incredibly grateful to have received a generous donation from the Morning Star Initiative in December of 2021. Imagined by Bishop Barres and led by the Marianist Brothers and the DRVC’s Department of Education, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School opened its doors last September as a dual-language and dual-campus school located in Deer Park and Central Islip.
OLG is a proud member of the Boston College TWIN-CS program (Two-Way Immersion Network for Catholic Schools). Starting in Nursery and Pre-K this school year, students followed a 50/50 model of language immersion - learning half of the day in Spanish and half of the day in English. Our program will grow into our Kindergarten classrooms on both campuses in September of 2022 and continue laying the foundation for educating students who are bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural by graduation.
Thanks to the generosity of the Morning Star Initiative, the entire OLG faculty will enjoy extensive professional development through Boston College, including certification in Bilingual Education and TWIN-CS Summer Academies designed to support instructional strategies, Catholic culture, and nurturing transformational leaders - such a gift!
Serving nearly 400 students in Nursery through Grade 8, our school day begins at 7:00am and offers free after school enrichment programs until 5:30pm each day - providing a safe and welcoming environment that nurtures a beautiful and vibrant family spirit. On average, 250 students stay after school to participate in a wide variety of activities including sports, service projects, band, chorus, American sign language, art, and more.
A portion of the donation will support the After School Program by providing resources for the various clubs and teams as well as compensating teachers and staff who serve as moderators for the various program offerings. As our staff often logs 11-hour days, OLG is grateful to recognize the incredible efforts put forth each day by the OLG faculty and staff.
Thank you, again, to the Morning Star Initiative and to Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation for their incredible support of creating a sustainable future for Catholic education on Long Island!