Here We Grow Again!

St. Benilde School - a Catholic coeducational school serving children from Nursery through Seventh Grade - is experiencing rapid growth since implementing a series of school improvement programs at both the early childhood and elementary levels. These reforms - which have focused on improving curriculum, instruction, and learning resources - have provided children a more personalized learning environment driven by data on their own level of readiness. These reforms have also resulted in clear learning gains as measured by student standardized test scores across grade levels.

To better accommodate surging demand - especially in our early childhood programs from Nursery through Prek 4 - we will be making the following program enhancements:

• In January 2016, St. Benilde School will open at least one Prek 2 classroom in the Rainbow Building. This classroom will be able to accommodate a maximum of 20 children with a lead and assistant teacher. As with all our early childhood programs, the curriculum will feature equipment and resources from Hatch Early Learning (the industry leader in early childhood education), child-centered and play-based learning activities using the Creative Curriculum, and driven by each child’s developmental readiness as reported by the GOLD benchmarks. Children must turn two years old by September 30 to be considered for placement in this program. Children are not required to be potty trained for Prek 2.
• With the addition of the Prek 2 classroom in the Rainbow Building, the Loreto Building will be able to enroll additional children under the age of two. We anticipate being able to enroll an additional 16-18 children in the Loreto Building once the Prek 2 program opens in the Rainbow Building. As with Prek 2, all children in the Loreto Building benefit from Hatch Early Learning equipment and resources, the Creative Curriculum, and the GOLD benchmarks.
• To ensure the quality of our early childhood programs - which after this expansion will serve over 120 students - St. Benilde School will be appointing a full time Director of Early Childhood Programs to provide ongoing supervision and support to the 20 person early childhood faculty and staff. The school plans to immediately begin a comprehensive search to hire a highly qualified Director of Early Childhood Programs with interviews to begin in November and continue until a Director has been appointed.
• These steps will allow Mrs. Susan Connick - who has worked in dual roles as the Director of the Loreto Early Learning Center and the Literacy Specialist for the elementary grades - to focus her attention fully on her role as the Literacy Specialist. This will benefit elementary grade students by providing smaller class sizes during ELA classes and more focused instruction to students who need the focused literacy instruction provided by the Literacy Lab.
• In addition to these enhancements, the school will continue with plans to use the proceeds from the upcoming Foodie Fest (November 6-8) to begin necessary efforts to update furnishings and learning resources in our elementary classrooms to complement the collaborative and personalized instruction strategies our teachers use on a daily basis.

According to Mr. Matt Downey - Principal & Executive Director - the planned expansion is both exciting and will benefit all children.

“We have been working for four years now at the school making strategic improvements that have been designed first and foremost to make sure that each child receives an excellent Catholic education that is personalized to their own unique learning needs,” said Downey. “We believe that this expansion will allow us to accelerate efforts to improve the learning environments of all students by improving the quality of instruction, increasing teacher support, and simultaneously lowering class sizes and student/teacher ratios. Mrs. Connick has done an extraordinary job working with the faculty and staff of the Loreto Center. And she has done an exceptional job helping our young readers to grow by leaps and bounds; especially those who need extra help. I cannot wait to see what will happen when she can devote all of her energies to the Literacy Lab.”

“This is just the latest program we have been able to offer to our families and greater Catholic community to provide a more dynamic Catholic education. We are also pleased with our online academic offerings through St. Benilde Online and our increased efforts in providing better spiritual and human formation through the addition of Virtues in Practice,” added Downey.

The Pastor of St. Benilde Parish and School - Reverend Fr. Robert Cooper - is equally excited about the planned expansion:

“The quality education provided at the St. Benilde School is available to the entire community and focuses on the formation of the individual as a Disciple of Jesus Christ. We believe that a solid academic education grows from Christian values taught and applied to every aspect of life. Our strategic vision to nurture and expand our Early Childhood Program is another step forward in our commitment to provide a loving atmosphere in which our children can learn and grow. Our early childhood classrooms are designed to provide a stimulating atmosphere of discovery, exploration and creativity, which encourage the development of a life-long love of learning.

“Research and longitudinal studies have well documented that children who attend early childhood programs are more likely to succeed in Kindergarten and that participating in early childhood education provides academic and social benefits that last well beyond the early years. When a little one enters our early childhood program, he/she becomes part of an established setting for learning. Our early childhood program is not just an “add-on” to our existing academic programs and curriculum. It is an integral part of the elementary school community and considered an important part of the learning continuum. We truly provide safe and secure early childhood education in a loving, faith-based environment.

“This well planned expansion of our early childhood program has been a strategic priority for us over the past several months. These investments will allow more families and students to receive access to an incredibly high-quality early educational experience, developmentally-appropriate programming, and parental support for any learning barriers that might be present in a student's young life. Needless to say, I am grateful and excited about the announcement of this new expansion.”

If you are interested in learning more about the quality programs offered at St. Benilde School, please contact Mr. Matt Downey at 504-833-9894 or via email at [email protected]. Families who are interested in touring St. Benilde School and learning more about how we can partner with them in their child’s education may contact Admissions Director - Mrs. Shanon Beyerback - at 504-833-9894 or via email at [email protected]. Families can also find out more about the school at the school website: www.stbenilde.com.