Mr. Jose Grillo, Principal PO Box 937 Caguas, PR 00725 Document Generated On December 9, 2015
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 5 Additional Information 7
Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1
Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? Buildings & Grounds Our physical facilities reside in two sites. The older 1916 site, located on a five-level structure adjacent to the cathedral in the heart of Caguas, houses grades one through four. The main 1958 campus houses pre-k, kindergarten, middle school (grades five-eight), and high school (grades nine-twelve). A ten-minute walk separates the older site from the newer one. The, approximately, 12 acres of the main campus was originally a plot of land in the outskirts of the town used by the Redemptorist missionaries as a stable for the horses they used on their trips into the mountains surrounding the city of Caguas of the early twentieth century. Today, it is an oasis of trees and vegetation inthe center of a city of approximately 142,893 residents. Students & Curriculum We have a student population of 1596 students, 52 % female and 48 % male. Our student body is of drawn mainly from Caguas and neighboring towns. Over 96% of the students are Catholics. For 99% of the enrollment Spanish is their primary language. Their socioeconomic status encompasses a wide spectrum and mimics the demographics of the population of Caguas. Because we are not and we strive not to be an exclusive economic school, our costs are significantly lower and, in some cases, dramatically lower compared to other educational institutions with similar characteristics. We offer scholarships to students whose family income is equal to or lower than the federal poverty level index. Our curriculum promotes the formation of students with well balance personalities and is characterized by the wide range of courses offered. It focuses on knowledge, experience, religious testimonials and opportunities to serve the community, as well as promoting pride in our Puerto Rican heritage and Catholic faith values. The demands of the academic disciplines, the affective needs of the students, and the provisions for personal commitment to others are harmoniously integrated in Notre Dame's Curriculum. Notre Dame offers two levels of academic depth. We are a college preparatory school in the secondary level with the greater number of electives at the high school level. The curriculum fosters the learning of the English language with a second period of English in grades two through nine. Students take this second period in small personalized groups. The school also offers specialized tracks for those students with specific abilities and interests in the humanities and in STEM. We have begun a Humanities Program to complement our proven specialized Science and Mathematics Program that is emerging as a STEM program. Students are stimulated to challenge their academic abilities with our weighted average system that allows them to select demanding courses without it posing a threat to their honors point average. Sports opportunities are ample in Notre Dame for we participate with great success in the two principal leagues in Puerto Rico the, Puerto Rico High School Athletic Alliance and, in the elementary level, the Liga Atlética Metropolitana de Escuelas Privadas. Our non-athletic after-school activities are numerous, intense and varied. Students are encouraged to participate in the activities that appeal to their interests. Over 33 clubs and organizations promote their participation in apostolic service, academic activities, fine arts, literary, crafts and community service. A detailed yearly list of this academic, co - curricular and athletic accomplishments can be found in our annual achievements report Gaudeamus Igitur. Faculty & Staff The faculty and academic staff is composed of 104 professionals, most of whom have been part of the Notre Dame family for more than ten Page 2
years. Approximately 31% of the faculty and academic staff are themselves graduates of the school. Teachers are certified by the Department of Education of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The great majority of the faculty has vast teaching experience and a full understanding of the mission of their school. The school's staff includes three academic counselors, a discipline counselor, a social worker, two librarians, seven department chairpersons, one teacher coordinator per grade, an elementary school principal, three associate principals, as well as Redemptorist missionaries and volunteers who collaborate in the formation of our students. Notre Dame counts with a committed and organized faculty in which each chairperson of the department has established a good relationship with faculty members. The full-time chairperson coordinates 4-12 with enough time to supervise the department. The 104 members of the faculty and academic staff are integrated by 91 teachers, 4 teacher's aids, 5 administrators, 2 counselors, 1 assistant-counselor, 1 Dean of Discipline, 1 social worker and 25 secretarial and clerical staff. The Redemptorists missionaries collaborate with priests to attend the spiritual needs of the school Page 3
