NEWTOWN—On the morning of Tuesday, January 29, St. Rose of Lima School invited their community leaders in for coffee and conversation to thank them for their dedication to St. Rose School and the Newtown Community. The school library looked lovely with red cloths and roses, as well as a tasty feast of bagels, coffee cake and fruit.
Student ambassadors greeted their guests at the door, shaking their hands, introducing themselves and thanking them for their service. Casual conversation among faculty/staff, town leaders and students touched on many topics followed by some words from Principal Bardhyl Gjoka, who gave a brief overview of notable achievements since the start of the year, including a significant increase in Math and Language Arts scores (as measured by STAR testing) and an overall positive feeling among families that St. Rose School is a strong community. Mr. Gjoka thanked the community leaders for their unwavering support and they, in turn, complimented St. Rose School for being a stronghold in the community and their students on being well prepared, respectful and positive role models.
Student ambassadors led tours of the school where students in all classrooms stood to greet guests. As they departed, school ambassadors gave each guest a gift bag that included a framed letter of thanks including a prayer, a wooden ornament with the St. Rose School cross logo inscribed “You are Special to us” and a red St. Rose pen with the school logo on it.
St. Rose also held a school-wide Knowledge Bowl on Jan. 25th to kick off Catholic Schools Week. Teams were comprised of students from preschool through eighth grade, each team denoted by a color—red, blue, green or yellow. Questions were based on all that students learned since September. Special rounds included parents and teachers. The gathering hall was filled with spirit as teams cheered and minds percolated. In the end, the Green team won but it truly was a winning event in terms of school camaraderie.
St. Rose of Lima Catholic School is a Christ-centered community committed to academic excellence in an atmosphere that nurtures the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical and moral development of each child. The dedicated staff partners with families to prepare students to be responsible leaders in a global society by fostering integrity, service and respect. By creating a sense of family where all are welcome, they encourage each child to develop his/her gifts and to become Christ’s compassionate heart and hands in the world. They center their community of learning around the four core values of respect, integrity, academic excellence and service. Their spirituality is fostered through their close connection with St. Rose of Lima church. Students attend weekly Mass and are blessed by the continual presence of Msgr. Robert Weiss and the other parish priests.
(For more information on St. Rose of Lima school, visit their website at: www.stroseschool.com.)