16 TIMES • AUGUST 25, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com kids & education New management for Glendale Catholic School BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport One Catholic grammar school in Glendale is changing over to a new governing model this coming school year, but parents and students shouldn’t worry about any major changes to the school’s operations. Sacred Heart School will be known as Sacred Heart Catholic Academy of Glendale when they open for the 2016-2017 school year on Wednesday, Sept. 7. Up until that point, the school was run as a traditional parish school since it opened in 1941. Several years ago, the Diocese of Brooklyn began implementing a strategy called “Preserving the Vision” to change the management of its schools over to the Academy format, making it a requirement. An Academy is a separately chartered, 501(c)(3) New York State corporation that is managed at the local level by an all-volunteer lay board of directors as well as the Academy’s principal. The Academy’s business, religious and academic activities will all be overseen by the Diocese of Brooklyn. The parish’s team of administrators will largely oversee the Academy’s spiritual needs. Sacred Heart Catholic Academy’s board consists of seven professionals with expertise in business management, law, accounting, university level teaching, law enforcement, grant-writing and entrepreneurship. “Our board is responsible for all aspects of the Academy’s operation and works closely with our principal Joanne Gangi to ensure its long-term success,” said John Seely, chairman of the board of Sacred Heart Catholic Academy. Although there will be big changes behind the scenes, the day-to-day operations at the school will remain virtually the same, Seely said. “Our grade-level structure, curriculum and sports/after-school activities will remain the same and virtually all of our administrative and teaching staff will return as well,” he said. “Most importantly, our students will continue to receive the same fi rst-rate education which they and their parents have come to expect of Sacred Heart. As is our tradition, students will continue to be educated in a warm, friendly and safe environment.” In addition, the Academy will continue its traditional strong ties to Sacred Heart Church and parish for religious instruction and faith formation activities, Seely confi rmed. One major difference at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy is the introduction of universal pre-kindergarten supported through the city’s pre-K for All initiative. The program will be staffed by Sacred Heart teachers and teacher assistants. The school will hold a ribboncutting ceremony at the Academy, located at 84-05 78th Ave., on Sept. 7 at 8:15 a.m. followed by a brief assembly for all in the gym, and muffi ns and coffee for the adults. This LIC warehouse offers free school supplies for teachers BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected] @AngelaMatua School is almost in session and one organization is encouraging teachers to go back-to-school shopping for supplies for free. Materials for the Arts (MFTA), which is operated by the Department of Cultural Affairs, with support from the Department of Sanitation and Department of Education (DOE), provides free materials to teachers — from binders to paper and computer chairs. The organizers are hosting a Backto School Shopping Spree starting Aug. 22 and ending on Sept. 29. Teachers can also visit the warehouse to pick up supplies all year round. Every New York City public school is pre-registered in the system and can pick up shopping carts full of supplies. Located at 33-00 Northern Blvd., the 35,000-square-foot facility has more than 40 aisles of materials, according to Communications Sacred Heart School is changing to the Academy model beginning this year. Coordinator Kwame Belle. “Teachers coming back to school tend to have a lot of budgetary limits and redecorating your room can be quite daunting,” Belle said. The organization collects about 1.5 million pounds of materials each year and is the largest provider of art supplies to New York City public schools. Materials are donated by an eclectic mix of sources including Poppin Offi ce Supplies, fashion companies like Marc Jacobs and Eileen Fisher, law fi rms, cultural institutions such as Queens Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Broadway shows. In addition to basic items such as folders and binders, MFTA provides unconventional items like ribbons and beads. Last year, the organization received sand from the Broadway show “Grounded” starring Anne Hathaway. “There are also non-traditional items like scraps of fabric and ribbons and buttons and beads,” said John Kaiser, director of education Photo courtesy Sacred Heart Catholic Academy of Glendale for MFTA. “Teachers can use beads for counting sticks … fabric to make puppets for writing courses or costumes they can make to present at social studies classes.” Teachers will also leave with MFTA tote bags fi lled with “Think Outside the Box” project kit that will include project ideas. The organization hosts classes that are a part of the DOE’s After School Professional Development Program. Every Saturday, teachers learn useful skills that they can bring to the classroom. “It’s such a heartwarming experience to watch teachers at these classes,” Belle said. “What it really does, it allows them to come to a space in which the whole idea is to just exchange creative ideas.” The fi rst class, titled “Raw Fibers: The Art of Fabric,” will explore the production and uses of fabric and teachers will learn about spinning, story weaving, fabric printing, wax and glue batik and shibovi, and dye techniques. It will start on Sept. 17 and end on Oct. 22. MFTA also hosts fi eld trips, inschool residencies and public programs and curates an art gallery. “We really feel strongly as artists and department of culture we want the citizenry of New York to know that they don’t have to buy expensive art supplies to make art,” Kaiser said. “The more that habit is in schools … more students will go home feeling empowered to make art with their parents.” Teachers, who are required to make appointments, can pick up items every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursday from 2 to 6 p.m. If a teacher is looking to be added to their school’s member account they can go through their principal or send an email to education@mfta. nyc.gov. Photo courtesy of MFTA MFTA provides free supplies to teachers across the city.
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