101 Ways to Support Catholic Schools

Support Catholic Schools

Gandalf Loves Catholic Schools

It’s Catholic Schools Week 2013, and to celebrate I’ve compiled this list of ways you can support Catholic education. The most important way to support Catholic schools is through prayer, but your Time, Talent, and Treasure are also of great benefit. I’m sure there are at least 101 more ways to support Catholic schools. Leave your ideas in the comment area. And Happy Catholic Schools Week!

Prayer

  1. Attend a school Mass.
  2. Start a Catholic school parent prayer group.
  3. Say a Rosary for Catholic schools.
  4. Pray for all Catholic school students.
  5. Pray for Catholic school teachers around the world.
  6. Pray for principals and vice principals.
  7. Pray for secretaries, custodians, and all support staff.
  8. Pray for pastors with parish schools.
  9. Pray for Catholic school parents, that the sacrifices they make for their children bear fruit.
  10. Pray for diocesan secretaries of education.
  11. Pray for bishops, that they find creative and successful ways to strengthen Catholic schools in their dioceses.
  12. Pray a novena to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton for the success of Catholic education.
  13. Visit the Blessed Sacrament for Catholic schools.
  14. Light a candle for Catholic schools.
  15. Offer a Mass intention for Catholic schools.
  16. Start with Kindergarten, and each day pray for a different grade level at your local Catholic school.
  17. Get a class list or yearbook and each day hold up a different student in prayer.
  18. Pray for a different teacher each day.
  19. Attend a school’s Stations of the Cross service.
  20. Bless your child’s school supplies the night before the new school year starts.
  21. Pray for all students who might have a test today.
  22. Pray for the financial stability of Catholic schools.
  23. Pray for students with special needs, that the Catholic schools in their area have the financial resources to meet their needs.
  24. Pray that the Holy Spirit guide parents, teachers, and administrators to work in unity to build up the Kingdom of God in the school community.
  25. Pray that Catholic schools be available for anyone that wishes to attend, regardless of economic background.
  26. Pray that Catholic schools continue to help students recognize their vocation.

Time

  1. Join or launch a local organization like the Nazareth Guild or the Fulcrum Foundation to raise and distribute funds to support Catholic schools.
  2. Join the ACE Advocates.
  3. Volunteer in the classroom.
  4. Attend a local Catholic school Christmas Program.
  5. Volunteer in the school cafeteria.
  6. Drive students on field trips.
  7. Make treats for class parties.
  8. Volunteer for a school fundraiser.
  9. Write a thank you letter to a Catholic school teacher, administrator, or staff member.
  10. Organize an appreciation luncheon for the staff.
  11. Make a positive comment on a Catholic school’s Facebook page.
  12. Chaperone a school dance.
  13. Help out at the school picnic.
  14. Serve on a school committee.
  15. Volunteer to read a story to a class.
  16. Be a room mom or dad.
  17. Help teachers by laminating or photocopying.
  18. Help out in the lunch room.
  19. Help out on the playground.
  20. Volunteer to build and paint sets for the school musical.
  21. Offer to do simple maintenance in the summer.
  22. Help give classrooms a new coat of paint.
  23. Give young children practice reading aloud by volunteering to listen to them read.
  24. Volunteer in the school library.
  25. Tutor students after school.
  26. Be a buddy family for a family that is new to the school.

Talent

  1. Make a career change: become a Catholic school teacher.
  2. Be a guest speaker/teacher.
  3. Play the piano for school liturgies.
  4. Offer to have a class visit your place of employment as a field trip.
  5. Write a grant proposal.
  6. Artists: Offer to teach an art lesson.
  7. Athletes: Volunteer to coach a Catholic school sports team.
  8. Business Owners: Donate a product or gift certificate to the school’s auction.
  9. Computer techs: Help maintain the school’s computer infrastructure.
  10. Dermatologists: Give the junior high students a lesson on skin care.
  11. Doctors: Offer free sports physicals once a year.
  12. Electricians: Check to see if the school needs an electrical upgrade to handle more computers.
  13. Event Planners: Lend expertise to the Development Director.
  14. Farmers: Bring a class out to the farm on an agricultural field trip.
  15. Foreign language speakers: Translate school documents or volunteer to be an interpreter for students whose second language is English.
  16. Gardeners: Help the school create a Mary garden.
  17. Graphic designers: Help with school branding and logos.
  18. Musicians: Hold a benefit concert for the local Catholic school.
  19. Nurses: Volunteer to help with hearing and vision screening.
  20. Painters: Create and paint a mural for the side of the school building.
  21. Photographers: Take pictures of school events for promotional materials.
  22. Software Engineers: Design a mobile app for a Catholic school.
  23. University Professors: Give an inservice to the school faculty.
  24. Web designers: Offer to design/maintain the school webpage.
  25. Writers: Present a writer’s workshop to students.

