State of the School
January 30, 2012
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord’s face shine upon you and be
gracious to you.
May the Lord look upon you with kindness,
and give you His peace.
Amen.
Together, we illuminate
the world…
Notre Dame School
We illuminate the lives of our students in so
many ways.
and they illuminate ours…
What makes our school special?
Lifelong friendships
Lasting memories
Strong faith atmosphere--prayer is at the
center of our day
Foundation for later learning--critical
thinking, good writing skills
What makes our school special?
Poised articulate students--our students are our
best ambassadors.
Each and every family who tours with us
comments on our students. The students speak
beautifully about our school and their
experiences here.
Outline of Tonight’s Meeting
•
•
•
•
•
What’s new around our school?
Academic Status
Financial Facts
Parental Involvement
Questions
Notre Dame
School
Community
• All of the elements of our community have
contributed to our illuminating success!
• We are grateful to our pastor, our parish and
our parents for their support of our school.
• The excitement and energy in our building
continues to grow.
Academic Status
•
•
•
•
•
Academically prepared
Intellectually sharp
Culturally appreciative
Ethically conscious
Socially just
Education is not just the 3R’s
What’s new?
• We have so many wonderful things to be
proud of-• Our Video-Conferencing Center has opened!
Our equipment was installed on January 17th
and we hosted our first conference on January
19th! Please remember that you are welcome to
join us whenever your child’s class has a
scheduled conference.
What’s new?
• Wireless networks throughout the school!
• What does this mean?
• It means internet access is available
throughout the building. Students can use
one of our MACbooks, laptops or iPads to
research topics in their classrooms.
What’s new?
• New outdoor Nursery playground
• A special fenced area with
small-sized play equipment
and a safety surface.
What’s new?
• A new indoor playspace
• A special indoor playroom for the students in
Nursery, Pre-K and Kindergarten.
• Winter is long and cold--the students need a
place to play when it is rainy or snowy.
What’s new?
• We are so very proud to tell you that our
eighth grade students received more than
$270,000 in high school scholarships!
• We have 100% acceptance to Catholic high
schools--many admitted to honor programs in
the school of their choice!
What’s new?
• SchoolReach
• An automated calling service that obviates the
need for calling chains. One call does it all!
What’s new?
• A very special remodeling…
What’s new?
• Last, but certainly not least-• New students!
• We are delighted to report that we have spent
the month of January conducting tours of our
building--and we have registered new
students in all grades!
ITBS – Fall testing
•
•
•
•
Iowa Test of Basic Skills
Administered in grades 2 – 7
National norms
Local norms – comparison to other schools in the
Diocese
• Results available on our website
• This year the students took a new section--maps,
charts and graphs and reference materials.
NYS Testing results--Spring 2011
• All results are Available on our website under
the heading Testing Data
Quick facts
•
•
•
•
•
•
388 students N – 8
276 families
22 different school districts
26 Full-time; 2 Part-time teachers
(1: 15)
Average class size is 18 students
Financial Facts
Three main sources of revenue:
Tuition
Parish subsidy
Fundraising
Other sources:
--Mandated Services
--Donations--this allowed us to purchase the
iPads
--Matching Grants--This allowed us to
purchase the 4 Mac Laptops and iPod Touch Players
--After-Care
Parish Subsidy
• Rather think of it as the parish investment
• Roughly 20% of the parish collections, which is the
maximum allowed
• As collections decrease in the parish, the financial
support of the school decreases.
Parish Investment
• Diocesan Cap = 20% of Parish Collections
• Stewardship Increases Subsidy to School
• School Family Commitment of $500
Minimum to Parish
• Families whose parish does not have a
school are offered parishioner rate, as
per Father Bill ( and the Bishop). They
must show evidence of contribution to
their parish equal to ours.
Fundraising
• Fundraising is a major component. PAVE is a vital
part of the health of the school.
• One mandatory fundraiser – Pot of Gold.
• Matching Grants and donations are helpful.
• Scrip could be a huge resource.
Mandated Services
• Refund from the state of NY for things that we
do required by the state.
– Attendance protocols
– Administration of state testing
• Last year this was cut to 93% and this year to
92%
• Sharp decline in dollar amount as the refund
depends upon faculty salaries for completing
tasks. Salaries are lower since the buyout..
Parental
Involvement
Volunteering
Volunteers
• Lunch duty
• PAVE
– Should be an overseeing Board
– Chairs are needed for events
– Volunteers to work at events
• Scrip
PAVE
•
•
•
•
Designed as an overseeing Board
We are having a wonderful year
People have great ideas
Events have been great--
• Need:
increased attendance and participation
Volunteer Option A
• Many people select this option – reduced
tuition
• That means there is an obligation to volunteer
and assist in fundraising.
• Way to meet other families and increase the
social capital.
Scrip
• 3% of funds generated could be applied to
your tuition
• Done on a trimester basis
– Purchased $100.00 / week in supermarket scrip
– 10 weeks – generate $50. in revenue,
• $30 of which could be applied to your tuition
• $20 of which goes toward fundraising
Scrip option
• Mrs. Patricia Rossello and Ms. Mary Ann Schillinger
are handling the scrip.
• First round of refund checks have been issued.
School Board
• Advisory function
• 10 members
• Planning and Financial Liaison
– Most important function – Keeping in touch with
parents’ views and opinion--finger on the pulse-– Sub-committee--Financial
Other fundraising
• Matching Grants
• SCRIP
• www.onecause.com
• Good Search
• Thank you for all you do for our school.
• Please know that we--faculty, staff and
administration--appreciate your support.
• Your children illuminate our lives• God Bless you!