Quality Always Improves!
On Tuesday, February 18, the Faculty and Staff at Saint Patrick Catholic School gathered on the final day of winter break for a day of professional development. We encourage all Wolfhound students to become enthusiastic, lifelong learners and hope to model this by continuing to grow in our own knowledge and expertise as it relates to our work at Saint Patrick.
Our first speaker, Amy Woods, a representative from the Sarah Michelle Peterson Foundation, led a certification/training course for faculty and staff on recognizing early warning signs of depression and anxiety to help prevent suicide. She guided us through the Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper training, which helps debunk common myths about supporting individuals with depression and provides practical strategies - including specific language - to facilitate productive conversations that can connect a person in crisis to the help they need.
With suicide rates continuing to rise, including children as young as 10 years old, this training served as a powerful reminder that while anyone can experience these struggles, suicide is preventable. We found the session incredibly informative and valuable in our commitment to keeping our Wolfhounds safe. A special thank you to our guidance counselors, Shana O’Boyle and Dan Batkin, for organizing this essential training. We look forward to extending this opportunity to parents as part of an upcoming Wolfhound Wellness series.
Steve Hammond, Founding Principal of Saint Patrick and expert in Glasser Quality Schools, was the next to offer training to our faculty and staff. His presentation highlighted our school culture's unique qualities and characteristics that set us apart. We have made a lot of progress this year in helping students successfully assess their own growth in each Life Of. To build upon that progress and deepen teachers' understanding of Glasser’s Choice Theory in their classrooms, Mr. Hammond provided a variety of useful rubrics to help faculty and staff assess their own growth. These resources sparked meaningful discussions and thoughtful reflection among our faculty and staff. A heartfelt thank you to Steve Hammond for his continued support in making Saint Patrick a safe, faith-filled learning environment where the operating belief remains that “quality always improves!”
Each member of the faculty and staff at Saint Patrick Catholic School works daily to fulfill our mission of educating and nurturing the whole child – mind, body, and spirit - to be Christ-centered, compassionate, and courageous servant leaders. We welcome the opportunity to continue to grow both personally and professionally in our respective roles to provide an academically challenging, yet needs-satisfying educational experience for all Wolfhound students!
