"I believe that the primary goal of a Kindergarten program is to provide a safe, caring, and nuturing enviornment where each child can grow as an individual and feel successful.  In order for children to understand themselves and the world around them, a variety of experiences that encourages them to observe, explore, pursue their interests, and express their creative ability need to be an integral part of the Kindergarten program.  Methods of problem solving, discovery learing techniques, hands-on, and sensory learing activities allow children to become actively involved in the learing process."

"First grade is a very crucuial year.  Children are beginning their formal education.  I believe it is very important to give small children the sense that learning is fun.  Giving children many opportunities to be successful builds confidence and self-esteem.  It is essential to completely engage students in their learning to keep them interested, eager, and enthusiastic about school.  Addressing many learning styles is a must because all children do not learn in the same manner.  My primary goal is to integrate all the academic areas and help children make connections, learn problem solving, make appropriate decisions and learn to be the best they can be."

"I believe every child should receive a strong educational foundation, a foundation that will include a child's social, emotional, and academic growth.  A child should be taught under the direction of an interested, motivated, and creative teacher.  He/She should be excited about learning and given a variety of experiences to develop this strong foundation."

"Jesus and the Gospels are the focus of a quality Catholic education and should be integrated in all areas of the curriculum.  My role as a Catholic School educator is to promote and facilitate quality learning experiences in order to develop spiritual, intellectual, social, and moral individuals.  I believe a third grader needs to learn responsibility for his/her own behavior and studies."

"I believe that making the classroom a caring and safe environment is essential in making a child feel comfortable.  They can feel more at ease and less hesitant in a setting that is welcoming.  This will enable them to explore their gifts and talents.  I also believe that learning is easier when you apply our Catholic morals and values into the teaching process.  Students can then have the opportunity to recongnize God in everything they think, say, and do which ultimately guides them in making better decisions.  In order for my classroom to be successful, there needs to be open communication between the student, parent, and teacher.  Through this sense of community, trust is built to the benefit of all.  Lastly, I believe the attitude and disposition of a teacher should always be positive and encouraging in order to instill a love of learning in children.  Each student should leave the classroom fulfilled and excited about returning."

"As a teacher, I aspire to foster the love of life-long learning in my students.  I believe the democratic ideals and educational values of our society are best represented when students are engaged in team problem solving practices.  By focusing on teaching students how to ask essential questions and discover enduring understandings they are provided with the tools needed to effectively apply their learning, both in and out of the school enviornment.  I believe the most important goal of education is to help create responsibile and enlightened citizens and leaders, and that it is my duty to provide opportunities in my classroom that will prepare my students to assume those roles."

"I believe our faith is the core of our lives, and our teaching should reflect our relationship with God.  Every child wants to learn and succeed in school and must be respected.  I believe that the children need to experience success and structure lessons to foster this.  I believe children need clear expectations and rewards and conseuences must be enforced fairly and consistently."

"As an educator, my goal is to create an environment which fosters critical thinking, creativity, and develops a love of learning within all students.  In our changing world, it is increasingly important to challenge students to critically think and analyze the world around them.  Students need to begin to think like a historian and understand the connection of our past history to the present and future.  In order to achieve these goals, students will explore history through research, hands-on projects, and other pathways of active learning."

"My goal as an educator of middle school students is three-fold.  First, I need to be a positive role-model, demonstrating through my actions and words that I am trying to live out my faith, knowing that my example can be a powerful motivation for my students' spiritual, emotional, and academic development.  Second, the atmosphere that I establish in the classroom is very important.  Each student deserves to be treated with respect and fairness; no one can learn in an environment which he/she perceives to be uncomfortable or threatening.  Discipline must be fair and consistent.  Humor, flexibility, and enthusiasm are qualities every good teacher must possess.  Third, each student comes to me with talents that need to be further developed, and weaknesses that need special attention.  It is my challenge to meet these various needs, and in the process, teach them to teach themselves, for we are all life-long learners."

"My goal is to provide a climate within the whole school that values and enhances the education of all children, and to engage students in a challenging hands-on curriculum where they can understand and reach their greatest potential.  I want to peak students' interests and instill excitement for science by bringing creativity and diversity to the curriculum.  The classroom should be a place for laughter, respect, safety, and discovery.  Each student is unique and should have the opportunity to highlight their talents within the learning experience.  By working closely with the community, teachers, and parents we can offer the most to our students."

