St. Luke Catholic School is a microcosm of the surrounding community. It has an enduring supportive and interconnected relationship with the parish, school and community. This interconnected, supportive relationship can be seen in the Church, school and religious education communities as they support each other in the faith-filled journey of its members. The parish supports the school in its mission of providing a Catholic education while the school supports the church through active participation and outreach.
Notable Academics and Extracurriculars
St. Luke Catholic School is a Notre Dame ACE academy. As such, it strives to provide a faith-filled Catholic education of the highest quality to as many students as possible. Through its association with the University of Notre Dame, the school receives professional development, coaching, grants and on-site personnel affiliated with the university’s program. Some teachers are in teaching fellowship programs for STEM and English as a New Language (ENL), while other teachers travel to Notre Dame in the summer to attend leadership conferences. The school advances its mission by increasing access for under-served communities through parental choice scholarships.
From fall 2011 to spring 2015, on average, students improved from the bottom third to the top third in the nation in math. Reading scores are just as impressive, with students moving from the 29th to the 53rd percentile in those four years.
Individualized Attention Tailored to Each Student
St. Luke Catholic School participates in the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge to ensure that students do not regress in the knowledge they’ve learned the previous school year. In addition to reading practice, students are encouraged to practice their math skills. Incoming PK-1st grade students complete the SplashMath assigned curriculum, and incoming 2nd – 8th grade students are to work in the TenMarks math program. These programs are online programs that will begin the transition to blended learning in the classroom. Additionally, parents are able to set up an account in these programs to monitor their student’s progress. In addition to completing the assigned problems, students can complete additional practice problems through the program’s supplement material. If students need more support in understanding the material, there are links for video lessons.
Fostering of Spiritual Growth in Faculty and Students
St. Luke Catholic School is built on five core values—seek, persist, excel, love, serve—which is fostered in faculty and students alike. The school believes that the love of God compels each individual, stewardship is love in action, people are always learning, effort unlocks potential and excellence happens on purpose. In order to pursue these root beliefs, students attend weekly Mass every Friday and parents are invited to attend. Students actively participate in the Mass, with students in grades 4th-8th required to serve at a Sunday Mass, one time per month. Reconciliation services are offered to students, twice yearly. There is an active presence of the clergy in the school who support the School Advisory Committee and active Home and School Association.
Notre Dame faculty annually provide 50+ hours of responsive professional formation to each teacher. Dozens of teachers and leaders across the network participate in field trips to learn from each other and other high-performing schools throughout the year. Annual retreats for teachers and leaders reignite zeal for our shared purpose of making God known, loved and served.
Initiatives in Support of a Wholistic Education
Students put their faith in action through campus ministry where they collaborate with teachers and priests to lead and participate in community outreach, service projects and retreats that unite and strengthen their class communities and provide creative opportunities to explore their spiritual relationship with God.
The St. Luke food program allows each student to have free breakfast and lunch, fostering in them a sense of human worth and compassion for those who go without. With this program, every student is provided a lunch as well as a breakfast regardless of their financial status.
Additionally, the Sunday Service program that requires grade 4-8 students to serve during Sunday Mass has increased student and family participation within the church community.
Why St. Luke Catholic School is Something Greater
“Catholic education at St. Luke Catholic School is more than a rigorous academic program—it’s a school you can have faith in. The school’s education provides students with faith to face the challenges of the world—it’s the gift that keeps on giving.” -Diann Bacchus, principal
