Students at Saint Augustine School celebrated the beginning of the school year with the dedication and blessing of a new Computer Lab.The Computer Lab is dedicated to Sr. Helen Doychak, OP for her dedication to the students of St. Augustine's and Catholic Education. Sr. Helen has been a Dominican Sister of Hope for 63 years and passionate teacher, Principal and administrator for the area's Catholic Schools until her retirement in 2008. St. Augustine's Principal Katharine Murphy says that "the new Computer Lab is an integral resource that offers our students better access to advanced learning and provides our faculty creative ways to teach."
St. Augustine School Goes High Tech
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CANDLE Night at the Rockland Boulders Game
1 Community Awareness Network For A Drug-Free Life & Environment
Kathleen May 21, 2013 at 08:55 am
CANDLE Night at the Rockland Boulders Game
Join CANDLE for a fun(d)raising game on May 23rd as the…Read More Rockland Boulders take on the Trois-Rivieres Aigles.
Proceeds from tickets purchased through CANDLE* will support programs that educate & empower youth and reduce substance abuse and violence in Rockland County and beyond.
Heywood Jablohme May 21, 2013 at 02:48 pm
I agree with most of your points, but surely you are not implying that teachers are expected to…Read More produce funding to correct school roofs, right? I think you got a bit off topic here, but I agree that our educational infrastructure is in disrepair and is in desperate need of rehabilitation.
Maybe if our teacher's unions allowed a little more leeway we could allocate funding a little more appropriately and fund the important things instead of overpaying paying dinosaur teachers who lost interest a long time ago and fight any and all forms of teacher benchmarking.
WGMom May 20, 2013 at 09:10 am
It's entirely true that every professional has out-of-pocket expenses. But as someone who worked as…Read More a corporate trainer, I can guarantee you I NEVER had to pay out of pocket expenses for supplies to teach classes. Every piece of paper, supply, and even snacks for the participants were fully covered expenses. If I had to spend out of pocket money to procure supplies, I could submit for a reimbursement, and receive it, no questions asked. I am now in school to become a high school teacher and I can see the stark difference in how the education of folks in a corporate environment is incredibly different, and privileged, than the public school environment. I've sat through numerous classes in the Clarkstown and Ramapo districts, doing observations required for my education certification, and while Clarkstown certainly benefits from certain advantages, the shabbiness of being a public school is still there. Furniture, such as teacher desks, that looks like it was purchased in a garage sale 30 years ago... faculty bathrooms that are dark and dingy, nearly crumbling, and sorely in need of updating. Etc. The public expects teachers to have professional training, act professionally, but they lack sometimes basic resources and are expected to function in an environment that feels more like a dungeon than an institution of learning. The citizens of Clarkstown, if they could get a tour of some of the facilities they are expecting children to learn in, and teachers to teach in, would be very surprised. We do supply some great technology, but then we put it in classrooms with windows that won't stay closed when it's windy, as one example. I spent most of my time in South, which is the best of the bunch, facilities-wise. Clarkstown North is a mess, Woodglen's woods are littered with fallen trees no one's cleaned up after Sandy, Laurel Plains had to be shuttered thanks to that whole foul stench... the district is in a situation where there are major capital improvements that are going to be needed. Buildings are aging, and it seems it's only the most basic of upkeep that happens. The district can't even fix the roofs of the buildings without applying for a state grant.
Heywood Jablohme May 18, 2013 at 07:17 am
What professional doesn't spend $500 per year on out of pocket expenses related to their jobs?…Read More
Staples offering 10% (or 5 in some cases) is hardly an example of the community getting involved.
Thankfully, there are other examples of the community and PTA's getting involved and providing needed services. Clarkstown and surrounding areas hardly have substantial unmet needs in their classroom, thankfully.
Truth4all May 16, 2013 at 11:37 am
I guess better late than never. LaCorte is serving his 4th year as Mayor and was Trustee for I think…Read More 4 years before that. This year is the only time he has brought the idea to the village
about participating in this program. He is motivated by the opportunity of getting positive press for his County Executive
campaign. The village should have been involved in this
program ( as well as the Americorps program) long before
this. On a positive note, hopefully the Village will continue this
worthwhile partnership for many years to come.