Fast Facts Our Lady of Grace Catholic School 1734 Bower Hill Rd. Pittsburgh, PA 15243 412-279-6611 www.olgscott.net Do you have FAITH In your child s education... Sharon Loughran Brown, Principal sbrown@olgscott.net
Our School at a Glance Established: 1954 Student Enrollment: approximately 230 Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 15:1 Bussing provided by 10 districts Enrollment Offerings Preschool 3 year old (Half-day, 2 days/week) 3 year old (Half-day, 3 days/week) 4 year old (Half-day, 3 days/week) 4 year old (Half-day, 5 days/week) 4 year old (Full-day, 3 days/week) 4 year old (Full-day, 5 days/week) Kindergarten Full-day Grades 1-8 Tuition Assistance Several forms of aid are available to families such as the Bishops Education Fund (BEF), Scholastic Opportunity Scholarships (SOS), Tuition Assistance, and the Angel Fund Any family wishing assistance must apply using the Private School Aid Service (PSAS) application. Contact the school office for details.
Middle States Accreditation The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools accredits Our Lady of Catholic School. Middle States accreditation is an expression of confidence in Our Lady of Grace Catholic School s mission, beliefs, goals and objectives, performance, and resources and validates publicly the excellence in education. Facilities Our spacious facility is situated on 16 acres. We have a full-size gymnasium, including a fine arts stage, athletic field, library, full service cafeteria, Science lab, ample classrooms, including 3 preschool rooms. State of the art technology is available including SMART Boards in every classroom, Chromebook carts, Destiny online library, and both MAC & PC Computer labs. The school Library also is used as a media center and Maker Space. An outdoor classroom has also been added.
Faith Formation Our Lady of Grace School is proud to be a Catholic School. As members of the faith community, we instill in our students the teachings of the Gospel and empower them to spread the Good News through word and action. Our students have the opportunity to benefit spiritually from daily Religion classes, Weekly Mass, Prayer Services, and Volunteer and Service Projects. Academics and Curriculum Our Lady of Grace has a long history of outstanding academic performance. OLG students consistently perform significantly above the national average in all subject areas on the Terra Nova Standardized tests. A rigorous academic program combined with a nurturing environment and highly-qualified, certified teachers and dedicated staff contributes to achieving success from our students. The curriculum is established by the Diocese of Pittsburgh and meets or exceeds all standards of the State of Pennsylvania. The Curriculum includes Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Religion as the core subjects for all students in grades K-8. All students in preschool through eighth grade use the new LabLearner Lab. Additional subject areas for all grades are Art, Music, Computer Skills, Physical Education, Health, Library, and Spanish. Our Lady of Grace School is a part of the Carnegie Science Center/Heinz Endowment STEM Excellence Partners. The Diocese of Pittsburgh promotes Continuous Progress for all students and implements Growth Plans when necessary. An Academic Support Program and Student Assistance Program (SAP) are in place to help all students succeed.
Extracurricular Activities Our Lady of Grace provides many opportunities for students to excel and develop outside of the classroom. Some of the activities include: Clubs and Organizations Forensics Student Government Geography and Spelling Bees Junior Achievement STEM and STEM Jr. Clubs- Science and Engineering Competitions Robotics PA Junior Academy of Science competition Choir Instrumental Band Program, Drama Club and Student Productions Scouts Athletics Basketball Volleyball Coed Soccer (Fall and Spring) Cross Country Track
Before & After School Program Our Lady of Grace offers a Before School Care and Extended Day Program for parents who need to arrange care of their children before and/or after school. The program is available for a modest fee beginning at 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. School Cafeteria Our Lady of Grace participates in the National School Lunch Program offering both breakfast and lunch. Reduced and free breakfast and lunch are available to qualifying students. Excellent Communication The entire OLG community is dedicated to keeping families informed. Some of the available communication benefits include: New website being developed for easier access to information Online grades & homework Weekly Mail Day and Monthly Newsletter Weekly Test Folders School Messenger for Email and Phone blasts for important announcements
School Structure and Support Committees Our Lady of Grace School is a parish school under the leadership of the pastor. The principal, by the delegated authority of the pastor, oversees all the staff, committees, and volunteers of Our Lady of Grace School. The pastor and principal are assisted by the School Advisory Council for the good of the school community in areas that enhance the educational mission of the parish and school. Fr. Richard A. Infante Pastor To further the Mission and support the strategic goals outlined in the Middle States Accreditation Process, it is necessary to involve the parish community, parents, alumni, and others in the use of their many gifts and resources. The Director of Advancement facilitates and coordinates activities and encourages involvement of others for the future of our school. Support Committees include: Sharon Loughran Brown Principal Development Committee Recruitment and Retention Committee Parent-Teacher Guild Athletic Association
Mission Statement & Philosophy The Mission of Our Lady of Grace Catholic School is to provide a Christ centered community focused on Gospel values, service, and academic excellence in order to foster a lifelong relationship with God and the Church. Beliefs of Our Lady of Grace School We believe every child can learn and reach his or her full potential by recognizing individual styles and rates of achievement. We believe that each child will develop an understanding of the Catholic Faith in order to build a personal and ongoing relationship with God. We believe that all children and families are welcomed and accepted into our faith community. We believe we are partners with families in their child s learning and faith formation.