NEWS & NOTES From Mrs. Lange

ACCREDITATION  St. Joseph School is accredited by the Kentucky Non-Public School Commission (KyNPSC).  During the 2006-2007 school year the faculty, staff, and school board conducted a year of self-study for recertification.  In March of 2007 a site-visit was conducted by principals of other Catholic schools in the Diocese of Owensboro and the Archdiocese of Louisville.   

In June of 2007 notification from the KyNPSC was received for full certification for SJS until 2012.  The letter received stated:  “During the accreditation site visit conducted this school year, your faculty, staff, students, parents and support community demonstrated their high caliber and dedication.  It is apparent to our accreditation review committee that your school meets the highest standards in regard to providing a solid and full educational experience for your students.”  This was signed by Dr. Charles Wittenberg who was the Executive Director of the KyNPSC. 

In July of 2007 notification was received by the Kentucky Board of Education that they accepted the recommendation of the KyNPSC to certify our school as meeting the standards established by the Kentucky Non-Public Schools Commission.  This action was taken in accord with KRS 156.160 (3) which provides that any “private, parochial, or church school may voluntarily comply with curriculum, certification, and textbook standards established by the Kentucky Board of Education and be certified upon application to the Board by such schools.”

CATHOLIC IDENTITY:  SJS strives to teach as Jesus did, challenging students to embrace the gospel message……. Each February our 5th and 8th grade students take the NCEA Acre Test (Assessment of Catechesis / Religious Education).  This program was developed by the National Catholic Educational Association to:
  • Serve as a tool for assessing the effectiveness of catechetical / religious education programs;
  • Provide information about areas of strengths in catechetical / religious education programs as well as areas that may need additional attention or improvement;
  • Offer a picture of where our 5th and 8th grade students are in terms of their basic religious knowledge;
  • To assess the religious beliefs, attitudes, practices, and perceptions of students in these grades.
 SJS scores in the Four Pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: FIFTH GRADE - 2008

Profession of Faith (Creed)

SJS Average:  95%Nat’l Average:  78%
Liturgy and SacramentsSJS Average:  81%Nat’l Average:  69%
Life in Christ (Morality)SJS Average:  82%Nat’l Average:  68%
Christian PrayerSJS Average:  87%Nat’l Average:  69%
   
EIGHTH GRADE – 2008

Profession of Faith

SJS Average:  75%Nat’l Average:  69%
Liturgy and SacramentsSJS Average:  79%Nat’l Average:  69%
Life in ChristSJS Average:  79%Nat’l Average:  76%
Christian PrayerSJS Average: 82%Nat’l Average:  79%

 

Religious Education at SJS includes:

  • Daily religion class based on Diocese of Owensboro Religious Education Curriculum
  • Weekly Eucharistic celebration
  • Celebration of the Holy Days of Obligation
  • Morning assembly and prayer
  • Classroom prayer
  • Integration of Catholic Christian Values into all subject areas
  • “Prayer Days” / Retreats for each grade level
  • Ministry formation by training students to be lectors, altar servers, and ministers of music
  • Catholic traditions of praying the Rosary and Stations of the Cross
  • Communal Penance services for our students
  • Monthly prayer services led by a different class each month
  • Blessing of the Pets
  • Service projects to help the school, parishes, community

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT:  SJS strives to challenge our students to achieve their academic best…… 

CURRICULUM:  SJS follows The Diocese of Owensboro Curriculum Guidelines:  The curriculum framework reflects goals, state and national standards and assessment strategies for instructional purposes.  The curriculums are designed to develop the individual student’s abilities, interests and talents in order to enable the students to assume responsibility to self, home, community, and the world.The Diocesan Curriculum covers Language Arts, Mathematics, Religion, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Technology, and Spanish.  Each subject area is revised on a 5 year cycle. 

National Test of Basic Skills:  CAT 6/ Terra Nova The Diocese of Owensboro along with the other three dioceses in Kentucky use the CAT 6 from CTB/McGraw Hill Co. to measure the skills of our students while allowing us to compare our performance to the performance of students throughout the country.  The scores are reported in percentiles.  A percentile shows the percentage of students who fell below a particular score on the test.  For example, a percentile of 60 would show that the average student in our school scored equal to or better than 60 percent of all student who took the test.  These scores are for the test given in April of 2007. 

Grades 1-7

Reading:  St. Joseph  78%     National  50%

Language Arts:  St. Joseph 75%     National  50%

Math:  St. Joseph 77%     National  50%

Total Battery:  St. Joseph 79%     National  50%

Science:  St. Joseph 74%     National  50%

Social Studies:  St. Joseph 81%     National 50%

EXPLORE:  An ACT Program for Educational Planning

Beginning in November 2006 our 8th Grade students began taking the EXPLORE test to evaluate their academic standings as well as helping with academic planning for High School and beyond.  The following data are the averages for the current 8th grade that was tested in November 2007.          

English:  SJS 18.4  State 13.7  National  14.2 

Math:  SJS 18.5  State 14.4  National 15.1  

Reading:  SJS 16.9  State 13.7  National 13.8 

Science: SJS 18.5  State 14.5  National 15.9 

Composite:  SJS 18.2  State 14.5  National  14.9                                                           

SERVICE, LEADERSHIP, TALENTS:  SJS strives to challenge our students to make a positive difference in the world (their school, parish, community)……. 

Co-Curricular, Extra-Curricular, Student Services that help our students to build leadership and enhance their gifts and talents:

  • National and Presidential Physical Fitness program
  • Accelerated Reader
  • Duke University 4th Grade and 7th Grade Talent Search
  • Knights of Columbus Flag Day Essay Contest
  • The President’s Award for Educational Excellence and Educational Achievement
  • Knights of Columbus Citizenship Award
  • Title One and Resource Program for students needing extra help in core subjects
  • Speech Therapy
  • LaConnexion: After School Homework Help for ESL students
  • Quick Recall and Academic Teams
  • Speech Team and Drama Club
  • Future Problem Solving Team
  • Kentucky Youth Assembly
  • Student Council Executive Committee
  • Band and Choir
  • Christmas Program
  • Spring Art & Music Programs
  • Middle School Enrichment
  • Middle School “House” System
  • Safety Patrol
  • Library Club
  • 4-H
  • Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts
  • Dance Team
  • Cheerleading
  • Cross Country
  • Volleyball
  • Basketball
  • Yearbook
  • Spelling Bee & Geography Bee
  • Honor Roll
  • Halloween Talent Show
  • 2nd Grade School Supplies store
  • Junior Achievement
  • Capitol Arts Youth Art Exhibition
Service Projects:
  • Food Drives for St. Vincent DePaul
  • Christmas Toy Drive for St. Vincent DePaul
  • Family Enrichment Center “Buckets of Hope”
  • Talent Show (money raised for charity)
  • Placemats for Holy Spirit Koinonia Retreat
  • St. Jude Math-a-thon
  • Cafeteria Clean-Up Program / “Table Angels”
  • School Grounds Clean-Up Program
  • School-wide Recycling
  • Prayer Books for Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
  • Letters, Cards, and Care Packages for Troops
  • Christmas Caroling to Shut-Ins
  • Prayer Cards for Interfaith M.E.A.L.S. Program
  • Pencil collection for Diocese of Mandeville in Jamaica
  • Reading Buddies
  • American Cancer Society “Relay for Life”