Category: General

GRACE’s Technology Integration Team has successfully rolled out their first “Tech Tote” this
year!

Since the inception of our Integration Team in 2020, we have been working toward the goal of providing the tools and training to help our educators successfully teach their students through integration of technology within the classroom. Over the past few years our team researched the best tools to help master our technology standards, secured funding through the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Green Bay to purchase these tools through various grants, created lesson plans and assembled totes.

This year our goal was to plan our strategy to introduce our first tote: Adafruit (coding circuit boards). After sharing an introductory video about Adafruit to teachers, the team scheduled a two-day presentation with every fourth grade class in GRACE. Day one included a discussion about “what is coding”, an introduction to the block coding software.

Students created their first block code so the circuit board would light up and make a siren sound. Day two was a software review, creation of a “lucky wheel” block code and transfer of the code to the actual circuit board. Students were thrilled to see their code work. Teachers learned along with the students and began generating ideas on how to incorporate Adafruit into other subject areas for next year.

The team has also begun to pilot several other tech tools to create additional totes for the 2023-24 school year with other grade levels. These tools include 3D Pens/Printers (Middle School), Spheros (Grades 3 & 5) and Beebots (K-Grade 2).

St. Bernard Catholic School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. St. Bernard’s provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually.

Greetings GRACE Families and Friends,

Over the 12 years that GRACE has existed as a system, we have found ways to become stronger together while continuing to celebrate the uniqueness of each of our communities. As I finish my first year as Superintendent and my seventh year with GRACE, I am amazed at the beauty and uniqueness of each school. Each community comes together in a unique way to serve children, create a Christian community for families, and live our Catholic faith. The gift of serving all our schools allows me to see the beauty and diversity of our Green Bay Catholic community.

In addition to faith and families, GRACE values high-quality education. One way we ensure this is through learning assessment tools. These tools hold us accountable and allow us to respond individually to each student. Our school leaders use the results to plan professional development and make curricular choices. Most importantly, our teachers look at the results of tests and quizzes and use them to adjust how they teach. One standardized assessment that we use is the Fountas and Pinnell Assessment. K-5 teachers administer this assessment by sitting individually with each child and reading with them. This standardized process determines reading levels to help students read and learn with books that fit their skills.

Over the past several years, the Diocese of Green Bay required the use of the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress Assessment (MAP tests). We will be ending the use of this assessment along with the rest of the Diocese of Green Bay and begin using the Star Assessment. The Star Assessment tests reading and math. This tool was selected in part because the tests are short, accurate, and the assessment data is efficiently accessible by our teachers to adjust instruction for each child. This test also better aligns with our Catholic faith in our schools.

This year, one of our biggest curriculum changes was using Project Lead the Way Launch, a hands-on science curriculum discussed elsewhere in this newsletter by our Director of Curriculum, Laura Blicharz. In the program, students begin each unit by learning about an area of science and then using that knowledge to solve problems through hands-on experimentation and design work. In addition to this work, we spent time with our teachers learning about how faith and science are interconnected and how to share these natural connections in the classroom.

GRACE also made great strides in technology this year. We are updating our long-term plans and strategy to remain low-cost and highly effective. This summer, projects are underway to increase the safety and security of our online environment. Our Technology Services Team continues to provide consistent and high-quality service to our teachers and students.

First and foremost, what makes Catholic education different is sharing the very person and love of Jesus with our teachers and students. It is also the way teachers seek to instill traditional Catholic values in our curriculum, handle problems on the playground with Catholic morals, and the way all staff helps each child learn to love one another. Our faith informs the decisions we make with our purchases of books, our Internet security, and every other decision. Most importantly, we point to our faith as the reason we treat students and families with love and respect.

St. Bernard Catholic School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. St. Bernard’s provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually.

Save the date!

GRACE will be hosting our annual Welcome Back Mass on Sunday, September 17! All GRACE families, staff, and parishes are welcome as we join in prayer together at the start of a new academic year. The mass will be taking place at Prince of Peace Catholic Community, 3425 Willow Rd, Green Bay, this year. It will begin at 6 PM with an ice cream social to follow!

