Although the halls and classrooms are quiet in the summer, the faculty and staff of St. Mark’s Cathedral School stay busy. Most of the Pre-school faculty traveled to a conference presented by the Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools which offered workshops on a wide variety of topics including pre-school religious curriculum and worship.
School Chaplain Judy Kane and Pre-school/Lower School Christian Ed teacher Terri Sittig attended a training on the Peace Builders program, and our third and fourth grade teachers were invited to take a four-week course in teaching math and science at Centenary College. Other teachers were taking graduate courses or traveling or simply re-charging their batteries to prepare for the new year.
In addition, in June Principal Chris Carter myself defended his project-thesis in order to earn the degree of Doctor of Ministry in Educational Leadership. He wants to thank all of you who attended the School Fair or the series of classes he taught last fall as part of the project. Thanks also to everyone who took the surveys sent out before and after those events last fall.
The subject of his thesis was how the school could welcome the parish into the life of the school, and the work was possible because of the welcome you have offered him as your head of school and of your support of the school as a ministry of the Cathedral.
One exciting new development for us in the school is that we have been assigned a Haitian partner school by the National Association of Episcopal Schools and the Bishop of Haiti. We are very excited about getting to know the faculty and students of St. Jacques School, Petit Boukan, and learning how we can serve them and learn from each other. We hope as well that this will be a partnership and ministry that we can share with our parish.
Teachers and staff are now all busily preparing for the first day of classes on August 18. Please keep the school and its ministry in your prayers as we begin a new year.
Our opening Chapel Service will be Friday, August 20 at 8:00 a.m., after which we begin our regular chapel schedule. Please know that you are always welcome to join us for chapel.
