Catholic Schools Week is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. It begins the last Sunday in January, which in 2020 is January 26th, and runs through Saturday, February 1st. The theme for Catholic Schools Week is ‘Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.’ During Catholic Schools Week, schools across the Diocese, and across the country, mark the occasion with Masses and special entertainment and activities for the students, families, parishioners and members of their extended communities. Through these events, schools focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and the school’s contributions to our church, our communities, and our nation.
How Is Catholic Schools Week Celebrated on Long Island?
On Long Island, Catholic Elementary Schools celebrate the week with Masses and open houses to thank parents and parishioners, and to introduce new families to the benefits of a Catholic education. These frequently kick off with a Mass and open house on the Sunday the 26th, but can be held early as St Patrick School in Huntington is doing on Thursday the 23rd. In addition to the Open House to welcome new visitors, Catholic Schools Week features a series of events designed to recognize the contributions of students, parents and faculty during the course of the week. Many schools also offer additional open houses and opportunities for prospective new families to visit during the week as well.
Catholic schools are unique in many significant ways, and Catholic Schools Week highlights many of those differences. First, Catholic education acknowledges the parents as the original teachers in each of our lives and celebrates the continued and ongoing involvement of parents in their child’s education, and with their child’s school.
Catholic Schools Week is the best opportunity for families who might be considering the benefits of a Catholic education to experience first-hand the commitment to academic excellence and faith formation in your local school. Prospective families tour the facilities, are introduced to the innovative reading and math programs that accelerate academic achievement, and they get to see how the safe, loving, supportive and orderly environment in a Catholic school makes it the perfect environment to support learning.
As many of the touring parents have said, the best part of the visit during Catholic Schools Week is being able to see and feel the difference that a value-centered education can make for every child. This is frequently reinforced by the contact prospective families have with the 7th and 8th grade students, most often as tour guides. When you see the confident, caring and courteous individuals these young men and women have become, you begin to really understand the Catholic school difference.
For more information, calendars of events and links to the schools, visit LICatholicElementarySchools.org
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