We are looking forward to seeing you there! Please contact us if you have any questions.

St. Bernard Catholic School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. St. Bernard’s provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually.

Catch up on all of the latest GRACE news by checking out the Summer 2023 Newsletter. Read about some of the service projects students participated in, learn how Holy Cross is going green with an outdoor classroom, discover how a STEM-based program is changing how students learn science, and more! Click the button below to start reading.

St. Bernard Catholic School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. St. Bernard’s provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually.

Mark your calendars! Middle School Orientation will be held on Monday, August 21, from 10:30 AM to 12 PM noon. There are separate presentations for students and parents during this time.

This is a mandatory event for students. It is for ALL incoming 6th grade students and any 7th grade students who are NEW to St. Bernard.

Any “new to middle school” parents are highly encouraged to attend the parent orientation.

Student Orientation Information

All students will meet in the SBS library at 10:30 AM before breaking into small groups.

At orientation, students will get to meet their teachers, make their schedules, learn about the ins-and-outs of middle school, and much more!

Parent Orientation Information

All parents will meet in the SBS library at 10:30 AM.

At orientation, parents will work with Mr. Gusloff and Ms. Dudzik to learn about the ins-and-outs of middle school including homework, community, study skills, PowerSchool, and much more!

If you have any questions, please call the main office at (920) 468-5026. The middle school teachers look forward to seeing you there!

St. Bernard Catholic School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. St. Bernard’s provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually.

Summer is in full swing and so is the annual St. Bernard School Summer Storytime in the Park Program. Although changing its format over the past seven years, SBS has offered some sort of storytelling option for its younger students during every summer vacation. The latest version of the program was begun in 2022 and continues again this year.

This summer, on each Wednesday at 10 a.m., weather permitting, favorite St. Bernard teachers perform fun story readings for Preschool through 2nd grade students and their families at various parks in Green Bay. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to enjoy the fresh air, stories, and meet up with friends for some playtime at local parks. It is also a great opportunity for new Preschool and Kindergarten students to meet current students and families before the school year begins.

Different teachers read engaging stories each week as the program travels from park to park on each individual Wednesday morning. SBS teacher Ms. Rachel Soderdahl is one of the readers. She believes that Summer Storytime is a special activity to keep SBS families stay connected over the summer.

She shares that the program is “a great community builder for the primary students at St. Bernard School, Grades PK through 2.”

The school’s goal is to continue the program again in 2024, if families attend this summer.

Students were given a schedule at the end of the school year. Here are the Storytime dates and parks yet to take place: July 19, Pamperin Park; July 26, Red Smith Park; August 2, Green Isle Park; and, August 16, SBS Playground. Everyone is invited to attend any or all of these fun events! See you there!

St. Bernard Catholic School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. St. Bernard’s provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually.

We are pleased to announce that David Gusloff has been selected as our new principal! He will officially start today, July 1.

You might recognize David from our local community, as he has three children who all attend Father Allouez Catholic School. His family is very involved in the GRACE system!

Please join us in congratulating Mr. Gusloff upon his selection!

St. Bernard Catholic School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. St. Bernard’s provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually.

Timothy is a 1st-grade student at St Bernard School. Timothy’s family is a faith-filled family who helps out at school and participates in activities whenever they can. We are blessed to have this kind of love and excitement from one of our families!

Thank you for being a great example at SBS, Timothy.

St. Bernard Catholic School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. St. Bernard’s provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually.

