The Catholic School Region of Northern Westchester/Putnam is comprised of St. Columbanus School in Cortlandt Manor, St. Patrick School in Yorktown Heights, St. Augustine Parish School in Ossining, and St. James the Apostle School in Carmel.
Throughout the pandemic, our Northern Westchester/Putnam Catholic schools continued to thrive; reopening before our public counterparts, maintaining math and ELA progress, stabilizing and growing enrollment, and honoring Christ every day! Across our elementary schools, pastors and their associates have returned to our classrooms, teaching the Word, and modeling the goodness of Jesus. We have returned to practicing our faith together as school communities in daily prayer, and with prayer services, Stations of the Cross, Benediction, reconciliation services, living rosaries, and class and school-wide masses.
Like all New York schools, we were required to socially distance our students within learning spaces. Each NW/P school addressed that challenge and their efforts resulted in the addition of new students, new programs, and additional classes when needed.
At St. Columbanus School, we saw the expansion of the school through the integration of Dillon Hall on campus. Opening Dillon Hall allowed us to continue to teach all grade levels safely. Our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students moved to Dillon Hall, providing plenty of space to socially distance in a middle school environment. The addition of a separate lunchroom area, alleviated crowding in the cafeteria, and gave students a chance to socialize within their cohorts while dining together. Grades PK3 through 5 continued to learn in our primary school, with enrollment expanding in grades PK3, PK4, and Kindergarten. St. Columbanus also reintroduced their after school enrichment program with focus on academic skills, and activity sessions based on students’ interests.
St. Patrick School continues to excel academically and was most recently awarded the 2023 “Best of Westchester” award in the private school category. This is St. Pat’s fourth year as a winner of these prestigious local awards. They have embraced the use of IXL, and MAP Accelerator, interactive online learning programs that provide unlimited practice problems, with up-to-date tracking of each child’s progress. Additionally, St. Pat’s students are afforded next level STREAM programming, and have increased both their science and computer lab time, strengthening their understanding of the scientific method and science concepts. The atmosphere at St. Pat’s is fully charged and our students are happy to cross the threshold each morning!
How did our Catholic school students continue to excel through such a challenging time?
We never lowered the bar! Our teachers, staff, and school leaders continued to model kindness and compassion, provide a safe and secure learning environment, and enhance their own skills and knowledge bases to provide the best possible learning experiences for our students. We continue to partner with Catapult Learning, providing additional faculty support and enrichment programs for our students. This year, faculty and staff members participated in robust professional development sessions, both in person and on-line. In order to continue to grow our faculties’ knowledge of social and emotional learning, all educators participated in the Kognito, a practice-based digital program. Additionally, educators participated in several professional learning communities in order to develop the mathematical discourse in their classrooms. We are so grateful for their exceptional participation.
We encourage you to reach out to us and discover firsthand the Catholic school difference. We are changing the face of education, one child at a time. Please click here to find a Catholic school or call 646-794-2885 to learn more. All are welcome!
NUMBER OF SCHOOLS
| REGIONAL | 3 |
| PARISH/PRIVATE | 4 |
ENROLLMENT
| STUDENTS | 980 |
Patron Saint Aloysius Gonzaga