Dear Alumni and Friends of Nativity School,
It is which much excitement and energy that I share my end-of-year thoughts with you all! The inaugural of the 2013-2014 school year was welcomed with all the enthusiasm and anticipation that is felt with the beginning of every school year. It was inspiring to see how the dedicated Nativity School faculty and staff from day one collectively worked with parents and one another to establish a learning community that fosters the religious, academic, social, and physical growth of our students.
This past school year was a year of a lot of firsts at Nativity School. It was the first year that Nativity School had a technology-enriched curriculum through our newly established iPad program, after school robotics, multi-media arts, and an after school arts program that included guitar, dance, and drama. Let’s not forget our new STEM collaborative that was highlighted by a STEM-based field trip sponsored by Caltech and the Catholic Education Foundation.
The 2014-2015 school year will be just as exciting as. Nativity School will go through WCEA/WASC accreditation. For 3 days in the spring, a team of educators will visit and give an accreditation recommendation. Although this process at times can seem challenging and intimidating, we see this as an opportunity to put into words and action all of the great things happening at our school.
We will introduce a series of new programs this next school year, starting with a new transitional kindergarten (TK) program, which will be part of the kindergarten program. It will be a full day program for 4 year-olds and it is subject to the same guidelines as our kindergarten through 8th grade program. The new TK program will follow an established, common curriculum that distinguishes it from a licensed early childhood program and a one-year kindergarten program. The current state licensed preschool program will no longer be at Nativity School.
Grades kindergarten to five will have a new Common Core aligned reading program called Onward Readers – an intensive research-based literacy program designed to support students, parents, teachers, and principals to ensure that all students are reading on or above grade level. Nativity is one of six schools in the entire Los Angeles Archdiocese chosen to participate in this new reading program.
Lastly, our junior high math and science department will partner with the Center for Math & Science Teaching (CMAST) of Loyola Marymount University in a teacher leader collaborative training model to shift classroom instruction, professional development, and school-wide cultures to optimize student learning in math and science.
Thank you for all of your support and prayers throughout the year. Please know that the great work being done at Nativity School would not be possible without you.
Blessings,
Antonio Felix
