Faculty and staff:

Board of Pastors:

Msgr. James Bouffard, Sacred Heart, Haworth
Rev. Paul Cannariato, St. Mary, Closter
Rev. James Brown, St. Joseph, Demarest

Principal: Sr. Mary Aurelia Cerny, Order of St. Francis

Pre-K 3 & 4                                 Mrs. Cynthia Luciano
Transition Kindergarten                Mrs. Mary Lau
Kindergarten                               Mrs. Silvana Tabacchi

Grade 1               Mrs. Anna Maria Serra
Grade 2               Mrs. Joann DiPaola
Grade 3               Ms. Joan Fleischl
Grade 4               Mrs. Ana Rossig
Grade 5               Mr. Pierre Horvath
Grade 6               Mr. Brian Curtin
Grade 7               Sr. Roseann Velas, OSF
Grade 8               Mr. Justin Zaremba

Religion (7-8)                         Sr. Roseann Velas, OSF
Religion (1-6)                         Sr. Jeanne Marie Ulica, OSF
Science (5-8)                          Mrs. Anna O'Connor
Art/Computer                         Mr. Mauricio Rodriguez
Music                                     Mrs. Grace Calabro
Gym                                        Mrs. Rosemary Boyajy
Spanish                                   Mr. Pierre Horvath
Library                                   Sr. Patricia Ann
Executive Assistant               Mrs. Barbara Harm
 
School Secretaries       Mrs. Catherine Kitz
                                      Mrs. Patricia Schiavone
                                  

School Nurses              Mrs. Maryann DiStefano   

Facilities:

Both the Closter and Demarest campuses feature a cafeteria, science lab, playground, and state-of-the-art computers with high-speed Internet access (filtered for educational and library application). The Closter campus has a large, outdoor play area, while the Demarest campus has a beautiful indoor gymnasium.

Early Childhood Learning Center:

The Early Childhood program is hosted at the Closter campus. Children in the program establish solid foundations in learning, develop positive social relationships and build many happy memories that they can cherish throughout their lives. To provide for these outcomes, we have designed a learning environment where each child can develop and flourish as an individual. Caterpillars is the program for three-year olds, and Butterflies is the program for four-year olds.

A multi-age class approach is used in the Early Childhood program to allow for individual differences in readiness and potential. Our classes have excellent student/teacher ratios, and our programs are flexible to the needs of the child and family (full-time/part-time), emphasizing the following areas:

o Religion
o Language arts
o Phonics/reading readiness
o Reading experience
o Writing
o Math readiness / mathematics
o Science and social studies
o Health, safety and family life
o Art
o Music
o Physical education (gross and fine motor skill & movement)
o Play and rest

The program’s ‘Whole Child’ approach invites sharing of the sequential feelings and activities that warmly and lovingly build self-concept and social skills along with academic readiness. The program also focuses on student-teacher interaction and encourages every child to develop and maintain responsibility and independence.

Extra-curricular and sports:

Developed and maintained by the Home School Association, a broad based after-school activities program is available to all students. Crafts, cooking, games, educational jeopardy and entertaining activities are a few of the offerings. Science Sleuths, Math Masters, Spanish Club, Altar Server, Cherub and Youth Choir are also available to interested students. Putting ‘faith into action’ by care and concern for others is encouraged through a variety of student performed service projects. We are open to many other clubs that we encourage parents to organize and run. In this way, our students are exposed to many different forms of education and careers of life.

Under the direction of our certified Physical Education instructor, all students participate in the Presidential Fitness program. ‘Hoop Shoot’ and other athletic activities are available to our students under the auspices of various local organizations.

All students residing in Closter and Demarest and the surrounding towns participate fully in all town-sponsored events. This includes all sports as well as recreational activities. Information for each of these activities and events is sent home to you as soon as the town makes them available.

A number of out of school field trips and in school culture presentations are scheduled each year to provide the students with enrichment in the various areas of the curriculum. The students enter a number of national contests connected with the curriculum: Peace Poster Art Contest; Junior Writers of America; Geography Bowl; American Mathematics Competition and Young Inventors.

The students also participate in two major musical productions: the Christmas Vesper Pageant and the Spring Musical.

Graduation activities include an off-campus retreat and an out-of -state class trip, graduation exercises, presentation of awards and a graduation brunch for the graduates and their families.

Curriculum:

We offer your child a well-rounded education from Pre School through Eighth grade. In addition to the comprehensive academic curriculum, we give your child something more. Catholic Academy of Northern Valley also teaches and practices Religion, Respect and Responsibility, by word and example, thereby strengthening your child’s values and moral character so necessary in today’s society.

Catholic Academy is fully accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. All of our teachers are degreed, certified and 50% of them hold a Masters Degree.

Two languages are offered to your child. Spanish is taught in grades Trans-K, K, 1, and 2 twice a week; three days a week in grades 3, and five days in grades 4 – 8. Latin is taught in Grades 6 - 8. Advanced mathematics classes and Honors Algebra prepare the students for higher math concepts and strategies. The foundation for advanced high school science is established in the hands-on science curriculum with technology-defined physical and life sciences.

Physical Education develops a sound body through the President’s Physical Fitness Program and intramural sports. Art classes provide the students with hands-on activities, as well as a program of art appreciation and theory. The academic Music program includes theory, practice and appreciation of both sacred and secular music. Chorus and Drama afford the students a vehicle to share their learning with the community at large.

Our Math and Reading programs are taught in a multi-age class, providing advancement and reinforcement to meet each student’s potential, while motivating students to achieve and attain success.

Information technology is an integral part of the curriculum. Each classroom boasts new computers and color printers, as well as courseware relative to the grade level. Each computer is linked to the high-speed Internet service in the school building. Students are encouraged and directed to utilize the Internet for research projects and general knowledge building. Internet access is fully secure and appropriate for children given the proxy server (filter) that is deployed, specifically designed for schools and libraries. The school continues to invest in information technology to enable the students to remain advanced in their approach to all aspects of computing and on-line resources. These computers become an aggregate of daily lessons providing both reinforcement and enrichment to each subject.

A fully computerized library with full-day access adds to the many resources available to the students for enriching and enhancing their knowledge and learning during formative years.

Student progress is monitored by the mid-marking period report informing the parents of the subject-by-subject progress of each student. Student evaluation is marked by the report card and student achievement is marked by the Honor Roles for Grades 5 - 8:

Outstanding Citation - A+ in every subject;
Principal’s List - all A’s;
First Honors - More A’s than B’s;
Second Honors - all B’s;
Subject Honors - outstanding work in a specific subject.

Lunch program:

Lunch is from 11:40 AM until 12:20 PM. Students are not permitted to leave school grounds during lunch without a parent’s written permission. This permission must be submitted to the office at the beginning of the school day.

Through the initiative of our Home School Association, we offer our students a homemade, hot meal Monday through Thursday. These lunches are economical and provide a day-off for mom and dad from the lunch making detail. Express Lunch may be ordered any day of the week from Red Maple or from Subway.

A special milk program is available daily and is paid for yearly. Milk choices include: whole, 2%, skim and low-fat chocolate. The cost of the milk is $22 a year per child.

We encourage parents (mothers and fathers) who would like to join us for lunch to come and help with lunch distribution and cafeteria supervision.

Following lunch, the students enjoy playtime recess outdoors or indoors. The students are supervised throughout the lunch period.