KENDALL PARK – Saint Augustine of Canterbury School has received the distinction of being named a Blue Ribbon School for 2016, one of only a handful of schools in New Jersey to receive such an honor.
The Roman Catholic Pre-K to Grade 8 elementary school that is located in Kendall Park was chosen based on overall academic excellence.
“National Blue Ribbon schools are proof that we can prepare every child for college and meaningful careers,” United States Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr. said in a video message to honorees. “Your schools are on the cutting edge, pioneering innovative educational practices-professional learning communities, project-based learning, social and emotional learning, positive behavior systems-making you shining examples for your communities, your state and the nation.”
For more than 50 years, St. A’s has fulfilled its mission to foster in its students a love for the values found in Catholicism while providing an academic program based on excellence and the full development of their unique talents and abilities, according to information provided by Sister Mary Louise, principal of St. Augustine School.
The school employs the such of technology such as iPads, Chromebooks, Google Apps for Education and Google Classroom along with a standards-based curriculum focused on critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration and enriched with STEM (science, technology, engineering, math)/STREAM (science, technology, reading/writing, engineering, arts and math) activities and project-based learning.
Morning announcements, prayer services and breaking school news are broadcast to every classroom on KTN – the Knights Television Network – the school’s award-winning student-run closed circuit TV station, according to Sister Mary Louise.
Students can participate in a wide variety of clubs and programs, including sports, Literary Club, robotics, drama, Student Council, forensics, National Junior Honor Society, Odyssey of the Mind and many student-led community-based service projects.
The school is supported by a vibrant and engaged school community and a nationally-recognized Home School Association, according to the principal.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools where students achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap. On Nov. 7 and 8, the Department of Education will formally recognize the 279 public and 50 private schools at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.