National Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration of what makes education at St. John Catholic School (SJS) outstanding. Starting with Sunday Mass on Jan. 29, SJS will have a week of activities planned to show what students are accomplishing and to celebrate the community they have built to educate tomorrow’s leaders.
This year’s National Catholic Schools Week theme centers on community: “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.” The theme highlights the fact that the school is not only a community itself; it is also a part of many other communities, including the parish, the city of Healdsburg and the county of Sonoma.
The theme also focuses on the key elements of Catholic education: faith development, academic excellence and dedication to service. In regards to academic excellence, St. John Catholic School is the longest-standing private school in Healdsburg and offers deeply rooted, challenging academic programs. SJS provide a 21st Century education — over 66 years in the making.
To demonstrate the level of excellence, this past fall SJS students participated and excelled in the national Iowa Tests of Basic Skills once again. The children were tested in their competency of math, science, reading, and vocabulary, among other subjects.
Their fourth-eighth grade classes all had Grade Equivalent (GE) results that were on average almost two years ahead of the class in which they are currently enrolled. The fourth grade GE result was 5.9; the fifth grade GE result was 5.8; the sixth grade GE result was 7.4; the seventh grade GE result was 9.5; and the eighth grade GE result was 10.2.
This means that a St. John eighth grade student scored as well as a sophomore in high school on the same test, confirming that SJS students are mastering the material and will be very well prepared for their secondary education.
For more information about St. John Catholic School or to schedule a school tour contact Development Director Anne Seppi at 433-2758 or visit www.sjshbg.org.
– Submitted by Anne Seppi
