Our Lady of Fatima School (Queens Post Photo)
Jan. 22, 2020 Sponsored Story
A Jackson Heights Catholic school is hosting two open houses next week to kick off Catholic Schools Week, an annual celebration of Catholic education that is observed nationally on the last week of January.
Our Lady of Fatima School, located at 25-38 80th St., is first opening its doors on Sunday, Jan. 26 to parents who are interested in enrolling their children at the Nursery through 8th grade school. The school, which has been part of the community for 60 years, will showcase its classrooms and facilities from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The Catholic school is simultaneously hosting a book fair and bake sale Sunday, so children can pick up new reads and sweet treats while their parents learn about the school’s curriculum and programs.
Prospective students and their parents will have a second chance to visit the school and learn more on Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
At each open house, middle school students will act as guides and will share their own experiences with visiting parents.
Parents and students of all ages are invited to tour the school. The open house is an excellent opportunity for fifth-grade public school students and their parents to learn about the benefits of switching to a Catholic education.
Our Lady of Fatima School‘s mission is to educate the whole person and instill in students a lifelong commitment to learning, community service and Christian values.
The school provides students with a high quality education, while helping them grow to become socially conscious young adults within the frameworks of Sacred Scripture and Tradition of the Catholic Church.
At Our Lady of Fatima, there is also a strong focus on advanced learning.
For instance, middle school students can accelerate their studies by taking High School Regents exams in Common Algebra and Earth Science with the help of experienced instructors. Furthermore — beginning in Kindergarten — students take STEM classes within in the curriculum.
The framework of combining creativity, traditional and Catholic education, has helped the school achieve a record of academic success.
The ELA scores for the school’s 8th graders have steadily remained above New York City’s and the Diocese of Brooklyn’s average, with more than 90 percent of students scoring Level 3 or 4.
Our Lady of Fatima School (Queens Post Photo)
Our Lady of Fatima students are also prepared for the technological age.
Younger students receive tablets to use as part of the curricula and take a Media Center class. Sixth, seventh and eighth graders receive Google Chromebooks to use throughout the year and take a technology class five days a week to prepare them for high school and beyond.
The Jackson Heights school also offers expansive opportunities for children in all grades to explore different creative outlets. Elementary school students have a dedicated art period and a music education course, where they can learn to play an instrument.
Our Lady of Fatima now offers a variety of after-school clubs to further students’ extracurricular learning as well. Coordinated by teachers, the different clubs include acting club, band, chess club, fitness club, science club, tennis club, art and advanced art club and robotics club.
The school also caters to children with special needs, offering IESPs (Individualized Education Services Programs), 504 Plans and other programs.
Students can take advantage of Speech therapy and SETSS (Special Education Teacher Support Services) within school hours and soon an occupational therapist will be in-house for students who need one. The SETSS or Resource Room program provides specialized instruction in conjunction with regular class instruction, as providers sit in classes to help students who need it.
Our Lady of Fatima also provides Title I services in both ELA and Math. Eligibility is based on standardized test scores, and it is a supplement to students’ general education classes. The services can help children enhance their academic performance, especially on tests.
Middle school girls are even supported in self-esteem building at Our Lady of Fatima and all students can visit the school’s full-time guidance counselor. Female students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade can participate in the Beautiful Me self-esteem mentoring program, where they learn to compliment one another and value themselves.
The school’s educators believe in teaching children as early as possible and recently launched a Mommy and Me program for one- and two-year-olds and their parents. The program is a great way to ease little ones into the nursery program for three-year-olds and pre-K the following year.
Our Lady of Fatima is a recipient of NYC’s free meals program so that students have access to breakfast and lunch. They also retain free NYC school bus services for pickup and dismissal of students.
The school’s open houses are Sunday, Jan. 26 from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Parents who wish to schedule a visit on a separate day can contact the school directly at 718-429-7031.
For more information, including how to enroll a child in the 2020-2021 school year, parents can visit the school’s website at: ourladyoffatimaschool.org.
Information on need-based tuition assistance for eligible K-8 families is available at: futuresineducation.org/scholarships.
The school can also be found on Facebook @ourladyoffatimaschooljacksonheights.
One Comment
I still do not understand why the school, with a healthy, steady enrollment, has not become a Catholic Academy like almost all of the other schools in the Diocese. All elementary schools were suppose to be Academies by 2017. Does anyone know why not?