"As an educator, I believe in approaching life as a relationship which comes through the integration of both the inner and outer human experiences.  This philosophy means I can hopefully create an educational environment which will build lives based on openess, respect and willingness to communicate with others.  This environment should provide a base for healthy living within an expanding world society.  Learning should not be an end in itself; learning should be continuous.  Learning needs to awaken the senses.  The more we can actively participate in learning, the more appreciation we will develop for knowledge and experience.  These components of teaching reflect an awareness of the surrounding environment, and through the illumination of conscience allows the individual to display appropriate behavioral patterns in dealing with those variables such as our environmental surroundings and individuals within that environment.  I hope to establish in my students a holistic education."

"The educational philosophy of the Learning Connection is to help students "bloom where they are planted."  It is paramount that students discover and value their talents.  Each student and I work together as a team to uncover and understand the student's strengths and how these strengths can assist the student in areas of difficulty.  For example if a student's strengths are in the gross motor area and basketball is a passion, but spelling is very dificult, then a coping mechanism for that student may be to practice spelling words while dribbling.  Or for a student who has a love of music but difficulty remembering the meanings of vocabulary words, the student may explore lyrics from a favorite Broadway show for unknown words.  Next the student and I research the meanings and write them on sentence strips.  To reinforce these words and definitions, the student posts these sentence strips at home; when the student plays the music the stips provided visual reinforcement of the words and their meanings at the same time the student is hearing the unfamiliar words. 

Learning is a series of connections.  My challenge is to help find the best alternative pathways for making these connections for tasks that are dificult for students.  I use a multi-sensory approach and attempt to discover each child's strongest learning modality.  The goal is to input information using that modality while strengthening the one that may be problematic.  Nurturing students' self concepts through positive reinforcement is of the highest priority.  A student's self concept is a very important part of the formula for success.  Last, but not least, I seek to help students discover the beauty and strength we receive when we add a third member to the team-Christ.  Through prayer, students will gro to understand that He is always there for them.  My greatest hope is to instill a love for learning that will carry on for a lifetime!"

"Appreciating the gifts that God has given to us.  That is what is most emphasized in the art program at HFPS.  The students learn about the art and history of many cultures.  By doing this we celebrate the uniqueness of each individual.  We are "building bridges across God's world" !  The art students are able to gain so much knowledge from the use of the LCD projector.  This is a valuable resource as we can connect to many websites that give us immense knowledge visually and in print, in a very large format.  I expect to have my students leave our school having experiences with the use of many materials, techniques, and learning how to apply the Elements and Principles of Art.  Most of all, to give thanks to God for one another and all the beauty that surrounds us."

"My mission is to make the computer lab a place where all students feel welcome and important.  The lab is a place where learning is fun and interesting because students are surrounded by a variety of new ideas and concepts.  My goal is to increase the use of technology in all curriculum areas and to have students feel comfortable and confident with new technology.  I believe that along with academics, students learn how to respect each other and how to be responsible from their teachers.  It is my duty and privelege to make computer classes a wonderful experience for all my students."

"My goal is to provide all of my students with a positive and safe environment to explore the various types of reading.  Reading for pleasure and reading for knowledge are two important skills that our children need throughout life."

"I believe childhood is an ideal time to begin the study of another language.  Starting to learn a foreign language at a young age plays a critical role in the development of the high levels of language proficiencey required to meet our nation's needs.  Learning a language well takes time.  Students who begin early in their schooling have the opportunity to develop a wide-ranging vocabulary and to master the syntax required for effective communication.  In addition, the elementary grades are an excellent time to begin to develop positive cross-cultural attitudes.  The students' knowledge of Spanish will also be an asset for them in a wide variety of careers and will be a source of enrichment for the rest of their life.

The goal of the program is to develop proficiency in the Spanish language, as Spanish is a fast growing second language in the US.  At HFPS, the Spanish program starts in 1st grade, giving the students the opportunity to study the language for eight years.  At the completion of their 8th grade year, many students are testing into Spanish II at the high school level.  The primary focus of instruction is on what the students are able to do with the language when the activity is completed.  Culture is always embedded in the instruction, helping students to understand and appreciate the way of life, customs, values, and cultures of people from the many different Spanish-speaking areas fo the world.  I am a navtive Spanish speaker from Mexico, so I will primarily focus on Mexico. In addition, we do crafts, learn songs, watch videos and taste authentic Latin-American food."