Saint Elizabeths Elementary School

Mission Statement

admin — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 01:05:33 +0000

St. Elizabeth Elementary School, rooted in the Benedictine tradition of Ora Et Labora (Pray and Work) and PAX (Peace), proclaims the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, fosters academic excellence, instills leadership, and promotes dedication to service as we educate our youth who will become the faith-filled citzens of tomorrow. In partnership with parents, St. Elizabeth Elementary School educates the mind, the body, and the spirit. Founded in 1908, we are a kindergarten through eighth grade co-educational Roman Catholic Institution of the Diocese of Wilmington, providing a diverse and family-oriented, caring environment, which serves St. Elizabeth, other parishes,and other denominations.

We assist parents in their primary right and responsibility to form and educate their children into mature witnesses of Christ.
Faculty and staff serve as spiritual and educational models for the students.
We recognize the unique developmental needs of each child and attempt to address these needs.
We cultivate a nurturing environment that encourages self-control, good order, and a discipline that stems from our discipleship to Jesus Christ.
We strive for respect for God, self, other, and government.
Sensitivity and mutual respect for the needs of other is core to our existence.
Self-worth is instilled through spiritual, academic, and co-curricular activities.
Catholic values and beliefs permeate all academic and social areas, focusing on God and our relationship with God.
Our Christian commitment is strengthened through liturgical celebrations, community service, daily prayer, courses in Catholic doctrine and through bridging school and family.
We exist primarily to focus on God and our relationship to God.
We are a welcoming community where individual and cultural differences are valued, appreciated and nurtured.
Since peace is the essence and aim of our community relationships, we develop our students conflict resolution skills. Our words and deeds reflect, That in all things, God may be glorified.

Jingle Bell Run

admin — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 01:55:09 +0000

Come out and support St. Elizabeth Parish in the Jingle Bell Run/Walk on Sunday, November 11. Registration is at noon and the race begins at 1:00.

Please see the attached application for further information.

Jingle Bell Run Application

Year of Faith

admin — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:24:21 +0000

Thursday, October 11, 2012 opens the Year of Faith for the Catholic Church. This year-long celebration calls us all to reflect on our own faith experience. How does our faith form our daily lives? Is it a part of all that we do? Scripture tells us to “walk by faith and not by sight”. Each breath we take, each step we make can be an encounter with our God. We should never be the same once we have had that ‘encounter’. Those whose lives we touch should never be the same.

May this year of faith be an opportunity for growth and newness of life. May we always be open to the possibilities that await us each time we are called to a deeper knowledge of knowing who and Whose we are.

Welcome to the 2012-2013 School Year

admin — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 11:27:50 +0000

Welcome to the 2012-2013 School Year!
The faculty and staff welcome all of our students to the 2012-2013 School Year! We are looking forward to a great year together.
Our School Mission Statement encourages us to strive for academic excellence and to share the gospel message of love with one another. As we journey through this year, may we encourage one another to do our best not only in the classroom but whenever we are together as a community.
Our patroness, St. Elizabeth, was a faith-filled woman who trusted in God and had the privilege of giving birth to John the Baptist > the one who would boldly proclaim, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Scripture tells us that Elizabeth was the cousin of Mary. What an awesome family to be a part of. Elizabeth’s simple, humble faith is an inspiration for all of us. May she intercede for us as we walk our own faith journey.
May God bless you!
Alexandria M. Cirko Principal

Title I Services – Back to Basics

bbeliveau — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:58:02 +0000

Remedial help in Reading and Mathematics is offered for students in Grades 1-8. Students are identified based on standardized testing and teacher recommendation. This program enhances but does not replace the regular classroom instruction.

Resource Room

bbeliveau — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:40:19 +0000

Staffed by a certified Special Education teacher, the Resource Room offers special academic instruction for students in Grades 1-4 in the area of Language Arts. Working in a small group setting, students in Grades 1-3 receive all of their Language Arts instruction and students in Grade 4 receive Reading instruction. Eligibility is based on, but not limted to, results of educational testing, standardized testing, and teacher recommendation.

