Category: General

Voice of the Customer Parent Survey

GRACE parents are invited to respond to the Voice of the Customer Parent Survey. The survey is open Dec 7-19, 2022 and is utilized to provide parental feedback to our Board Education Committee. This is an annual survey to help assess our progress from the parent perspective. All are asked to respond. The survey link can be accessed from your GRACE school’s weekly parent e-newsletter.

Thank you in advance for responding — your perspective is valued!

Diocese Year of Worship and Retreat

The GRACE Catholic School System is committed to our mission. We are not just Christians on Sunday but at all times and in all aspects of our life. Likewise, at school, we aim not merely to integrate our Catholic faith but to be rooted in it in all ways. One of the defining characteristics of our schools is that we are always “steeped in a Catholic worldview.” So whether we are teaching the Revolutionary War in middle school social studies or learning about how seeds become plants in second grade, we seek to find opportunities to show children the centrality of God and the influence of the Church in the world.

This year the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced a national Eucharistic Revival, whose aim is to encourage “a movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed and united by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist.” In support, Bishop David Ricken wrote a beautiful letter to our Diocese titled, Encountering Jesus in the Eucharist: Disciples Called to Worship.

During these next three years, Bishop wishes to lead us on a journey to better worship Jesus by focusing on encountering Jesus more deeply in the Word and the Eucharist. At GRACE, we aim to support this mission as we endeavor to help make sure all children know and love Jesus Christ.

Catholics believe that the greatest prayer of all is the Holy Mass, and it is especially beautiful when we bring our family on Sunday. As we seek to grow in our relationship with Jesus and strengthen our prayer lives, consider how your family will continue to make Sunday Mass attendance a priority.

In The Sacrament of Charity, Pope Benedict XVI told us, “The love of God that we receive in the Blessed Sacrament should lead us to love our neighbor (88).” Our GRACE teachers are hard at work each day, teaching children to pray, how to approach the Sacraments, and how to live our Catholic morality by guiding the way they act in the classroom and on the playground. We are proud of the ways we celebrate liturgical seasons like Advent and Lent, and each school attends Mass weekly as a community.

This year we ask all members of our GRACE community to join this great movement in our Church as we seek to encounter Jesus deeply and personally through the Eucharist. Parents can support our faith mission by asking their children what they are learning in religion class, taking time to pray as a family, going to Eucharistic Adoration, and attending Mass weekly as a family.

GRACE Announces the Adoption of Project Lead the Way

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) enhances our rich educational experience through interactive, hands-on experiences. Our faith-filled teachers will lead the instruction while ensuring that our Catholic values and Catholic Social Teaching concepts are expertly woven throughout the content. Through PLTW Launch (K-5), students will become collaborative problem solvers and creative thinkers. Students use structured approaches, like the engineering design process, to employ critical thinking skills to solve scientific issues that relate directly to real life experiences. They will apply STEM knowledge and learn that it is okay to take risks and make mistakes.

Our Catholic worldview will be threaded through each lesson and hands-on experience. This program will allow students to develop a strong foundation in math and science, and make connections between their classroom and future careers. PLTW Launch taps into students’ exploratory nature, engages them in learning that feels like play, and encourages them to keep discovering — now and forever. Each semester, GRACE families receive their student’s individual NWEA MAP Student Progress Report accompanied by an explanatory summary letter.

Impact of Project Lead the Way

A recent study shows PLTW students outperform their peers in school, are better prepared for post-secondary studies, and are more likely to consider STEM careers compared to their non-PLTW peers. Students find PLTW programs relevant, inspiring, engaging, and foundational to their future success.

GRACE middle school is also updating its science curriculum resource to iScience. During the selection process, iScience stood out to our middle school teachers because it enforced the three key discipline areas: Life Science, Physical Science, & Earth and Space Science. In addition, the materials the program provides will prepare students for high school science classes. This includes non-fiction reading skills, hands-on collaboration experiments, academic writing, and more.