By Anne Marie Amacher
Catholic schools in the Dicoese of Davenport share information on their enrollment, grants, activities and projects for the new school year.
Bettendorf
A new Lego Robotics program will be offered at Lourdes Catholic School. Funding to help start the program was made possible through a $750 grant from Rockwell Collins. Lego Robotics introduces students to the engineering world by using the familiar toy building bricks. New windows were installed in the entire school over the summer.
Enrollment at Lourdes is 361 students, a decrease of seven students from last fall.
Clinton
Renovation of Central Catholic Auditorium, used by Prince of Peace schools and parish, was made possible with a $35,000 grant from Clinton County Development Association. Two new sections of preschool have opened on the main campus. Children in the original preschool classes will continue to attend the north campus. Prince of Peace continues to upgrade its technology with Smart Boards and a new phone system.
Enrollment for preschool is 71 this year and K-12 is at 223, up three students from last year. The parish’s stewardship program has allowed the school to offer no-cost kindergarten to parish families beginning this school year. At this time, 10 families are taking advantage of this option.
Davenport
• The school year has gotten off to a start with various speakers visiting Assumption High School to talk about missions and empowering youth. Father Tom Allender, an author and speaker, visited Assumption Aug. 25. He also led a parish mission at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Davenport. Mike McCoy was expected to speak this week about empowering youth and helping them develop a larger vision for their lives.
A $25,000 grant from Scott County Regional Authority for technology upgrades was used to install wireless Internet access and upgrade servers and laptops for full-time faculty. The main gym floor was replaced and renovations were made to several areas of the baseball complex.
Enrollment is 442, which is the second-highest enrollment number in eight years.
• Much is new at John F. Kennedy Catholic School, which is part of Our Lady of Victory Parish. Early Childhood Learning Services was enlarged and a separate entrance was created to enhance security. New school and faith formation offices were built on the north end of the school, along with a new front entryway and vestibule, students’ restrooms and staff room. Three existing spaces on campus were remodeled and converted into classrooms. A fourth classroom addition is under construction, with completion expected this fall.
A $50,000 grant from Scott County Regional Authority was received for the band/music room.
New K-8 science textbooks and their online versions were added, a foreign language exploratory program will be technology based, and the school’s redesigned website will be launched later this fall.
Enrollment has increased for the seventh straight year with 369 students in K-8, an increase of seven students over last year. Preschool enrollment also has increased.
• St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School underwent asbestos abatement of additions that were built in the 1950s-60s. New tile and carpet were installed in classrooms and hallways, with help from $40,000 in Scott County Regional Authority grants. Due to the earlier start this year, portable air conditioning units were being used in classrooms. St. Paul’s building has wireless technology and its student to computer ratio is 3:1. Auction funds will be used to purchase more iPads, laptop computers, interactive whiteboards and student response systems as well as to provide teachers with training and support for integration of the equipment in the curriculum.
Enrollment remains steady at 450 students. Preschool enrollment is down slightly.
DeWitt
New bleachers, backboards and rims for the gymnasium and new playground equipment have been installed at St. Joseph Catholic School. A new series of religion books titled “We Believe” is being introduced and the school will continue to use the online social studies program. The school received a $2,000 grant from Community Foundation of the Great River Bend for the playground equipment. A $300 grant from GO4IT also was received.
Enrollment is 179 students, down two students from last school year.
Fort Madison/St. Paul/West Point
Holy Trinity Elementary has added a netbook charge cart with 23 netbooks (a smaller version of a laptop computer). Another cart with netbooks should arrive soon for the junior/senior high.
Various grants have been received: a $500 Freeport-McMoRan Educational mini-grant to purchase a laptop computer for accounting classes, and several individual donations in excess of $5,000 to pay for tuition assistance. New bleachers have been installed in the elementary gym. Resurfacing of both elementary and junior/senior high gym floors was completed as was resurfacing of the tennis courts. New wood chips were placed in play areas at the Early Childhood Center in St. Paul. New carpeting was added where needed at the junior/senior high.
Enrollment in preschool through 12th grade is approximately 385 students, a decline of about a dozen students. School officials noted kindergarten numbers are up and the seventh-grade class gained several transfer students.
Keokuk
Keokuk Catholic Schools received a Climax grant for first-grade classroom library books and a computer for second grade. The 3-year-old preschool program acquired a $900 Quality Rating System grant. A new Spanish curriculum is being integrated into daily lessons. A new Smart Board was installed in the fifth-grade classroom and new carpeting in the preschool rooms. Special events continue to be the school carnival and showboat fundraisers. The school will host 50-cent blue jean days to raise money for service projects.
Enrollment is up 4 percent for a total of 112 students.
Ottumwa
A new all-day preschool program for 4- and 5-year-olds is being offered at Seton Catholic School. The morning and afternoon options are still available to families. A grant from the Zee Company in Chattanooga, Tenn., and a memorial gift in the name of Anna Marie Carr enabled the school to purchase a Promethean interactive white board and projector. It will be installed in the fifth-grade classroom. The Seton Catholic School Orchestra has been established. A string instrument program began last year, which led to this addition. New desks have been added to all classrooms and several rooms and offices were painted.
Seventy students are enrolled in K-5, compared with 84 last year. Preschool enrollment is 45 students, compared with 38 last year.
(All schools were invited to send The Catholic Messenger their back-to-school information.)
