Portland St. Patrick Catholic School

The snow is melting and the temperatures are beginning to rise.  It is that time of year when schools begin preparing for the next school year.  One of the items that schools need to prepare for is the kindergarten screening.  For many parents, especially those with a child entering school for the first time, it can be a time of anxiety.  Parents can be nervous about the kindergarten screening process.  There is no need to be nervous as our experienced staff is prepar...

It is no secret that a child’s reading skills are vital to their success in school and work.  We often forget that reading can be a fun and imaginative activity for children, which opens doors to all kinds of new worlds.  The month of March is nationally recognized as Reading Month.  All across the country, students will be engaged in activities to remind them that reading can be fun.

At St. Patrick School our teacher committee has been bus...

Technology in the classroom is no longer a new concept for schools.  Computers have become such an integral part of our society that their use in the classroom has become even more important.  The focus is no longer just teaching students how to use the technology, but has evolved into integrating the technology into everyday usage in the classroom itself.  Some of the advantages of doing this are:

•    Technology reaches tho...

Even though the snow is flying and temperatures are hovering around the freezing mark, this is the time of year people begin to inquire about pre-school and developmental kindergarten for next school year.

In June of 2006, St. Patrick School acquired Miss Laura’s Wee People, a pre-school which had a long and successful history in Portland.  This acquisition gave us the distinction of being the only school in the Diocese to operate a complete educational...

The dust has finally settled on an exciting and very rewarding Catholic Schools Week.  It was a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate together in prayer and to learn more about our Catholic faith.  It was also a chance to cheer the end of a successful first semester.

Catholic Schools Week began on Sunday, January 31 when students and teachers took part in the 9:30 Mass.  After Mass, a record crowd enjoyed the Breakfast Buffet sponsored by the School Commi...

Lent, from the Middle English word Lenten, meaning springtime – the time of lengthening days, is a period of 40 days of fasting, prayer, and penitence before Easter.  Lent traditionally begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday.

Lent offers us all a special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and to deepen our commitment to a way of life, rooted in our baptism.  It is an opportunity to reflect on our lives, pray more deeply, repent of the ...

Since 1988, the National Geographic Society has been conducting regular studies of young adults in the United States, to see how literate they are about geography. The results of their latest study in 2006, conducted by New York City based Roper Public Affairs, were rather alarming.  The study of United States citizens ages 18 – 24 years of age showed that the group are “alarmingly ignorant of the relationships between places that give context to world events.”  

January has been designated as School Board Appreciation Month. St. Patrick School does not officially have a School Board but instead has a School Commission. The School Commission serves as a consultative body for the pastor and the principal on matters concerning St. Patrick School. The School Commission is a diverse group of individuals who meet each month to discuss issues that are important to St. Patrick School students.

The seven School Commission members are chosen from school ...

In today’s world, a high school education is no longer sufficient.  Few would argue that point, and yet many students go through high school without a good solid plan for college.  College planning can be overwhelming, as families grapple with the realities of academic requirements and costs.

In addition, many families wait too long to begin planning.  Few eighth graders have college on their minds when they sign up for their first high school classes, and yet...

Last week, St. Patrick School was the recipient of a wonderful gift.  A donor called and asked if we would like to have the original nativity set used by St. Patrick Church.  Of course, I was thrilled by the offer and very happy to accept the donation.  The nativity set is currently in my office awaiting restoration by our art department.  

While I work, I’ve taken some time out to study each figure of the Nativity.  I noticed the paint is fading and...