Academic UPDATE Dear Alumni, Parents, and Friends,
The Bergen Catholic academic program continues to evolve due to the use of technology. This school year marks the first time that all four-grade levels of students are utilizing e-textbooks in each of their courses. The school’s commitment to online resources is so significant that there are no longer any physical textbooks in the building. The new freshman class has joined the sopho- mores in expanding the school’s two-to-one computer de- vice program by using iPad Minis and Mac Book Airs during each period of the school day. The school has also begun to use Blackboard as our Learning Management System. Blackboard houses class web pages, critical school documents, and community announcements. Blackboard also syncs with PowerSchool, which is the school’s student information system, as well as with Pear- son Education, the site that provides our e-textbooks. This syncing allows for the seamless transfer of informa- tion through all three platforms. Students have also been provided with Evernote, which is a note-taking software program. All class notes are saved to the cloud so there is no longer the possibility of students leaving their note- books at home or in their lockers.
With the goal of always attempting to identify the next “thing” that can best impact the learning of our students, a cohort of teachers is investigating the creation of iBooks. IBooks are electronic books created by teachers in which they bring together course material that they find relevant, presented in a thematic order that they think is most appropriate, and provide resources for in- teractive learning. The cohort will continue to meet throughout the year as a group as well as with represen- tatives from Apple.
The social and emotional welfare of our students is al- ways at the forefront. As a result, a number of presenta- tions have occurred or are planned for the year. The Ganley Foundation recently provided a presentation to the student body on the important topic of depression and suicide prevention. Presentations have also been scheduled to address the dangers of prescription drug use as well as issues related to harassment, intimidation, and bullying.
This school year marks the first time that all four-grade levels of students
are utilizing e-textbooks in each of their courses. The school’s commitment to online resources is so significant that there are no longer any physical textbooks in the building.
I am happy to announce that two members of the senior class have been named National Merit Semi-Finalists. Additionally, 6 seniors were noted as National Merit Commended Students and 13 students were honored for their high scores on three or more AP examinations from the prior school year.
These are exciting times at Bergen Catholic.
Timothy J. McElhinney Principal
FALL/WINTER 2015 19
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