Priorities
Critical Task #1—Pre-School
The addition of a pre-school at St. Columbkille will serve two main purposes. First, there is a tremendous need within the community for a quality pre-school. Numerous parents have approached me with much enthusiasm when they heard that we were looking at adding a pre-school to the site. Many have volunteered their time and energy in assisting with this project. Second, a quality pre-school will allow us to have students enter kindergarten at a higher readiness level than in the past. Up to 40% of our students come from homes where little or no English is spoken. Immersing students in an academic, English environment at an earlier age will better ensure their success throughout their school careers. The academic achievement of students throughout the school will increase over time if a quality pre-school is put in place. It will also help to create a natural feeder into St. Columbkille, ensuring that enrollment is maintained. The pre-school will also allow those at the school to identify downward enrollment trends earlier (if enrollment is low in the pre-school) so strategies can be developed (e.g. look to recruit for kindergarten at other pre-schools) to address the issue before it becomes critical.
Critical Task #2—Science Lab
Science and technology must be addressed comprehensively and effectively at St. Columbkille if the school is to compete with LAUSD and charter schools in the community. The world is moving at a faster pace than even five or ten years ago and it is due in large part to the development of technology and science. The students within the community must be able to compete in these areas if they are going to be successful in modern society. If we expect them to be the leaders of tomorrow we must provide them with resources that will enable them to lead. A statistic that came out about five years ago was that 50% of all kindergarteners at that time (mid-1990’s) would work in jobs that had not yet been created. Present changes have shown that teaching textbook, standard information is not as important as developing critical thinking and problem solving skills that will allow students to adapt to the dynamic, fluid workplace and ensure that they are capable of working regardless of what the job requires.
In order to develop these skills, the Development Board and St. Columbkille should explore adding a science lab to the school site. This will allow students from all grade levels to participate in inquiry learning by conducting experiments and analyzing the data that results. It will also be a strong selling point to parents within the community when they are deciding where to send their children to school.
Critical Task #3—Renovating the Entrance
The front of St. Columbkille School (facing West 64th St.) is a beautiful space and an effort should be made to landscape the area to make it more appealing to parents and students. The “old” front entrance of the school is very elegant and should be renovated so that those coming to visit St. Columbkille use it instead of the current walkway. Consideration should be given to completely renovating the current administrative offices and faculty workroom into a lobby area that would provide a welcoming environment for visitors to the school. The issue that needs to be addressed is creating an environment that welcomes people to St. Columbkille and demonstrates to them that it is a serious school that takes pride in its success.
Critical Task #4—Technology Plan
Our current developmental efforts to improve the current technology we have is crucial for the academic success of our students. We have received software to promote literacy in grades K-1 but are unable to use the software on our older computers. Our school is completely wired for Internet connection but due to our older computers researching is quite difficult. The following is a needs list that we have compiled so we can begin to write to various donors/foundations.
Hardware desired
CD Rom
DVD
Network Card
Sound/Video Cards
Speakers
