Tag: principals

The excitement is building as the faculty and staff at the 15 Diocese of Venice Catholic schools prepare lesson plans and decorate classrooms for the start of the 2023-2024 Academic Year on Aug. 9, 2023.

More than 100 new teachers were welcomed during a July 31 orientation session at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice presented by the Diocesan Office of Catholic Education, with Superintendent Father John Belmonte, SJ, and Jennifer Falestiny, Director of Curriculum. The large number of new teachers is due to increased enrollment at every Diocesan Catholic school.

Father Belmonte stressed the need for the new employees to be “Catholic School Culture” advocates in whatever role they may have in the different schools. A “Catholic School Culture” is the vision, values, systems, language, expectations, behaviors, and beliefs that increase a school’s and Diocese’s chances of accomplishing the strategy of fulfilling its mission: to introduce the world to its Savior.

Throughout the day, the new teachers learned about the Diocese and the crucial role they will play in helping to build up the faith-life of the students and families with whom they will interact. The group comes to the Diocese of Venice Catholic schools with a wide variety of personal and professional experiences and skills. A few in the group are new to teaching and were joyfully welcomed. Still others have many years of experience.

Being a Catholic educator is no easy task in a culture where there are countless messages that are contrary to the Faith; that anything goes, and nothing matters. This, Father continued, makes it increasingly difficult to get out the message of our Catholic traditions, values and faith into the world.

“In your classroom, in your school, in your heart; everything is sacred. Everything is given to us by God. It all has value. “That is what we believe. That is what we teach our children. We teach them customs and boundaries because we know that is what is needed to make the classroom and world function,” Father said “You are the solution to the bigger cultural problem. You may not be aware of that but by teaching and giving the children the order, discipline and love that they need, it is going to eliminate the understanding in the culture that anything goes, and nothing matters.”

Falestiny explained that the Diocesan Catholic schools “do things better than other school systems. We have lots of programs and procedures in place that might seem overwhelming but is actually great and you will get it eventually.”

The new teachers join the Diocese at a time of record enrollment at each school, with extensive waitlists at several with final numbers expected to exceed 5,100.

In preparation for the new school year, there was also a gathering of the Diocesan Catholic school principals which took place July 28, at St. John XXIII Parish in Fort Myers. There the leaders shared their successes and challenges in the categories of enrollment, “Catholic School Culture,” budgeting, hiring, facilities and student achievement.

The enrollment numbers and other improvement projects taking place at many of the schools were a focus of much of the discussion.

Father Belmonte also updated the principals on the upcoming Diocesan-wide devotional project which will kick off in the fall. This year the devotional project will focus on the Blessed Virgin Mary. This project helps develop the devotional lives of the students in the classroom and by extension in their family.

This is done through lessons from 8th grade leaders in the elementary schools and in the high schools there will be a broader dive into the role of Our Lady in the Church and the various apparitions which have occurred throughout the world. In addition, there is an art competition for the devotional project, where students will be encouraged to produce artwork based on our Catholic artistic tradition around Our Lady.

“The 15-week project is intended to bring to our students a deeper awareness and more ardent love of Our Lady,” Father Belmonte said.

The 15 Diocesan Catholic schools work conscientiously to provide Christ-centered learning experiences that are transportable to the real world and provide the opportunity for children to develop life-long learning skills and to be successful beyond the classroom.

During the orientation, the new teachers also took part in Diocesan Safe Environment training and learned about their employee benefits, risk management, workplace safety, certification process, as well as about standard and ethical conduct.

All Diocesan Catholic schools will open the week of Aug. 8. For more information about Diocese of Venice Catholic Schools, please visit https://dioceseofvenice.org/offices/offices-departments/education/.

Principals from the 15 Catholic schools of the Diocese of Venice gathered for a Principal’s Institute on Aug. 26, 2022, at St. John XXIII Parish in Fort Myers.

During this gathering, which was led by Jesuit Father John Belmonte, Diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Education, and included presentations by Jennifer Falestiny, Diocesan Curriculum Specialist, a broad spectrum of topics was covered.

Among items discussed were presenting a vision for excellence in Catholic schools, updates on enrollment efforts, curriculum standards and additional initiatives and updates on devotional projects that will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

The day began with prayer, followed by an exercise called “Sword-of-Excited.” This was when the principals had the opportunity to share/brag to their colleagues about all of the new and exciting things taking place at their respective schools.

Chief among the excitement was the increased enrollment, with some schools seeing record numbers. Schools have been creative in accommodating the larger numbers through the renovation of classrooms and open spaces or by rethinking the usage of what exists to accommodate a new, more progressive and engaging learning environment while remaining centered in Christ. As a result of the higher enrollment, several schools expanded existing bus service, while one school started a new service as a way to better serve the needs of the students as well as the parents.

In areas where a classroom or area was getting worn down after years of use, upgrades were made, often allowing for a greater use of technology and installation of new desks and study areas. Several principals reported aesthetic improvements as well, including new exterior paint and upgrades to outdoor areas used for play, dining and other activities. Other improvements included new interior or exterior paint jobs.

A key focus of the meeting was to review with the principals the vision of Catholic education in the Diocese. The principals will then pass along that knowledge to school faculty and staff.

As part of the vision for excellence the principals were called to continue efforts to promote a vibrant Catholic culture, cultivate leadership, create and implement a strategic plan, support unity in mission, enhance communication, make data-driven decisions, place Gospel focus on greatest needs and most vulnerable, and much more.

Falestiny spoke about curricular standards, improving structural methodology, as well as developing Catholic culture, academic, and professional goals at each school.

Another focus was on the STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math) curriculum. This curriculum, guided by “The Gifts of Christ: Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Affability, Fortitude, Humility, and Prudence,” grew out of a robotics program, and has expanded to enhance the spiritual and academic opportunities for all Diocese of Venice Catholic school students.

This STREAM approach, fully supported through the generosity of Bishop Frank J. Dewane, places students ahead of the curve in primary fields while continuing to promote core Catholic virtues by helping students to develop cognitive thought processes and gain skills such as leadership, communication, complex problem solving, teamwork and creativity. Falestiny stressed the need for all teachers to be implementing parts of the core curriculum with STREAM-based projects and lessons.

Father Belmonte celebrated Mass for the group and later introduced the idea of a new devotional project which will center on the Holy Eucharist. The goal of this project, which will be starting by October, will help students learn about the Blessed Sacrament in an age-appropriate way and help them understand why this Real Presence is the source and summit of the Catholic Faith. This is undertaken in keeping with the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year grassroots effort of the U.S. Bishops to increase a devotion and belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Several Diocesan events are in the planning stages as part of this national effort.