Treasure

  1. Donate to the school’s annual giving campaign.
  2. Go wild at the school auction!
  3. Adopt a student and pay his or her tuition for the year.
  4. Give an unrestricted donation.
  5. Find out if your company matches donations and donate.
  6. Purchase an item from a teacher’s classroom wish list.
  7. Donate a computer.
  8. Bring in a latte or coffee for the school secretary.
  9. Provide financial support so a teacher can attend the NCEA convention.
  10. Donate books to the classroom or school library.
  11. Buy new uniforms for one of the school’s sports teams.
  12. Purchase religious statues for classrooms.
  13. Help defray the cost of a school field trip.
  14. Buy new software for school computers.
  15. Donate a printer, TV, or dvd player.
  16. Buy magazines, candy, or whatever else the students sell as fundraisers.
  17. Support the school’s scrip program.
  18. Help the school purchase a new set of textbooks.
  19. Donate stock from your investment portfolio.
  20. Offer to pay for consumable workbooks for students.
  21. Purchase a document camera or interactive white board for the classroom.
  22. Offer to purchase Bibles for each student.
  23. Help the school purchase an electronic tablet for each student.
  24. Include a bequest to a Catholic school in your will.

More Back to School Prayers

Students Praying

A Concord Pastor Comments is a must-read blog, and today Fr. Fleming has some wonderful new prayers for the beginning of school, including this original one for teachers:

A Concord Pastor CommentsA Teacher’s Prayer

Dear God,
A new school year is about to begin
and my classroom door will soon open
to the students you’ve assigned to my care…
Open my mind and heart to each of them
and especially to the ones
who will challenge me the most…
Help me challenge my students, all of them,
to study, to learn, to grow in knowledge
and even a little wisdom…
Help me remember, Lord,
how young my students are:
give me patience to help them grow up
and insight to know the help they need…
Help me to understand that sometimes
my students may not understand me:
may I be clear in the things I say and do,
and in how I say and do them…
My students don’t know the burdens and worries
my heart brings to the classroom,
so help me remember, Lord,
how anxious and heavy my students’ hearts may be…
Keep me from favoring any particular students, Lord,
except for those who most need my help…
Let my decisions in the classroom
be fair and just, honest and true…
Send your Spirit to fill me with gifts
of knowledge and understanding, counsel and wisdom…
Lord, open my mind and heart to my students’ parents,
especially those who will challenge me the most…
Help me challenge parents to challenge their children
to study, to learn and to grow…
Help me to teach as you would, Lord:
help me be understanding when I need to be firm,
gentle in all things,
and patient until the last bell rings…

A new school year is about to begin, Lord,
and I wonder,
what will you teach me today?

Amen.

Be sure to read the full article, and you may even want to subscribe so you can get all of Fr. Fleming’s posts as they become available–they’re worth it.

101 Essential Resources for Catholic Educators

CRS Rice Bowls

2012 Catholic Schools Week Logo

Happy Catholic Schools Week! To celebrate, I’ve put together a list of 101 resources that no Catholic educator should be without. From Twitter users to bloggers, from social networks to teaching tools, it’s all here in one convenient spot. Share the love, spread the news, and tell the world about Catholic Schools!

Catholic School Organizations and Resources:

  1. The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA)
  2. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice
  3. Today’s Catholic Teacher
  4. Catholic Education Resources Wiki
  5. Resources for Catholic Educators
  6. Edocere.org
  7. CSK12 – Catholic Schools Virtual
  8. Catholic Coalition for Special Education

Social Networks and Catholic School Connections:

  1. The Catholic School Chronicle List of Blogs by Catholic Teachers, Principals, and Catechists
  2. ACE Advocates
  3. I Love Catholic Schools – Facebook
  4. Teaching Catholic Kids from OSV – Facebook
  5. NCEA Social Media Mashup
  6. Digital Catechesis Global Network on Ning
  7. Catholic School Connect
Catechetical Resources:

Catholic News, Podcasts, and Multimedia:

