirit of St. Francis and the Sisters to remain. At the Mass, our 8^th graders will receive the ICS School Pin in the form of the "Tau Cross" which St. Francis used to teach about the Passion of the Lord. A reception for 8^th Grade parents will follow. The traditional Blessing of Throats on the feast of St. Blaise will take place on that day at the conclusion of Mass.

All of us should be very proud of our school. I know there are parishioners who wish they could afford to send their children to Catholic schools, but simply can’t afford both the tuition and the local taxes; yet there are families who are sacrificing much to send their children to ICS. I only wish that all could attend a Catholic School if they so choose. In the meantime, we can all be proud of Catholic education in general and ICS in particular.