We welcome the families of St. Teresa and St. Rita Schools to the St. Teresa-St. Rita STREAM Academy for the 2020-2021 School Year

We are very excited with the opportunity to grow and expand our school communities. The larger St. Teresa campus, located at 1632 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, New York 10314, will allow both the St. Rita and St. Teresa school communities to enhance existing programs, including the expansion of the Pre-K program and a new STREAM Program.

HERE ARE SOME EXCITING PROGRAMS FOR OUR STUDENTS TO LOOK FORWARD TO:

  • NEW STREAM Initiative – Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art and Math
  • The New York State Learning Standards in all major subjects will be taught in addition to STREAM
  • National Junior Honor Society
  • Seamless Online Learning Environment (in partnership with St. Joseph by the Sea High School)
  • Robotics
  • With a larger school population, we may be able to qualify for a school security guard to enhance the security systems already in place

IMPORTANT NOTE: Ms. Nicole Garelick-Fresca, Principal and Mrs. Rita Azzopardi, Assistant Principal, will be available to conduct tours of the St. Teresa campus for St. Rita families on Tuesday, March 3rd from 9-11 am. Families may also tour the building on Tuesday, March 24th from 9-11 am and from 12-2 pm.

Additional tour dates have been scheduled for St. Rita families to tour the new campus. Evening tours are available on Thursday, March 12th from 7-8 pm and Thursday, March 19th from 7-8 pm.

IN AN EFFORT TO ADDRESS MOST OF YOUR CONCERNS, WE HAVE COMPILED THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO ASSIST YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN WITH THE UPCOMING TRANSITION

Who can I contact for specific questions?

  • A parent information session for St. Rita parents at St. Rita School is scheduled for Tuesday, February 25th at 7 pm. In addition, please email Ms. Garelick-Fresca any grade-specific or individual questions you may have, and she will address them at grade level meetings to be scheduled in the near future.
  • A parent information session for St. Teresa parents at the Church of St. Teresa on Thursday, February 27th at 7 pm. In addition, please email Mrs. Azzopardi any grade-specific or individual questions you may have, and she and Ms. Garelick-Fresca will address them at grade level meetings to be scheduled in the near future.
  • Our regional Director of Enrollment, Diana Gatto, can be reached by phone at: (646) 995-9327 or by email at: Diana.Gatto@archny.org. You can also call our bi-lingual hotline at  (646) 794-2885 between 9:00am and 5:00pm Monday-Friday.

Who will be the School Leaders?

Ms. Nicole C. Garelick-Fresca is a graduate of St. Frances Cabrini Elementary School and Bishop Kearney High School in Brooklyn, NY, and received her undergraduate degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. She received her Master of Science degree in Education from Hunter College also in NYC.

Ms. Garelick-Fresca began her career as an art teacher to grades K-8, in addition to being the Junior High School math and science teacher at Eltingville Lutheran School in Staten Island. She, along with a colleague at Eltingville Lutheran School, initiated a summer remedial program in which she taught math to grades K-8, and the program ran for two summers until her departure.

In 2001, she was hired to be the sixth grade homeroom teacher and taught science and art to grades 6-8 at Our Lady Help of Christians School in Staten Island. She was also the Leadership Development Initiative Coordinator for grades 6-8. As the coordinator for this group, she held monthly meetings to foster leadership qualities in her students and organized service and fundraising activities. In 2003, she was appointed principal of Our Lady Help of Christians School and in 2014, she was appointed to her current position as principal of St. Rita School in Staten Island. In her role, she was able to work with her faculty as a team to successfully raise the proficiency level of the students in grades 3-8 on the grades 3-8 NYS ELA and Math exams.

As the parent of two children who attend Catholic schools on Staten Island, Ms. Garelick-Fresca appreciates not only the sacrifices that families endure in order to provide their children with a Catholic education, but also the importance of creating a school environment that is the family’s “second home”. Ms. Garelick-Fresca is both eager and excited to begin this new venture at St. Teresa-St. Rita STREAM Academy.

Mrs. Rita Azzopardi currently serves as the principal at St Teresa School. She has served as principal since October of 2018. Previously, Mrs. Azzopardi has served as Third Grade teacher at St Teresa School for five years. Mrs. Azzopardi has served as teacher at various schools for twenty plus years.

Mrs. Azzopardi strongly believes in the value of a Catholic education. Our Catholic schools promote the development of good character, and the values of community and citizenship which are the foundation of a good society. Mrs. Azzopardi is a practicing Catholic who believes that our faith is the basis of all that we do.

Mrs. Azzopardi also believes in the importance of supporting the growth of each child and meeting them at their level. In her work, Mrs. Azzopardi promotes and supports differentiated instruction that is geared to helping students whether they are on level, below proficiency or above proficiency. Mrs. Azzopardi believes in the facilitation of academic achievement, where students are guided and responsible for their goal-setting and academic growth.

On a personal, as well as professional level, Mrs. Azzopardi strongly believes in the impact education has on our children’s future. A child’s years in grammar school are the foundation to college, career and a successful future. The role of the Catholic school is to motivate, promote and support each child’s educational journey.