School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. Notre Dame has been a Catholic institution since it first opened its doors to students on October third, nineteen sixteen. Its main goal is to provide Catholic families and those who share our Christian values an environment permeated with the teachings of Jesus as taught by the Catholic Church. Also, it is a primary objective to offer an excellent education in the elementary level and a first rate college preparatory education in the secondary level. Our educational efforts are designed to empower our alumnae to evangelize through the pursuit of justice, the respect for global diversity and solidarity with the marginal members of society. The school offers a free of charge summer camp for children of poor families in Caguas. This summer camp is of a quality comparable to those offered at other private institutions. It has served as a life experience to our student volunteers who serve as part of the staff who benefit from an opportunity to serve and learn to appreciate the blessings of being part of the Notre Dame charisma. Consonant with the school mission, Notre Dame offers an after school program to low income students from other high schools. The goal of this program is to guide and place its participants in educational institutions where they can pursue an academic goal in nursing. The results have been very satisfactory. Our students are aware of this program and welcome these students to their school. Page 4
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. Notable Achievements Parallel to the school primary goals - religious and academic - we mention two areas of achievements. The first is the success of our Reach Out Program of Service and Apostolic Works. This program incarnates our mission beyond the classroom. In the 2014/15 course students witnessed the school mission with 35,526 hrs. of service to the needy and to the Catholic Church. Hours of Service to the Poor & the Catholic Curch - Grades 7-12 2010-2011 - 30,460 hours 2011-2012 - 31,519 hours 2012-2013 - 34,594 hours 2013-2014 - 34,190 hours 2014-2015 - 35,526 hours Detail documentation sustaining this data is available in the office of our Reach Out Program. The second area of achievement is the two extraordinary awards received last year. One of these awards was from the Banco Popular of Puerto Rico Foundation Award as the only private school in Puerto Rico to attain the best results in the College Board's entrance examinations for ten consecutive years. Another smaller and homogenous school associated with University of Puerto Rico also received a similar award. The other extraordinary award received last year was the AdvancED Excellence Award. The student performance document that is part of the information in Assist summited for this visit has evidence that illustrates the academic achievements of our students. I remit the reader to this report it in order not to repeat the data. Another significant achievement of the school in the last 4 years of economic crisis in Puerto Rico is the fact that despite our low tuition we have been able to, in less than four years, build two new buildings and enhance other physical facilities without any loans or debts. The new and renovated physical facilities have provided a comfortable and functional environment for learning. Areas of Improvement The arts of language skills section of the Prueba de Evaluación y Admisión Universitaria (PEAU) show the lowest scores and this is consistent to a finding in the overall population of Puerto Rico. It should be noticed nonetheless that Notre Dame's results in the arts of language area of the PEAU rises a 1.98 standard deviation above the island average of all the students from public and privates school. Our average is also above the average of privates schools. We are striving to achieve higher scores in this area. Unfortunately for Puerto Rico, students that take the exams offered by the Latin American Office of the College Board score lower in this particular part than the other sections and Notre Dame does not seem to be immune to that trend. However, the administration is aware of this and is taking measures to increase scores through federal-funded professional development seminaries and regular capacitating periods for teachers. Page 5
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Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. A vital element for future improvement of the school is the periodic analysis of school life. There are always many areas for improvements, especially in changing and critical times. We have identified at present two basic ones. One is the need for the renewal or new physical facilities for pre-k and kindergarten complemented with new equipment that will enhance the educational environment and energize this area of the curriculum. The other vital element is the convenience of making alliances with universities that would allow our students, especially juniors and seniors, through distance education and/or enrollment in some courses at the universities in order to complement their High School education. For some students this would result in the shortening of their time acquiring a university degree. This complementary alternative of studies would help them define and confirm their academic interests before entering college. The result of focusing on these two areas will, ultimately, promote a continuous growth and evolution of the students, both at elementary and secondary levels. We expect concrete and favorable results in the near future of the negotiations initiated months ago on both instances. Page 7