Department of Special Education

Mary Grenfell Receives Archbishop Raymond L. Burke Teacher Recognition Award

(Left to right: Jay Persinger, Principal of The Academy of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, Sean Grenfell, Mary's son, Mary Grenfell and Dr. Karen Tichy, Associate Superintendent for Instruction (K-12) and Special Education)

Mary Grenfell has been awarded one of eleven Archbishop Raymond L. Burke Teacher Recognition Awards for her outstanding service to the Archdiocesan Department of Special Education (DSE). Mary, a speech-language therapist, works with children in three locations--The Academy at St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, St. John the Baptist Learning Center and Seven Holy Founders Learning Center.

Archbishop Robert J. Carlson presented the awards at a ceremony on May 11 at the Cardinal Rigali Center. He commended these educators for their commitment to Catholic education and thanked them for their dedication, hard work and example of excellence. Superintendent George J. Henry summarized each teacher's accomplishments as they accepted their plaque from the archbishop.

Dr. Karen Tichy, Associate Superintendent for Instruction (K-12) and Special Education, reports that "Mary uses research-based strategies in addressing her students’ communication disabilities, which include autism-spectrum disorders, expressive and receptive language disorders, speech disorders, and social communication disorders. She uses multi-step and multi-sensory activities to improve her students’ communication skills, choosing and designing activities tailored to her individual students’ needs and interests so they experience success. She creates “social stories” to involve students in describing and reflecting on events that are confusing, frightening, frustrating, and/or sensory-intensive. She coaches classroom teachers so that they can differentiate instruction and provide ongoing language development for their students in the context of learning their academic subjects. She expertly adjusts tasks and expectations to provide students with an optimal degree of challenge so they can progress without frustration or failure. “Miss Mary” helps her students, who on average have three or more diagnosed disabilities each, to understand how the world works and how they can work within the world successfully."

Each awardee also received a check for $500 to be used at their discretion as further recognition of her outstanding commitment and dedication to the mission of Catholic education.

Sections:

Special Education

Catholic Schools — Mission to Educate!

Posted on August 11, 2010 - 1:22pm

Their names are prominent on St. Louis buildings, street signs and schools: DuBourg, Duchesne, Ritter, just to name a few. But, do you know the history behind these leaders’ name? Mission to Educate tells the story of these pioneers in education who overcame countless challenges to form one of the strongest Catholic school systems in the United States. Their actions influenced educational advancements and social reform not only in Missouri, but throughout the nation. By breaking down boundaries, they established a solid foundation on which the Catholic schools of the Saint Louis Archdiocese now stand. Learn how St. Louis earned the title of “the Rome of the West,” and how St. Louis Catholic Schools are constantly evolving to continue the tradition of excellence.

View an abbreviated version of Mission to Educate:

To learn more about Catholic schools, visit archstl.org/education or call 314-792-7304.

Visit http://archstl.org/education/page/high-school-nights to learn locations, dates and times for this year's High School Nights. Open House for most Catholic Secondary Schools is November 7, 2010.

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Discipleship…Following in His Footsteps--Religious Education Institute 2010

Posted on August 11, 2010 - 9:56am

By Sue Brown, Director of Marketing and Community Relations-Catholic Education Office

Educators from across the Archdiocese of Saint Louis attended the annual Religious Education Institute on Monday, August 9 sponsored by the Department of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University and presented by the Catholic Education Office. The day began with a liturgy in St. Francis Xavier (College) Church, concelebrated by Most Reverend Robert J. Carlson, Archbishop of St. Louis and Most Reverend Richard J. Malone, Bishop of Portland, Maine.

Bishop Malone delivered the 15^th annual Ellen B. Ryan Memorial Address, “”Teaching Truth, Heralding Hope: Our Call, Our Challenge, Our Blessing.” Mrs. Ryan is remembered since her untimely death in 1996 for her deep and intimate relationship with the Person of Jesus Christ and her influence on the work of religious education.

Over 1400 educators were in attendance at the institute and teachers from St. Bridget of Kildare Catholic School in Pacific, MO said they look forward to the day each year as a time to prepare and to be inspired as they begin another school year. Renee Ostrom said she heard Archbishop Carlson say that she (as a teacher) must bring the message of Christ to her students, and recalled the words of St. Teresa of Avila, “Christ has no body but yours.” St. Bridget teacher Julie Bukowsky added that besides teaching at the school, her own children attend St. Bridget and she knows she made “the right decision to send them to a Catholic school.”

The day included a number of additional speakers on a variety of topics related to religious education and an exhibition of religious education materials supplied by local and national vendors. Those in attendance included administrators, teachers, and catechists in the Catholic schools and parishes of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

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School and Parish Leaders Meet for Annual Conference

Posted on August 10, 2010 - 3:35pm

By Sue Brown, Director of Marketing and Community Relations-Catholic Education Office

Leaders in Catholic Education gathered at Our Lady of the Pillar Parish on Thursday, August 5 for the annual Leadership Conference—this year’s theme—Alive in Christ! The Most Reverend Robert J. Carlson, Archbishop of St. Louis was the primary celebrant and homilist at the opening liturgy and participated in the listening session that followed, at which Catholic school and PSR leaders responded to three key concerns in Catholic education: strong Catholic identity, increased enrollment, and financial stability/tuition assistance to the poor.

Listening sessions will continue through September at various locations across the archdiocese, following Archbishop Carlson’s promise that “Catholic schools are [his] first priority.”

The conference concluded with presentations to the winners of this year’s Sr. Mary Ann Governal and Mrs. Ellen Ryan Memorial Development Grants, sponsored by the Catholic Education Office. Funds to support these grants are raised at the annual Golf Tournament held in June at Eagle Springs Golf Course. Awardees are pictured above.

Sections:

Department of Special Education

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