  1. Catholic News Service
  2. Catechetical Leader Podcast
  3. Sunday Sunday Sunday from Lifeteen
  4. Catholic Movie Reviews from Lifteen
  5. Catholic Newsbreak from CatholicTV
  6. Redemptorist Television
  7. Whispers in the Loggia
Prayer Resources:

Members of the University Consortium for Catholic Education:

  1. The Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at University of Notre Dame
  2. The Alliance for Catholic Education at St. John’s University
  3. Magis Catholic Teacher Corps at Creighton University
  4. The Educational Partners in Catholic Schools (EPICS) Program at Seton Hall University
  5. The Gulf Region Academy for Catholic Educators (GRACE) at University of St. Thomas
  6. The Lalanne Program at University of Dayton
  7. The Lasallian Association of New Catholic Educators (LANCE) Program at Christian Brothers University
  8. The Lutheran Education Alliance with Parochial Schools (LEAPS) Program at Valparaiso University
  9. The Loyola University Chicago Opportunities in Catholic Education (LU-CHOICE) Program
  10. operation TEACH from Notre Dame of Maryland University
  11. The Pacific Alliance for Catholic Education (PACE) at the University of Portland
  12. The Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers (PACT) Program at Providence College
  13. Partners in Los Angeles Catholic Education (PLACE) Program at Loyola Marymount University
  14. Remick Fellowship at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota
  15. Urban Catholic Teacher Corps (UCTC) at Boston College

A Sample of Some of the Best Blogs in Catholic Education: (click here for a comprehensive list)

  1. Barb in Nebraska on Posterous
  2. Catholic Educator
  3. Catholic Teacher Musings
  4. Notes from McTeach
  5. Soul of a Nation
  6. Work with Hope

A Small Selection of Catholic Educators, Organizations, and Catechists on Twitter:

Catholic School Resources from the Magisterium:

  1. Congregation for Catholic Education
  2. United States Council of Catholic Bishops Office of Education

Documents from the Congregation for Catholic Education and the USCCB:

Poignant Video Shows Students True Service

Get ServiceAs the prospect of my ordination to the diaconate draws ever closer (9-10 months away, God willing!), I am becoming more sensitive to articles and videos having to do with service. The following video expresses beautifully what it means to be a true servant. It would make a powerful statement during a service retreat with your students, or even as a way to begin a lesson on what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

How YouTube Can Increase Students’ Awareness of God

YouTube LogoA while back I wrote a post about using YouTube videos in the Catholic classroom. Here’s one of my favorite YouTube videos to use at the beginning of the school year to help students be more aware of God’s presence. It can also be used in faculty meetings to help remind teachers to look for the ways God works in their school day. If you teach in a Jesuit school, it might be a good video to use when teaching the examen.

I’ve written a few points for discussion but watch the video closely yourself first to avoid spoilers.

For Meditation/Discussion:

  • God is always present in our lives, but we often fail to see him. We get caught up in the details, the busyness, the distractions of our day-to-day lives–in other words, we get so busy counting the passes that we miss the moonwalking bear. God is the moonwalking bear, and when we notice him, we can’t help but break into a smile.
  • When was the last time you noticed a “moonwalking bear” in your own life? What was it?
  • What are you so focused on that you miss the moonwalking bear?

Commissioning Prayers for Catholic School Teachers for Beginning the Year

Catechetical Sunday 2011
Catechetical Sunday 2011

I received an email yesterday from Brian Flaherty asking whether I knew of any commissioning prayers for teachers for the beginning of the school year. I sent him a quick email with two services I found, but after a little more digging I came up with some other resources, and I thought it would be a good idea to share them with you.

The best resource I found–though I didn’t find it in time for my email to Brian–is the USCCB’s Commissioning Service (pdf format) intended for use this year on Catechetical Sunday, September 18, 2011.  There are options for commissioning teachers during Mass and outside of Mass.

Second, there is the Blessing of Students and Teachers from the official Book of Blessings. This is the blessing that the USCCB commissioning service is based on.

Next up is a commissioning ritual in Microsoft Word format from the Catholic Education Office of the Diocese of Wollongong, Australia.

Finally, the National Association for Episcopal Christian Directors has a pdf document titled Commissioning of Church School Teachers that might be able to be modified for use in Catholic schools.

Are you familiar with other commissioning services? If so, I’m sure Brian and others would love to know about them. Mention them in the comment area below.

I really appreciate Brian’s question since it gave me a chance to address a real need. If you have a question, feel free to submit it using the contact form on the “About” page.