The Valley Catholic August 27, 2013 | Page 3

The Valley Catholic IN OUR DIOCESE The Annual Education Appeal provides financial assistance to many Catholic students. This special collection, to be taken Sept. 7-8, in all parishes, is for the scholarship fund that supports the tuition financial aid program for both elementary and high school students. The Diocese of San Jose educates over 16,300 students in 29 elementary and six high schools in Santa Clara County. Average tuition for one elementary student last year was $7,000, while high school tuition is close to $17,000. Now, more than ever, support is August 27, 2013 3 Scholarships offered to first-time students at SKDI schools Bishop Patrick J. McGrath has sent a letter to school principals and parents in the St. Katherine Drexel Initiative (SKDI) alerting them to the availability of a $3,000 scholarship for the 2013-14 academic year for new students enrolling at those seven schools between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30. “The goal of the Saint Katharine Drexel School Initiative is to provide all families in the Diocese of San Jose access to the highest quality, affordable Catholic education, while simultaneously increasing our strong Catholic Identity,” the bishop wrote. He added that the diocese is joining resources with John A. Sobrato and John M. Sobrato in providing the scholarships. In addition, a referral bonus of $500 will be awarded to the individual responsible for the recruitment of a new student at one of the seven SKDI schools. SKDI schools are Catholic Academy and Resurrection (both of Sunnyvale), St. Joseph (Mtn. View), St. Clare (Santa Clara), St. Patrick (downtown San Jose), Most Holy Trinity (east San Jose), and Holy Spirit (south San Jose). Families interested in the Drexel Scholarship may contact the Diocese of San Jose Department of Education, Cecile Mantecon, 408-983-0185, to determine if there is space in the school and grade of their choice. New families will be contacted by the SKDI school to begin the application process. They should indicate on their application forms the individual who referred them. Referral bonuses will be awarded when the new child is enrolled and completes most of the first year. Bonuses will be paid in May 2014 and may be applied to 2014-15 tuition or fees. Catholic Education Appeal needed to offer more scholarships to families who want to provide a strong Catholic communit y and qualit y Catholic education for their children. Many parents are faced with continuing economic challenges. Make a donation online at www. dsj.org. Click on “Ways to Give” and follow the link to the secure OnlineGiving site. To learn more about the Annual Education Appeal and Catholic education in the Diocese of San Jose, visit the Department of Education online or contact the Department of Education at 408-983-0185. DEADLINE for the September 24TH edition of The Valley Catholic is Friday, September 6TH Working to bring you independent Catholic news and analysis since 1964. REPORTER THE INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE NATIONAL CATHOLIC Subscribe today. 1-800-333-7373 NCRonline.org/order Special offer: Mention code SJ2013 when ordering, and we’ll send you A Church Reborn, our Second Vatican Council 50th anniversary edition. NCR is available on your Kindle, smartphone or tablet. Learn more at NCRonline.org/e-reader James F. Buckley Dennis H. O’Hara 1255 Battery Street, Suite 450 San Francisco, CA 94111 Ph: 800-877-9300 CA License #0726293 www.dsj.org