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St. Dominic Catholic School Ready for 2020-21 Academic Year
In a current world climate where many of us feel overwhelmed by the uncertainty and challenges around us, the words of Philippians 4:13 are a fitting reminder of where our strength comes from — “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
That’s why, says St. Dominic School Principal Carol Frericks, this message has ultimately been chosen as the theme for the 2020-2021 school year — “In Christ, I Can!”
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“The Philippians 4:13 choice began with a conversation amongst our faculty reflecting on our 2019-20 theme as it related to faith formation across the school,” Mrs. Frericks says. “As we prayed and contemplated our current situation with reopening schools, we were inspired and selected, ‘I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.’”
Mrs. Frericks says the motto has already become a great source of encouragement for staff and students alike, reminding them that Christ is there, strengthening them and enabling them to succeed, no matter what new challenges may surface in the future. She says it has kept the school positively focused as they work to implement new COVID-19 procedures while also prioritizing the students’ academic and spiritual formation.
“Our specific goals for the 2020-2021 school year, then, will include welcoming students and families back into our school for in-person teaching and learning,” Mrs. Frericks says. “As always, we will provide a safe and healthy learning environment with a few new procedures for protecting ourselves and others due to the Coronavirus. We will also continue to engage in 21st-century learning using Chromebook laptops and iPad tablets with online learning tools, which could be utilized as needed if schools transition into distance learning again.”
Whether in-person or distance learning is in place, Mrs. Frericks says the school’s commitment to promoting spiritual growth and academic excellence while continuously challenging the students to lead and serve will remain consistent.
“We will build on our faith formation study of the fruits of the Holy Spirit from last year by studying our ‘Holy Heroes’ — the Catholic saints who lived their lives sharing the fruits of the Holy Spirit in service to others,” Mrs. Frericks says. “Again this year, we will celebrate the ‘Holy Moments’ in our lives, when we recognize that we have shared the fruits of the Holy Spirit just like our ‘Holy Hero’ role models.”
As part of this process, a different “Holy Hero” will be showcased during morning assemblies each month to help the students learn about their life and the ways they shared the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The school will also continue utilizing its Buddy System, which cultivates both leadership and service in students by pairing older and younger students together.
“Since we will have some new safety procedures with social distancing in the cafeteria and playground, we plan to utilize our Buddy System to help our youngest students enjoy these new procedures with their buddies,” Mrs. Frericks says. “Everything is more fun when they spend time with their buddies.”
Though the future with COVID-19 remains unclear, it is still bright thanks to our faith in Christ and the continued support of St. Anthony of Padua Parish. Parishioners’ faithful donations of time, talent and treasure to the school help ensure its continued success.
“It takes a faith community to raise the next generation of Catholic stewards,” Mrs. Frericks says. “St. Dominic School is blessed to have our parish, St. Anthony of Padua, who faithfully supports this ministry of the Catholic Church.”
