Catholic School Updates
Diocese of Rochester
St. Agnes School, Avon
Seton Catholic School, Brighton
St. Rita School, Webster
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
With November here, it is the perfect time of the year to take a moment and count the many ways God has blessed us and our Catholic schools. As the staff of our Catholic Schools Office have been able to visit our amazing schools throughout the past weeks, we are continually inspired by the joy, love, and kindness shown in our students. They arrive to school every day happy and ready to learn! Thank you to our families and teachers who have worked so hard to create these loving and caring classroom environments and to our school principals who continue to work so hard in leading our school communities with faith and love. As our families schedule and attend parent-teacher conferences in the coming weeks, we hope you too will be able to celebrate the wonderful environment in our Catholic school classrooms and the great work your students have been doing.
In the coming weeks, we look forward to a return to some of our favorite Catholic School traditions, as our principals and school teams work creatively to safely welcome back some Christmas traditions. The advent season is a time of hope and anticipation and we look forward to a wonderful season of concerts, celebrations, and maybe even visits from Old St. Nick himself. It will be here before we know it!
With prayers for a healthy and wonderful Thanksgiving for each of you and your families,
Mr. James Tauzel
Superintendent of Schools
Our Catholic Schools by the Numbers
St. Pius X School, Chili
St. Francis - St. Stephen School, Geneva
Holy Cross School, Charlotte
Why do Catholics pray for the dead?
All Souls Day, celebrated in the Catholic Church on November 2nd, is a special day set aside to pray for all who have died, especially our family members and friends. Throughout the entire month of November, Catholics remember and pray for all those we have lost. This reminds us that God calls each of us to eternal life with Him in heaven.
Why? We know that through the Sacrament of Baptism, we become members of one Body of Christ - the Church. Because of this, our prayers and good deeds not only prepare our own souls for heaven, but can be offered for others in faith that God will call them too, to live eternally in His presence. Our prayers especially help the poor souls in purgatory to find purification and enter heaven. In return for these acts of faith, we know that the saints in heaven are praying for us, helping and guiding our pathway to heaven as well.
As one Church, our love and work on earth can be a blessing to those who have died, just as their love is a blessing for the living. This unity of love, concern, and prayer is the "Communion of Saints."
Holy Family School, Elmira
St. Michael School, Penn Yan
St. Kateri School, Irondequoit
Math Game of the Month - Go Fish for 10's!
This month we are working on addition skills and looking for combinations of 10. Instead of looking for matching cards, students should look for combinations of 10.
You will need one deck of cards with kings and jacks removed (Aces = 1 and Queens = 0) for 2-4 players.
How do you play?
- Each player receives four cards that they can look at, but not show other players.
- Look at your cards and see if you have any combinations of 10. If you do, lay those combos down on the table for all to see and draw more cards from the “fish pond” (draw pile) so that you have 4 cards.
- Take turns asking each other for a specific card. For example, if you have a 4 in your hand, you might ask another player, “Do you have a 6?” If they do, they must give you that card and you can lay your combo down on the table and go again! If they don’t, the turn passes to the next person.
- At the end of your turn, draw enough cards to always have 4 in your hand.
- Play continues until all the cards are used.
- At the end of the game, the player with the most combinations wins!
Children ages 3 - 12 are invited to participate in the Catholic Courier's Coloring Contest!
See the contest rules and guidelines in the link above.
All Saints Academy, Corning
St. Louis School, Pittsford
St. Mary Our Mother School, Horseheads
DOR School Staff Spotlight
There's no doubt that our Catholic Schools are full of amazing teachers! In this spotlight section, we will take a moment to highlight a great educator from one of our schools.
With this issue, we celebrate Mrs. Judy Russell, the fifth-grade teacher at St. Pius X School in Chili. Read more about Judy below.
Why did you choose to become a teacher at SPX?
I started my career at St. Ambrose and moved to public schools. After a few years I realized how much I missed the Catholic experience in teaching. Educating children should include all parts- academic as well as emotional - and I felt Catholic schools provided that nurturing environment to provide learning experiences all around.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I love to hear conversations and interactions between students that demonstrate their compassion and values for each other. Watching them participate in church and experiencing the way they treat each other validates the hard work that is put into teaching in Catholic schools. This also applies to colleagues- I have never been a part of a more supportive environment!
What is your favorite topic to teach?
I love to teach math - when I was in school math was my worst subject. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I had a teacher who spent time with just me and helped me recognize how I learned best. That experience stays with me every time I see a student struggle. I love to find new ways to help them through difficult areas and help them see they can do it.
How would you like your students to remember you years from now?
I would want them to have seen and believed how much I cared for all of them, no matter what level of support they needed. I always tried to remember how hard it can be when learning something new and what they needed to keep going.
What is your favorite Catholic saint, holiday or special event?
Christmas! That time of year is a wonderful time to not only recall and celebrate Jesus, but to also acknowledge all the good we have in our lives. Times can be hard and scary and sometimes we tend to think more of what we want instead of what we have. I love the ways we are able to celebrate together in school and understand the meaning of the Christmas.
Thank you Mrs. Russell, and all DOR teachers, for making our schools amazing places to learn and grow!
St. Ambrose Academy, Rochester
St. Mary School, Canandaigua
St. Joseph School, Penfield
St. Lawrence School, Greece
Diocese of Rochester Department of Catholic Schools
Email: schools@dor.org
Website: dorschools.org
Location: 1150 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 585-328-3210
Facebook: facebook.com/DioceseOfRochesterSchools/
Twitter: @ROCCathSchools