Principals meet at diocese to prepare for new school year

Associate school superintendnet Nannette Quintanilla-Hatch (left) and superintendent Rosemary Henry, lead discussion at principals meeting.

Mafelyn Calvert,
South Texas Catholic

Fifteen principals of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Corpus Christi held their first monthly meeting for the upcoming school year on Wednesday, July 27, at the Education Service Center. The principals, who represented 15 of the 18 schools in the diocese, discussed topics ranging from "new beginnings with new discoveries" to "each day a beginning for excellence."
 
Superintendent of schools Rosemary Henry said the meeting "sets the tone" for the school year. "I am pleased to serve with such mission-driven leaders of our Catholic schools who are committed to Catholic education and excellence in all areas," Henry said.
 
Associate superintendent Nanette Quintanilla-Hatch reviewed with principals a number of issues and meetings that will be forthcoming during the school year. One topic, "Book Smarts and Happy Hearts," will cover science, technology, religion, engineering, art and mathematics problem solving and project orientation. These sessions are intended to be experiential and activity oriented in scope and designed to engage all teachers for high-level success in the classroom. This will be further developed at an in-service program slated for Aug. 3.
 
In a session called "Catholic Schools - Called to Serve", scheduled for Aug. 4, teachers, staff and school leaders will start the day with Mass, celebrated by Msgr. Louis Kihneman, and then hear presentations on vocations and creating a safe and secure environment where students, teachers and staff "are respected and dignified."
 
“The Office of Catholic Schools is pleased to present high quality professional development programs for our educators. Our teachers and staff deserve the best," Henry said. "Educational research informs us that the area that most greatly impacts teaching and learning is high quality professional development.”
 
Another program the principals reviewed was a Parochial Sports League for the diocese. The league is designed to provide the opportunity for students in all Catholic elementary and middle schools to engage in sports competition in an atmosphere where the Christian values of fairness, cooperation, honesty, integrity and sportsmanship are fostered and modeled by coaching staff.
 
"Programs such as this helps students find a special niche and provides the opportunity to share like interests with other students, experience teamwork and demonstrate respect for others—lifelong skills," Henry said.
 
The league will involve fourth through sixth grade students in volleyball, basketball and track.
 
Other topics covered at the meeting included city of Corpus Christi school zones; math textbook adoptions; 2016-17 days of in-service; professional and para-professional staff lists; deficiency removal plans; annual reports; Liturgy to begin the school year, scheduled for Aug. 24; the diocesan Catholic educators conference, slated for Nov. 11; and the diocesan Science Fair, tentatively scheduled for March 25, 2017.
 
The principals also received an update from the superintendent on the office's development, marketing and enrollment management efforts. David Campa, diocesan in-house counsel, reviewed human resource issues with the principals and Diana Hernandez, Diocesan Health Services Coordinator, went over health-related issues such as immunization requirements; vision, hearing and spinal screenings; CPR/First Aid classes and training; health and wellness topics; and safe schools.