Meet Katherine (pictured above). Katherine is a 3rd Grade student at SPN. As a native Spanish speaker, Katherine is an Emerging Bilingual. She is also a published author.

Allow me to explain. Here at SPN, where 98% of our students are Emerging Bilinguals, our literacy goal over the last 2 years has been to Build Better Readers and Writers. Through Professional Learning Communities and Faculty Meetings, we focus on high-leverage literacy practices, in order to build teacher capacity for helping students become better readers and writers. One of the practices we learned involved helping students identify as Readers and Writers. We began to move away from the idea that reading, and writing is simply something we do, and toward the idea that Readers and Writers are something we are. 

Identifying as Readers and Writers is especially important for Emerging Bilinguals. It shifts the focus away from what the students cannot do and emphasizes what they CAN do. Last year, our 2nd Grade class excelled with their reading and writing progress. Of the 10 students identified as needing urgent intervention in reading at the beginning of 2nd Grade, only 2 remained on that list by the end of the school year. This year, as 3rd Graders, they are reading and writing more than ever before. I am amazed every time I walk into the classroom to see what they are doing. We still have a ways to go, but with our students identifying as Readers and Writers, I know we will get there!

Our students’ progress in reading and writing can be summed up in this: I recently asked Katherine who her favorite author is. Her response came as a question, but it told me all I needed to know about her progress. Katherine’s response was, “Do you mean besides myself?”

To learn more about what is happening at St. Philip Neri School, please visit our website: www.stphilipindy.org or contact the main office at (317) 636-0134 .

When you donate to support the scholars at Central Catholic*, Holy Angels*, Holy Cross and St. Philip Neri*, we want it to be clear where your dollars go. Over time our branding and logos have changed to reflect our organizational structure and partnerships. The Mother Theodore Catholic Academies continues to be our legal name with the Notre Dame ACE Academies providing support to three (designated with an * above) of the four schools. Both logos will be used to illustrate our organizational structure which is designed to provide students with the best Catholic and academic experience.