The Valley Catholic November 29, 2016 | Page 18

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catholic SchoolS

November 29 , 2016 | The Valley Catholic

Saint Leo the Great Catholic School was blessed by generous donors who helped to build the STEM Learning Center at Saint Leo . The Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller , Saint Joseph Commandery , the Traub family , and other generous families of Saint Leo the Great Catholic School funded the construction and furnishing of the learning center .

On September 28 , Father Marcelo Navarro , IVE , held a blessing of the learning center and initiated a Grand Opening . The school community is grateful beyond words to the generosity of the Knights , the Traub Family along with their business Nanolabs , and the other generous families . The Knights of Saint John presented the school with a plaque .

S U N D A Y J A N U A R Y 2 8 1 0 A M - 1 P M

Saint Lucy School Choir Performs for Annual Catholic Charities Mass

The Saint Lucy School Choir was honored to be chosen to sing at the Catholic Charities Annual Caritas Celebration Mass in October . The school choir is part of the school ’ s music program that includes weekly music instruction , annual Christmas and Spring musical programs and participation in the annual Diocesan Choral Festival .

Saint Lucy Music Director Marlene Fernandez added , “ It was a tremendous blessing for the choir to be selected to perform at the Mass celebrated by Bishop McGrath . The students gave an outstanding performance and I was so proud of their dedication . Their voices added so much to the liturgy and the meaning of the Mass .”

Tour the Campus Meet the Teachers Talk with Students Call ( 408 ) 251-1740 or Visit www . stvictorschool . org

Spanish Classes Begin at Saint Victor School

On November 2 , eager and curious seventh and eighth graders walked into Saint Victor ’ s newest program , Spanish class . The addition of a second language as a co-curricular class marks a new chapter in the school ’ s history and has both parents and students excited .

Saint Victor hosts monthly Coffees with the Principal where parents and the administration discuss ways to improve Saint Victor ’ s academic program . One common suggestion from parents was for Saint Victor to offer a second-language class .

Alumni who visit and often come back to volunteer in the classrooms echoed this sentiment . High-school freshman often felt a step behind their peers in their language classes whether it was Spanish , French or Mandarin .

The new Spanish teacher , Carmen Johnson comes to Saint Victor with many years of experience in both the public and private sector . She has experience working with the elderly , young people , and the African-American , Asian and Hispanic communities . Her extensive teaching background includes positions in K-12 , community college , and the university level . Señora Johnson ’ s unique experiences make her the ideal educator for students who want to be prepared for the rigors of a high-school Spanish class .

When asked about how she hopes students will benefit from taking Spanish , she replied , “ I want students to know that learning a second language opens doors for everyone .”

Teachers , administrators and parents hope that the addition of the Spanish class will help our freshman be better prepared for the high school experience and beyond .

Saint Elizabeth Seton School – Our Blessings and Blessing Others

For the month of November , Saint Elizabeth Seton School students participate in the construction of a large school Blessing Tree .

Each student decorates a single leaf and writes what they feel most grateful for upon it . The leaves are added to a beautiful bulletin board and the tree gradually emerges . We like to give our students time to reflect on their many blessings and to come with something that they feel most blessed for at this particular time of year . Faculty and staff get to join in too !

There ’ s always a full array of blessings that range from the love of family ( especially baby siblings ), friendships , Jesus ’ love , pet animals and more . Throughout the month of November this Blessing Tree , prominently placed in our school hallway , gives us all daily reminders of just how blessed we are .

Our School Novena begins on December 1 . For 9 days we collect different items to support efforts in our local community , primarily supporting Saint Vincent de Paul , Saint Anthony ’ s of Padua Dining Room , the Ecumenical Hunger Program and Lytton Gardens Assisted Living . Canned foods , pasta , potatoes , rice and beans , coins , soap / shower supplies , scarves and hats , pet supplies and cards for the homebound are collected each day .

For more information regarding Catholic Schools in the Diocese of San Jose , please visit www . dsj . org / schools .