By Mary Frances McCarthy
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 6/26/03)

The Office of Catholic Schools kicked off its 2003 Summer Seminars last week with a session aimed particularly at Arlington area principals and teachers.

The Arlington Catholic Schools Network met on June 20 to discuss ways to increase the community’s awareness of Catholic schools and what Catholic schools have to offer local children.

"Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and graduates themselves talk about the great value of Catholic education," said Kathy Swinehart, principal of the Cathedral of St. Thomas More School. "The kids [who attend Catholic elementary schools] are doing really great at the high schools."

Swinehart, facilitator of the seminar, said the group is looking for "creative ways of addressing growth and increasing enrollment." She told the HERALD in February that the objective of the Schools Network was "to make sure everyone who might be interested knows we’re here and knows we have space." The seminar was held to not only give individual schools ideas for how to increase awareness, but to also plan activities for the group to participate in together.

Represented at the seminar were principals and teachers from Queen of Apostles School, Cathedral of St. Thomas More School, St. Charles Borromeo School, St. Agnes School, and St. Ann School in Arlington; St. Rita School in Alexandria; and Corpus Christi School in Falls Church.

The strategies the group developed last week were the Arlington County fair, next year’s kindergarten information night, planning joint ads and Web presence.

At the Arlington County Fair, on August 21-24, the Arlington Catholic Schools Network will host a booth, supplied with recruitment materials, applications and information on the schools. The teachers also discussed having information available on the Tuition Assistance Program that was instituted by the Schools Office last fall. Several representatives from the Network schools will staff the booth to answer any questions and provide information to prospective parents.

The schools held a kindergarten information night in Arlington last January for the parents of students entering kindergarten in the fall. The Network began plans for next year’s information night to be held on Jan. 20, 2004. The information night provides parents with an outline of the curriculum for kindergarten, and the opportunity to ask questions.

The group also discussed placing advertisements in local newspapers to increase the visibility of local Catholic schools and made plans to create a Web site.

While the group has been busy planning these joint projects, the individual schools are also performing certain tasks to boost enrollment at their particular schools. Each school is welcoming newly baptized babies to the church and introducing their family’s to the schools, they are publicizing their schools among local preschools, and they are contacting the parents of religious education students to keep them aware of openings at the schools.

Superintendent of Catholic Schools Dr. Timothy McNiff attended the seminar to announce that the new assistant superintendent to replace Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Patricia Earl will serve as facilitator of the Arlington Catholic Schools Network. He also announced the Schools Network would receive $800 from the Summer Seminar funds to pay for business expenses.

"I’m delighted you’re doing this and hope to be more of a player," said McNiff.

Although school is recessed for the summer, the Arlington Network is still accepting applications for the 2003-04 school year.