Mrs Azzopardi is a practicing Catholic. She has been married for thirty years and is the mother of three girls. As at work, Mrs. Azzopardi promotes the value of a good education with her children. Her oldest daughter is in an MD/PhD program at Cornell University. Her middle daughter is in Law School, and her youngest is now heading to college.

Mrs. Azzopardi looks forward to continuing to serve our Catholic School with fervor, being mindful of the impact her role has on our students and the school community.


Who will my child’s teacher be?

  • In the next few days, we will be speaking with the teachers from both St. Teresa and St. Rita who, because of seniority, will be assigned as the faculty of the new St. Teresa-St. Rita STREAM Academy. Once we have spoken with the teachers, we will inform you of the school’s faculty.

What can I do if I already applied for the UPK or 3K program at St. Rita School through MySchools?

  • Your UPK or 3K application can be revised up until March 16th. Please call the Archdiocesan Office of Early Childhood at 646-794-2881, and someone will guide you through the process for revising your application.

Will transportation/busing be available to the new school?

  • We have been in contact with the Office of Pupil Transportation and are in the process of discussing appropriate bus routes for current St. Rita School students for the 2020-21 school year to the new campus located at 1632 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, New York 10314. This information has not yet been finalized, but we will share it with you upon receipt.

What will be the charges for before and after school?

  • Before Care Center
    • Drop-off beginning at 7:00 AM
    • 7:00 AM – 7:50 AM (PK3 & UPK): $6.00 per child
    • 7:00 AM – 7:40 AM (Kindergarten – Grade 8): $6.00 per child
  • After Care Center
    • Available for students in UPK-4 through Grade 8.
    • After Care is only available for Pre-K 3 students who are full day students and they can only attend on their regularly scheduled school day.
  • Regular School Dismissal
    • Early Pick Up (by 3:30 PM)
      • $11 first child, $6 each additional child per day
    • Late Pick Up (by 6:00 PM)
      • $16 first child, $9 each additional child per day
  • Early Dismissal
    • All students must be picked up by 6pm
      • $21 first child, $11 each additional child per day
      • A late fee of $10 per day will be charged for any child picked up later than 3:30 PM
      • A late fee of $20 per day will be charged for any child picked up later than 6:00 PM.
    • Dismissal to 3:30 PM  $11.00 per child,  $6.00 additional for each sibling
    • Dismissal to 6:00 PM  $16.00 per child,  $9.00 additional for each sibling
    • Parents who are late in picking up their child(ren) after 6:00 PM three (3) times will be asked to leave the After School Care Center program.

What “specials” will be available at the new school?

  • Art, Gym, Italian, Music

What lunch menus/programs will be offered?

  • Manor House will provide a comprehensive lunch offering menu for grades K-8
  • Nucci’s will provide a comprehensive lunch offering menu for Pre-K for All(UPK) and 3K

Which CYO sports programs will be offered? 

  • Basketball, Cheerleading, Baseball, Softball, Soccer, Swimming

What extracurricular activities will be offered? 

  • After school Band Program
  • Bricks for Kids
  • Coding
  • Chess
  • After school Seasonal Craft Class
  • After school Zumba
  • After school Cooking
  • Boys and Girls Scouts (Parish-based)

What uniform will the children wear? 

  • Boys and Girls – White Polo shirts with school logo in blue, maroon and gold
  • There will be 3 school uniform options selected. Samples will be displayed in the lobby of both schools for both school parent communities to view and vote on. The winning uniform will be announced and revealed at the “Welcome Night” event on May 12th.

Will there be an opportunity to meet the families at the other school?

  • Welcome night for all families will be at the new campus building on May 12th at 7 pm

Returning Parents: Will I need to enroll at the new school?

  • If you have already enrolled and paid your registration fee, your TADS Enrollment and SMART Tuition accounts will reflect your enrollment automatically. No further action is needed on your part.
  • If you have NOT enrolled yet, your child’s TADS Enrollment account will be transferred to the new school, and you will be able to enroll and pay your registration fee for your child at the new school.

Will my children be eligible for financial aid?

  • If your child received financial aid in the past, he/she will still be eligible.
  • If you have applied for aid for 2020-21, your application will be transferred automatically to the new school.
  • If you have NOT yet renewed your financial assistance application for 2020-21, please submit your application just as you have in the past. Once your application is submitted, it will be transferred automatically to the new school.
  • Once your child has been awarded, you will receive a notification of your child’s financial aid directly from TADS, as you have in the past.

For New Parents who have already submitted an Admissions and Financial Assistance Application for 2020-21: Will I need to reapply to the new school?

  • No. The Archdiocese of New York Enrollment Office will ensure that your child’s Admissions application for 2020-21 is updated in our online TADS Admissions system. If you applied for financial assistance for 2020-21, that application will also be transferred to the new school. Your TADS user name and password will remain unchanged.

For New Parents who have NOT yet submitted an Admissions and Financial Assistance Application for 2020-21: Where do I send a New Admissions Application?

What will my tuition be including family grant and fees per grade level?