| CHICAGO
(August 28, 2002)
Catholic elementary
and secondary schools open this week with renewed vitality and vision,
Nicholas M. Wolsonovich, Ph.D., superintendent of Archdiocese of
Chicago schools, said today.
Dr. Wolsonovich
marked the start of his second year leading the 290- elementary
and secondary schools in the Archdiocese during a back-to-school
"Superintendent's Briefing" at Gordon Tech High School,
3633 N. California Ave., Chicago. Gordon Tech, one of the largest
Catholic coed high tech high schools in the U.S., is one of three
Catholic secondary schools to become coed this year. The meeting,
a town hall format briefing, was held in Gordon Tech's student-operated
television studio, WKGT.
Highlighting
the Archdiocese of Chicago schools' renewed strength, Dr. Wolsonovich
reported:
- The opening
of four new elementary schools this week;
- Archdiocese
of Chicago elementary school students performed consistently above
the national norm in standardized achievement tests administered
earlier this year;
- A $45 million
capital expansion program at 20 schools in Chicago and Cook and
Lake county suburbs is nearing completion.
"I'm eager
to move forward into my second year as superintendent of the largest,
non-public school system in the nation," said Dr. Wolsonovich.
"We have a solid vision for the future of Catholic schools
that is shaped by a framework for viability and our mission to provide
academic excellence in a faith-based environment for young people
of the Archdiocese of Chicago."
Dr. Wolsonovich
also reported that a new $1 million Tuition Covenant fund has been
launched by the Archdiocese to provide tuition grants to 33- qualified
elementary schools for families which meet certain economic criteria.
Archdiocese of Chicago Schools Open/Add One
The new voluntary plan computes per-student tuition rates based
on all the actual costs of operating a school and dividing that
number by the expected enrollment. This figure represents the actual
cost, typically $2,745, of educating one student. This formula results
in tuition increases which are offset by grants from several sources,
including the new Archdiocesan fund.
In addition,
the superintendent noted that the Office of Catholic Schools has
been reorganized, a new technology plan adopted, and a year-long
strategic planning initiative will be launched. The new initiative
will engage school administrators, teachers, parents, school board
members, pastors and parish leaders in a visioning process to build
stronger, more focused schools to serve the needs of a broad range
of Catholic schools students.
Four New Schools
To Open
Four new Catholic
elementary schools will open this week in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Three are in the city of Chicago and one is located in northwest
suburban Inverness, Ill.
The new schools
are:
- Immaculate
Conception School, 1413 N. North Park Ave., Chicago, a pre-school
and kindergarten with plans to phase in one grade each year through
eighth grade.
- Immaculate
Conception School, 8739 S. Exchange Ave., Chicago, kindergarten
through fourth grade with plans to phase in one grade a year through
eighth grade.
- San Miguel
Middle School - Gary Comer Campus, 819 N. Leamington Ave., Chicago,
fifth grade with plans to add a grade a year through eighth grade
by 2005.
- Holy Family
Catholic Academy, 2515 W. Palatine Rd., Inverness, kindergarten
and first grade with plans to add a grade a year through eighth
grade.
Expansion Projects
Near Completion
Expansions at
20 elementary and secondary schools throughout the Archdiocese total
more than $45 million funded by parishes, schools and other sources.
The projects include new libraries, computer and science laboratories,
classrooms, gymnasiums, auditoriums, learning resource centers and
other facilities.
"These
are wonderful examples of the vitality of the Chicago Catholic school
system,"
said Dr. Wolsonovich. "They clearly demonstrate that families
have great faith in Catholic education!"
Archdiocese of Chicago Schools Open/Add Two
Three High Schools Go Coed
In addition
to new schools and expansions, three Catholic secondary schools
are broadening their educational missions this year. Gordon Tech
High School, and Marist High School, 4200 W. 115th St., on Chicago's
south side, are opening their doors to female freshman students
this academic year. DeLaSalle Institute, an all-male high school
at 3455 S. Wabash Ave., is adopting a coeducation model of education.
It will be one school with two campuses - an all-male campus and
an all-female campus.
In addition,
Seton Academy, an all-female secondary school in South Holland,
announced last week that it will begin accepting male freshmen for
the 2003-04 academic year.
TerraNova Standardized
Achievement Test Results Released
The results
of student performance on standardized tests administered to third-,
fifth- and seventh-grade students last spring were announced today.
Dr. Wolsonovich reported that students consistently scored well
above the 50th percentile - the national norm for the TerraNova
II Standardized Tests administered in 29 state-wide programs.
"We're
extremely proud of these test results," said Wolsonovich. "The
scores validate that our students are understanding and retaining
what they are being taught by our teachers. Data that we've gathered
over an extended period supports the fact that the longer students
remain in the Archdiocesan schools, the greater their achievement."
Office of Catholic
Schools Reorganized
Dr. Wolsonovich
announced the recent reorganization of the Office of Catholic Schools
in the Archdiocese of Chicago. The Office of Catholic Schools has
been reorganized into three teams: a superintendent's team; a system
advancement team, headed by associate superintendent Sister Judith
Cauley, C.S.J.; and a team for curriculum and instruction, led by
associate superintendent Barbara O'Block.
Other elements
of the reorganization include: the appointment of two coordinators
for the school evaluation process; a resource development/grant
writer; a full-time technology coordinator; six vicariate assistant
superintendents; a coordinator for special education and needs assessment;
and a full-time staff development coordinator.
Technology Plan
Adopted
A new technology
plan for the schools for the next three years has been adopted.
The plan supports the Archdiocese's vision for a system-wide approach
to technology that supports teaching and learning in the schools.
It also supports the technology mission to utilize
Archdiocese
of Chicago Schools Open/Add Three
technology to enhance, enable and engage school communities to be
Catholic, excellent and vital.
Archdiocese
of Chicago Catholic Schools
The Catholic
schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago play a critical role in the
life of the community by developing the minds and spirits of nearly
123,000 students of many races, faiths and backgrounds in the 290
elementary and secondary schools in Cook and Lake counties. There
are more than 6,000 teachers in the Catholic school system who instill
values, teach discipline and achieve strong, consistent academic
results in the Archdiocese of Chicago's 248 elementary and 42 secondary
schools. Visit the Archdiocese of Chicago Website at http://schools.archchicago.org
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