2016 marks St. Louis Catholic School's 60th Anniversary!
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As plans for the 60th Anniversary Celebration are underway, we are trying to reach as many alumni as possible. Perhaps you know of fellow classmates or family members who would like to be included or simply be in touch with their elementary school alma mater. Please share this newsletter with them and encourage them to contact school Development.
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Do you have news and photos to share with the school and fellow alumni? We love to hear from our alumni - where you are now and your memories of your time at St. Louis.
Email your updates to
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Greetings from your Elementary School Alma Mater!
As an alum myself, it is with great joy that I connect with the alumni community through our first St. Louis Alumni Newsletter. Each one of us has memories of our days, teachers and friends at St. Louis Catholic School, and all of those memories combine to create 60 years of deep tradition and ongoing Christ-centered education here on Popkins Lane. It is our goal to connect with you and share the blessings of a united school community.
My family (the Faherty family) moved to Alexandria in the summer of 1977, bringing me to the halls of St. Louis. It was during my third grade year that I knew I wanted to be a teacher. Little did I know that my vocation would bring me back to the school that I called home - first as teacher and now as principal.
Often now, I see parishioners and fellow classmates who feel a deep connection to the school. Many, many families have given a tremendous amount of time and dedicated service to St. Louis School and parish, and I am proud to share with you that this gift of Catholic service continues to be a central part of the school's charisma. Whether you were here in the 1950's, 1960's, 1980's or more recent years, St. Louis has a special place in many people's memory: friendships were made; Catholic values and faith were taught and lived; family life was strong; education was excellent.
The same can be said in our current setting too. We are blessed with a strong, collaborative faculty and active PTO; our Catholic faith is taught, celebrated and lived; and the classroom curriculum is comprehensive and challenging. The building has had updates throughout the years, and the most current technology is now available in our classrooms, with interactive white boards, computers, tablets, chrome books and the newest software. We have been able to add a preschool (threes and fours) to our K-8 program, and our extended day program (before and after care) continues to grow and thrive. With more than 515 students, we are blessed with the challenge of being at full capacity. We continue to look for opportunities and funding to make needed capital improvements, and we continually work with the parish to find space for all.
This year marks the
60th Diamond Anniversary
of St. Louis School, from its early beginnings with Pastor Eugene Walsh and the Sisters of St. Francis, to today's pastor, Fr. Matthew Zuberbueler, and our fully lay staff. Yes, you are part of a rich history that spans sixty years of Catholic education provided to literally thousands of students! We are busy planning anniversary celebrations, beginning with an alumni reunion weekend of events scheduled for
FRIDAY &
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21-22, 2016.
We will be celebrating Friday 8:45am Mass in the newly renovated church followed by an alumni coffee and school tours, and an evening Alumni Dinner in our own McClunn Hall (details to come).The next morning will bring the St. Louis Hawks 5K Event and Community Picnic, which will be fun for the whole family. Please
SAVE THE WEEKEND!
It would be wonderful to have each of the decades represented during our celebrations.You will be receiving more information in the coming months.
Thank you for your support, near and far, of St. Louis School. Drop by for a visit any time! Please pray for our students, our teachers and staff as we all work together to continue the tradition of maintaining a vibrant, thriving, faith-filled place to learn, grow and celebrate all God's blessings.
Peace,
Kathleen Faherty McNutt, Class of 1983
Principal
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| St. Louis Catholic School Today... |
VCEA Accreditation
The 2014-2015 school year found the school community immersed in a Self-Study, a required component of the state re-accreditation process. This past May we were most pleased to announce that St. Louis Catholic School was granted continued accreditation by the Virginia Catholic Education Association (VCEA). The Commission wrote:
"It is with great pleasure that the Virginia Commission on Independent Schools, voted to grant St. Louis School continued accreditation. The Visiting Committee Report commends the visionary leadership of the administrative team and the outstanding commitment of the faculty and staff for providing a strong academic, moral, and spiritual program for the students."
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Curriculum Innovations
St. Louis curriculum innovations include: the implementation of a new science lab and continually updated lab materials for grades K-8; the addition of IXL Math software accounts for grades 3-8; the implementation of Google Apps for Education and Google accounts for students in grades 4-8; a growing resource program led by Special Education, Counseling and Social Work specialists; a STEM enrichment program for middle school students; Battle of the Books program for grade 6; Discovery Education, Brain Pop, and Tig Tag software access for all K-8 classrooms; the Diocesan PowerSchool Parent Portal; and preparation for online data-driven assessment to begin in Fall 2016.
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Technology
Technology continues to propel and enhance both teaching and learning. Our computer lab was outfitted with twenty-eight 22" touchscreen computers and two Macs, while each classroom has interactive whiteboards, 2-4 classroom computers, classroom printer, document camera and a group set of tablets.The middle school currently has two classroom sets of chrome books with plans to increase.
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Catholic Schools Week 2016
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Catholic Identity
Our Catholic identity continues to be nourished in so many ways: Monday morning school prayer assembly, daily opening and closing announcement prayers, weekly Friday Mass, schoolwide rosary opportunities, Advent/ Christmas and Lenten Prayer Services,weekly Lenten Stations of the Cross, the Christmas Pageant, Reconciliation during each quarter, the 2
nd
grade and 8th
Grade Retreat, Food Drives for our Parish Food Pantry, and community service projects throughout the year.
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Renovated Cafeteria
Some alumni may remember this
space as the Multipurpose Room!
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Our efforts in Advancement yielded approximately $50K each year over the past two years. Contributions to the Annual Fund have been earmarked to support technology enhancements and the renovation of the cafeteria tables and painting this past summer.
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Proposed Media Center; completion Summer 2016
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The goal of our
2015-16 Annual Fund Campaign is to raise funds to help cover the costs for the renovation of the school library and computer lab, creating an updated and properly wired Media Center for the school. This Media Center is being named for Noreen Gilmour and Fran Schneider, beloved leaders of St. Louis Catholic School for many years.
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