General Information

bbeliveau — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:29:43 +0000

Snow closings and delays can often cause confusion as well as inconvenience. The Catholic Schools Office makes the decision on whether or not our school will close or have a delayed opening. This announcement is made on their website: www.cdow.org. Click the button on the left hand side labeled “Catholic Schools” and then click the tab labeled “Weather related information”. Usually if there is a delay or closing it will be posted by 5:30 am. When I see the announcement I send out a School Reach phone message to all families and staff. If you did not receive a phone message when we were closed on December 21 and 22, or if your phone number has changed, let the school office know as soon as possible. Closing and delay announcements will also be made the AM stations WLIM and WDEL.

Snow Closing Information

bbeliveau — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:24:47 +0000

Snow closings and delays can often cause confusion as well as inconvenience. The Catholic Schools Office makes the decision on whether or not our school will close or have a delayed opening. This announcement is made on their website: www.cdow.org. Click the button on the left hand side labeled “Catholic Schools” and then click the tab labeled “Weather related information”. Usually if there is a delay or closing it will be posted by 5:30 am. When I see the announcement I send out a School Reach phone message to all families and staff. If you did not receive a phone message when we were closed on December 21 and 22, or if your phone number has changed, let the school office know as soon as possible. Closing and delay announcements will also be made the AM stations WLIM and WDEL.

Our History

bbeliveau — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:48:06 +0000

The History of Saint Elizabeth Elementary School

In 1908, Rev. William D. Temple, in keeping with the tradition of founding a church and, almost immediately thereafter, a parochial school, asked that it be staffed by the Benedictine Sisters of Ridgely, Maryland. Although the parish was just established, the enrollment that year was 294 students. The school operated from a building on Broom Street. Parishioner Sunday contributions funded the school and its operations.

The growth of the parish was demonstrated by the building of a new parish school which opened in 1930 with an enrollment of 486 students. Funding for the new school had been materially aided by the generosity of the Delaware State Foundation, P.S. DuPont, and John J. Raskob.

When the depression hit the people of St. Elizabeth, as those throughout the country, Father Temple opened up sewing rooms to make and distribute clothing to those in need. Breakfast was also prepared and served daily to over 150 children. Heating the new, large building was a serious worry and when funds ran out and aide was denied, Father Temple told his parishioners to register their children at No. 19, the public school down the street. A few hours after the Monday morning registration for enrollment, coal was delivered to heat the school building.

In 1940, the pastor Monsignor Grant opened St. Elizabeth High School, and since then St. Elizabeth Elementary School and St. Elizabeth High School have shared the facilities. In the mid-1950’s, a new wing was built on the Banning and Clayton Streets side of the building adding an additional eight classrooms. The gymnasium was built at this time as well. The elementary school enrollment increased steadily until it reached its peak in 1961, with 841 students in grades one through eight. In 1968, in addition to Sunday church contributions, tuition became a necessity. In 1984, St. Elizabeth Elementary School opened its Kindergarten, which was located in the Altar Server sacristy of the church.

Since the elementary and high schools shared the facility, space was at a premium. Through the combined efforts of the elementary and high schools, the Rose Marie Poppiti wing was built and dedicated in September of 1990. This wing allowed the Kindergarten to have a classroom in the school building and allowed the elementary school to create an Art Room and an enlarged and renovated Library-Computer Room with approximately eighteen computers.

Throughout the 1990’s enrollment was steady, and there was a deliberate attempt to reduce class size from an average of 34-36 students to per homeroom to 30-33 students per homeroom. In the late 1990’s, the elementary and high school once again joined forces to establish a premiere gym with four classrooms attached. This facility became known as the St. E Center and was dedicated in September of 2001.

Because of this development, St. Elizabeth Elementary School was again able to strengthen its program. The elementary school opened a second Kindergarten class and both programs have operated as full-day kindergartens since September of 2001. St. Elizabeth also was able to establish a Resource Room for students in Grades one through four who suffered from a language based learning disability. In addition, a full-sized state of the art Computer Lab was established with thirty-five computers. Further, the space under the gym was renovated into two full-sized rooms with a kitchen area for the Extended Care Program.

In 2003-2004, Spanish classes were implemented for students in grades six, seven, and eight, but they were not continued into the following year. In 2009-2010, Spanish classes in Grades One-Five .

Each day, the students, faculty, and staff of St. Elizabeth Elementary School endeavor to live out the motto of the Benedictine Sisters, “That In All Things God May Be Glorified.”

Parents email addresses for updates

Carole Welch — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:08:37 +0000

Parents please email me at cwelch@sainteliz.org to be put on an email list for updates.

You’ll receive half day information and changes that you need to be aware of.

I look forward to receiving your email!