For more information about SBS, visit their website: https://saintbernardgb.com

GRACE is proud to present our school system educators who have been nominated for the Greater Green Bay Chamber’s 2023 Golden Apple Awards. GRACE is blessed with amazing teachers, and these nominees represent the excellence in faith-based education that occurs daily in our schools. Nominees include educators from all our GRACE schools this year, including Father Allouez Catholic School, Holy Cross Catholic School, Holy Family Catholic School, Notre Dame of De Pere, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, St. Bernard Catholic School, St. John Paul II Classical School, St. John the Baptist Catholic School, and St. Thomas More Catholic School. The 2023 Golden Apple Awards program is scheduled to be held April 19, 2023. Here are the GRACE nominees, listed in alphabetical order according to last name:

Father Allouez Catholic School: Amy Benzshawel, James Block, Allyson Ellis, Jeanne Ihlenfeldt, Sarah Johanski, Patricia Nennig, April Neuville, Tina Sabin, Samantha Skifton, Annie Stewart, Brenda Touchinski, Ashley VandenBush, Caity Zedler

Holy Cross Catholic School: Michelle Anderson, Jessica DeGroot, Tim Kozlovsky, Jamie Sheehy, Jodi Sullivan, Tara Wildenberg

Holy Family Catholic School: Traci Belongia, Lynn Francois, Amy Glantz, Sister Elena Gonzales, Shawna Halbach, Lisa Krcma, Bailey Schultz, Jordan Thill, Courtney Wedan

Notre Dame of De Pere: Jacky Cramer, Carrie Korinek, Elise Stone

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School: Hannah Aschenbrenner, Beth Christensen, Ashley Cwiklewski, Lourain Eggart, Caitlin Enright, Lynn Fink, Sarah Sharkey, Sally Thompson

St. Bernard Catholic School: Amanda Boeke, Molly Bongel, Julie Lamm, Terri Larson

St. John Paul II Classical School: Jennifer Budde, Brenda Devroy, Gary Guevara, Brianna McGann, Tyler Storey

St. John the Baptist School: Kristin Barnhart, Alex Geise, Julie Schmitz, Lisa Turbett, Abbie Withbroe

We are thrilled to announce that Amanda Boeke, a beloved Kindergarten teacher at St. Bernard Catholic School, a part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) system, has been named a finalist for the prestigious Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. The Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching are awarded by the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce annually to educators who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to their students, families, and the education community. Mrs. Boeke will advance to the final awards ceremony in April where award winners will be recognized.

GRACE President, Mrs. Kim Desotell stated, “Mrs. Boeke is an inspirational, loving and caring GRACE teacher. We are proud of her important contributions and the example of excellence she sets for others in the field of education.”

Mrs. Boeke has been a dedicated educator for eight years and has made a lasting impact on the lives of her students. She creates a warm and welcoming environment in her classroom, fostering a love of learning and encouraging each student to reach their full potential. Her peers and families describe her as kind, patient, and endlessly encouraging, making her students feel safe and valued in her classroom.

Mrs. Crystal Blahnik, Principal of St. Bernard Catholic School states: “It is a joy to see such a dedicated teacher be recognized in this very special way. Mrs. Boeke started her teaching career with us eight years ago and she is now a leader among her peers and highly respected among the school community. She most recently completed her MA in English Language Learning. This was something she pursued for her kids, so that she could help them be as successful as possible.”

Mrs. Boeke goes above and beyond to connect with her families and the larger school community, creating a strong sense of partnership and collaboration. She has a remarkable ability to connect with each student, understand their individual needs, and support their growth and development. Her colleagues and families rave about her unwavering commitment to her students, her exceptional work ethic, and her genuine love for teaching. This recognition is a testament to Mrs. Boeke’s exceptional dedication and hard work, and a shining example of the incredible impact that one dedicated teacher can have on the lives of their students. We are proud to have Mrs. Boeke as a member of the GRACE community and look forward to celebrating her achievements in the coming months.

St. Bernard Catholic School is a preschool through 8th grade school that is part of the GRACE System and that believes in an innovative, faith-based education with equal access to student services. This approach allows St. Bernard Catholic School to provide an academically sound, compelling, and faith-filled environment for all of its students. With St. Bernard of Clairvaux as their guide, they stand in the motto: Peace, Pray, Learn. More information can be found on the website at saintbernardgb.com.

For media inquiries, contact Madeline Janssen, GRACE Director of Marketing & Communications at 920-499-7330 x 1014 or at communications@gracesystem.org.