The mission of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School is first and foremost to cultivate in its students a relationship with Jesus Christ who is at the center of all that we do as a Catholic school community. Faith formation is enriched by attendance at weekly Mass, Benediction, visits to the Adoration Chapel, school rosaries, the Sacrament of Confession, and service projects. In addition to fostering a relationship with Jesus Christ, we strive to prepare our students for the 21st Century by engaging them in an ambitious curriculum and equipping them with the skills necessary to take on future leadership roles. Students are provided with a plethora of enrichment and elective courses that enable them to pursue their interests and share their God-given talents. With the knowledge that many jobs of this century will involve technology in some form, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School provides students with access to the most up-to-date technology and arms them with information to safely and responsibly use technology. All classrooms are equipped with varying forms of technology, including interactive whiteboards, projection equipment, document cameras, MacBook Airs, Apple TVs, and iPads. STREAM courses in robotics, programming, and coding are provided. In addition, we provide a one-to-one environment for all students. Steeped in the tradition of the school is a commitment from all stakeholders, students, teachers, staff, and administrators to excel, to persevere, and to dream.
Academic Profile
The school session includes 178 student contact days. A minimum of 175 minutes is spent daily in reading, language arts, and math instruction. Religion is taught a minimum of 30 minutes daily. Additional core subject, elective, and enrichment courses make up the remainder of the 345 minutes. In grades Pre-K3 – 3, students are heterogeneously grouped in self-contained classrooms. Grade 4 is semi-departmentalized through team teaching. Grade 5 is semi-departmentalized with each teacher teaching his/her homeroom reading, spelling, and religion followed by their specialty area, which is taught to all sections. Grades 6 through 8 are departmentalized. One section of Honors English and reading is provided in grades 6 – 8 and one section of Algebra is provided in 8th grade. A very specific criterion is used for Honors placement.
Standardized Testing
In addition to regular formative and summative assessments given by the classroom teachers, Fatima students annually participate in standardized testing. Students in grades 1-2 are given the Stanford 10 Achievement Test while students in grades 3-7 are given the Terra Nova Assessment and 8th grade is given the Pre-ACT assessment. These tests are used to compare a student’s progress to students across the nation and to detect specific weaknesses of a child or program. Students do not pass or fail the tests. The tests provide information essential to evaluating school programs, in particular the sequence subjects are being taught, programs, units, and activities used, and ways students are grouped to learn. Students in grades 1 - 8 are also given the Otis Lennon Achievement Test. Teachers and administrators use these test scores to evaluate each child’s progress in school and to address special needs. Along with teacher-made tests, quizzes, and projects, the SAT 10, Terra Nova and Pre-ACT provide a broad picture of concept understanding and learning.
Special Needs
Parents who suspect that their child may have an academic exceptionality, i.e., giftedness, learning disability, speech disorder, etc., should request a meeting with their child’s teacher as soon as possible. If the teacher feels that there is an exceptionality, he/she will request a meeting with the REAC (Regular Education Accommodation Committee) team. The team, along with the teacher, will recommend classroom interventions and accommodations. For those students who require more extensive academic support in the core subjects, we offer assistance through our Resource program. A student must qualify for these extra accommodations. The REAC team may request a complete evaluation by Lafayette Parish Pupil Appraisal personnel or by an educational psychologist. The Pupil Appraisal Personnel Team evaluates the students and an I.E.P. (Individual Educational Plan) is compiled for each student with a learning disabilities classification, which qualifies those students to receive additional assistance through the Lafayette Parish School System. The psychologist will perform a complete educational evaluation and will provide a complete report to the school with recommendations for accommodations. Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School attempts to meet the needs of all of its students by making minor accommodations and incorporating minor interventions in regular classroom activities as recommended by the REAC team. Major adjustments, including those that could be detrimental to the rights of other students and those that require additional costs, are considered beyond our ability and cannot be incorporated.
Instructional Support
Our Lady of Fatima School provides instructional support through an Early Intervention Program for students in kindergarten and first grade. Admittance into this program is by teacher recommendation. Intervention is provided for those students struggling in reading and writing.