From the Bishop
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS:
Truth in advertising
H
ome is the first and primary school. Parents are the first and primary teachers. By the time children enter the doors of a school, substantial education and formation has already taken place. Children bring with them to school all that they have learned in the family home: language and basic vocabulary, behaviors and social skills, attitudes and values.
They offer a clear alternative in the educational marketplace where ... it seems “anything goes.” The role of the school is to build upon, complement and enhance, develop and nurture what has already been learned at home, especially from
A student in St. Ann School, Lawrenceville, repots a plant. St. Ann School Facebook photo
parents, in a child’s first few years of life. Parents trust schools to continue the process of educating their children, teaching about and introducing them to the wider world. “Trust” is the word that describes the relationship between parents and the schools they choose for their children. In those homes and families where the Catholic faith is present and active, trusting children to a Catholic school education and environment not only seems reasonable but preferable for them. While public schools are readily available everywhere and generally do a good job, the opportunity for children to attend a Catholic school requires parents to trust and choose a “different” educational experience for them – one that includes and fosters their
A Message from
BISHOP DAVID M. O’CONNELL, C.M. growth in the Catholic faith of their Baptism; one that helps form and shape their developing world view, through a curriculum appropriate to their age and consistent with their Catholic faith; one that that teaches the difference between right and wrong and supports healthy interactions with peers; one that provides opportunities for prayer and the Sacraments and nurtures their relationship with God. Catholic schools are a “package deal” that, in addition to deepening the Catholic faith of their students, strive for
September 2022
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THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 7