Category: Chesterton Academy

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Diocese Year of Worship and Retreat

The GRACE Catholic School System is committed to our mission. We are not just Christians on Sunday but at all times and in all aspects of our life. Likewise, at school, we aim not merely to integrate our Catholic faith but to be rooted in it in all ways. One of the defining characteristics of our schools is that we are always “steeped in a Catholic worldview.” So whether we are teaching the Revolutionary War in middle school social studies or learning about how seeds become plants in second grade, we seek to find opportunities to show children the centrality of God and the influence of the Church in the world.

This year the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced a national Eucharistic Revival, whose aim is to encourage “a movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed and united by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist.” In support, Bishop David Ricken wrote a beautiful letter to our Diocese titled, Encountering Jesus in the Eucharist: Disciples Called to Worship.

During these next three years, Bishop wishes to lead us on a journey to better worship Jesus by focusing on encountering Jesus more deeply in the Word and the Eucharist. At GRACE, we aim to support this mission as we endeavor to help make sure all children know and love Jesus Christ.

Catholics believe that the greatest prayer of all is the Holy Mass, and it is especially beautiful when we bring our family on Sunday. As we seek to grow in our relationship with Jesus and strengthen our prayer lives, consider how your family will continue to make Sunday Mass attendance a priority.

In The Sacrament of Charity, Pope Benedict XVI told us, “The love of God that we receive in the Blessed Sacrament should lead us to love our neighbor (88).” Our GRACE teachers are hard at work each day, teaching children to pray, how to approach the Sacraments, and how to live our Catholic morality by guiding the way they act in the classroom and on the playground. We are proud of the ways we celebrate liturgical seasons like Advent and Lent, and each school attends Mass weekly as a community.

This year we ask all members of our GRACE community to join this great movement in our Church as we seek to encounter Jesus deeply and personally through the Eucharist. Parents can support our faith mission by asking their children what they are learning in religion class, taking time to pray as a family, going to Eucharistic Adoration, and attending Mass weekly as a family.

Superintendent’s Letter: A Word from Drew Mulloy

I am pleased and humbled to serve as the newly appointed Superintendent of GRACE school systems. I wish to outline and clarify some of the distinct duties and responsibilities that fall into my role as Superintendent. My service to our GRACE schools has a primary aim of looking to the future for our growing system rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

  • Curriculum– GRACE has many ongoing processes to review, update and adopt curriculum resources. In collaboration with GRACE Curriculum Director Laura Blicharz, I will lead and oversee these processes. Likewise, I will lead the planning and implementation of the professional development of our teachers to ensure they are prepared to teach our students.
  • Technology Integration– Along with the leadership of Technology Integration Coordinator Carrie Gossens, I oversee the long-term planning in place for the ways technology is used to support learning. Aspects of technology integration that fall into my duties include overseeing how technology is used in our classrooms, the training our teachers have, and the so ware that is approved.
  • Communications/Marketing– Building on the success of GRACE’s enrollment growth and successful techniques to invite families to join
    our community, I am developing comprehensive strategies and identifying new ways to tell our
    story and engage new families. With the support of Marketing and Communications Director Madeline Janssen, I am overseeing our internal and external communication plans to continue sharing the Gospel and the good work going on in our schools.
  • Support for Leadership and Strategy– Our GRACE principals are some of the strongest, most hard-working leaders in Green Bay, and I am supporting their work and leadership by providing resources and helping to steer unifying long-term strategies in our GRACE system.

My office is located at the GRACE Riverside Drive office, and I enjoy regularly getting into each of our nine schools. It is a full-time role, and I report to the President, Kim Desotell. I welcome you to reach out and connect with me as we work together to provide the best in Catholic education for the children in Green Bay.

In Christ,

Drew Mulloy

GRACE Superintendent

New Renovations Taking Place at Chesterton Academy

Well into our second year of operations this school year, we are celebrating the addition of a renovated, updated science lab!

Patrick McKeown, headmaster, explains the process that was undertaken to prepare the new facility for this year’s sophomores in their biology year of the science curriculum: “We began gathering science equipment from Holy Family College [in Manitowoc] in the spring of 2021.” The institution was closing its doors and liquidating materials were perfect for the future lab at the new Chesterton Academy. They purchased many items through the generosity of the Cherney family, the main investors for the lab. “After the liquidation was over, [the college] called us and asked if we would be interested in 10 lab tables and even more equipment.”

With the needed equipment procured, the construction phase of the science lab project got underway. Mr. McKeown says, “This summer, we went through an extensive renovation in order to convert a 1950s classroom into a high-functioning science laboratory. This included: A new ceiling, new LED lights, new electrical, two new wash stations, new flooring, new cabinetry, a new teacher workstation, five new windows, commercial refrigeration and more.”

The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity are a group of Franciscan nuns that have been part of Wisconsin and Green Bay education for centuries. St. John Paul II and Chesterton Academy are located in Green Bay at 320 Victoria St., the former site of a Franciscan grade school and the current home of the St. Philip the Apostle Parish.

Mr. McKeown proudly concludes, “It is only right that some of that tradition and material returns back to the once thriving powerhouse of the East side.”

Substitute Teachers Needed at GRACE Schools

Do you possess a bachelor’s degree? If so, you may be qualified to support our school through substitute teaching—-a teaching degree is not required! Lesson plans and support are always provided.

By substitute teaching at GRACE, you can:

  • Generate income with flexible hours you choose
  • Come and go with your children
  • Choose your buildings and types of classrooms
  • Share special moments with your child during a quick lunch, recess, or in the hallway unexpectedly

Your comfort and convenience are important to us. Do you only want to substitute teach at a specific school? No problem! Open to other GRACE schools? We would be happy to assign you to additional sites that work for you.

To help GRACE as a substitute teacher, please reach out to your school principal or learn more by clicking here.

You can also share this post with those who may be interested by copying the URL and pasting it to them. Consider a retired grandparent who would enjoy visiting the school once a month or so, for example. Lastly, please keep our school and staff in your prayers while we continue to navigate this extraordinary time of staff shortages. Thank you!

Advent Concert

Chesterton Academy of St. John Paul II Classical School invites all to attend to our Winter Concert: Advent Carols and Lessons. The concert takes place at St. Patrick’s Oratory on 211 N Maple Avenue, Green Bay on Saturday, December 17. Doors will be open at 6 p.m. and the concert begins at 6:30 p.m. No RSVP is necessary. See you on December 17!