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Our Vision
Our Vision
The St. Margaret of Castello Alliance for Catholic Inclusion at St. Jerome Academy strives to ensure that all of God’s children, including those with special needs, are given the supports necessary to thrive in our rich, comprehensive Catholic environment.
Our Mission
Our Mission
The St. Margaret of Castello Alliance for Catholic Inclusion seeks to facilitate resource development for special education at SJA. We support the administration by securing funding for expanding existing resources; teachers through ongoing professional development; and parents by providing technical and emotional support in obtaining services and accommodations for their children with special needs.
Our Accomplishments
Our Accomplishments
Grant from the Catholic Coalition for Special Education
Grant from the Catholic Coalition for Special Education
In the Spring of 2022, in partnership with SJA's administration, we applied for a Believe in Me! grant from The Catholic Coalition for Special Education (CCSE). SJA was awarded funding to launch our initiatives in the 2022-2023 school year. The grant supported personnel, training, and services for the staff in order to benefit students with special needs.
Professional Development
Professional Development
We aim to provide teachers, staff, and parents with opportunities for professional development, including lectures, workshops, and trainings. During the spring of 2022, we facilitated a lecture by renowned clinical neuropsychologist and author, Dr. William Stixrud, for the SJA staff and community.
During the 2023-24 academic year, we facilitated one workshop for parents and one for teachers. The parent workshop, led by Sarah Wayland of Guiding Exceptional Parents, focused on Executive Functioning. The workshop for faculty and staff focused on Sensory Regulation and Strategies for the Classroom and was led by SJA parent and DCPS OT Miranda Goodson.
During the 2024-25 academic year, we facilitated a workshop for parents entitled "Attention, Executive Function, and Anxiety in Kids: What Parents Should Know," by Dr. Katia Fredricksen. We also offered a talk by Maggie Hubbard for our SJA staff on co-teaching and push-in strategies.
Professional Development Resources for SJA Faculty, Staff, and Parents
Professional Development Resources for SJA Faculty, Staff, and Parents
Learning Differences
Learning Differences
Dr. William Strixrud offered this lecture on learning differences to SJA faculty, staff, and parents.
2024_03_20_St_Jeromes_ExecutiveFunctioning.pdfWhat are Executive Functions?
What are Executive Functions?
This parent workshop, led by Sarah Wayland of Guiding Exceptional Parents, focused on Executive Functioning. Check out her presentation and additional chart.
EF_Developmental_Matrix.pdfExecutive Development Skill Development Chart by Age (Sarah Wayland)
Executive Development Skill Development Chart by Age (Sarah Wayland)
Other Accomplishments
Other Accomplishments
Here's a short list of what we, along with support from the Resource team and administration, have accomplished:
applied for and received a $58,000 grant from the Catholic Coalition for Special Education to support hiring another Resource teacher and receive monthly support from an expert instructional coach who has been coming to SJA on a monthly basis for the past three years;
hosted professional & parental development days for teachers and parents on topics such as executive functioning, sensory integration in the classroom, accommodation basics, ADHD, and co-teaching;
collaborated with the Sta. Rosa de Lima parent group to throw a celebratory party for our teachers on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe;
started the SJA Volunteer Student Assistance program (need volunteer hours? consider applying!);
created a Roadmap for Parents: Navigating the IEP Process in PG County;
started a Resource Lending Library;
initiated site visits with SJA administrators, teachers, and parents to learn from local Catholic schools that are doing inclusion well;
collaborated with St. Bernadette School in Silver Spring to start a new St. Margaret of Castello chapter in 2025;
did a presentation about our group at an ADW Resource Professional Development day how to support one at other schools;
started a Wishlist in collaboration with the SJA Resource team for supporters to contribute to at any time;
created this website full of resources for all SJA parents and supporters!
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