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MISSION STATEMENT

St. Mary's School is a safe environment where Jesus Christ is the model for the spiritual, academic and personal growth of each unique student. The learning experiences at St. Mary's are a reflection of the authentic teachings of the Catholic Church.

St. Mary's School

Mrs. Cathy LaCroix, Principal

115 Illinois Street

New Bedford, MA, 02745

Phone: 508-995-3696

Fax: 508-998-0840

e-mail: stmarysschoolnb@gmail.com

ST. MARY'S SCHOOL EDUCATING CHILDREN

3 YEARS THRU GRADE 8

THE NEW ALL SAINTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

TO OPEN IN SEPTEMBER IN NEW BEDFORD

A new Catholic elementary school will open this September in New Bedford, offering an enhanced curriculum infused with up-to-date technology and an upgraded facility in the city’s North End, Bishop George W. Coleman announced this week.

It will be named All Saints Elementary School and will serve, according to Fall River diocesan Superintendent of Schools George Milot, Ed.D., as “a new model of Catholic education,” with two parishes sharing sponsorship and the Diocesan Schools Office overseeing administration.

All Saints Elementary School will succeed two existing schools situated a little more than a mile apart, St. Joseph-St. Therese and St. Mary’s, both of which will close at the end of this school year in June. The All Saints Elementary School will be located in what is now the St. Mary School building on Illinois St.

The new pre-kindergarten through grade 8 school will have the capacity to accommodate current students of the schools to be closed, and these students will be given first option to enroll. Additional students will be welcomed as space permits.

The All Saints Elementary School will continue to offer students the faith-based, values-oriented education of St. Joseph-St. Therese and St. Mary’s with expanded opportunities for learning provided. Two new labs will be created, one for computers, the other science; Spanish will be offered as a foreign language and technology will be upgraded throughout the entire school, which also includes additional space in the St. Mary Parish Center located across the street.

“I am excited by the opportunities this new school will offer,” said Dr. Milot. “Up-to-date technology will be integrated throughout the curriculum. In fact, it will be a key component of the educational process there.”

He explained that the expanded offerings and facility improvements will be possible because of the unique joint administrative model of the new school.

The new All Saints Elementary School will be sponsored by St. Joseph-St. Therese and St. Mary Parishes, with their respective pastors, Father Philip N. Hamel and Monsignor John J. Oliveira, serving as co-directors, responsible for the Catholic mission of the school and for meeting the spiritual needs of the students and staff. To help launch the school, both parishes have agreed to contribute towards the cost of some of the initial improvements planned for the building.

The Diocesan Schools Office will create and oversee the school’s academic and extra-curricula programs and be responsible for hiring all staff and evaluating their work. In essence, that office will manage the overall operation of the school. The annual budget will be set by the superintendent in collaboration with the pastors. Faculty members and staff from St. Joseph-St. Therese and St. Mary’s have been invited to apply for positions at the new school.

The creation of a new single Catholic school for the New Bedford’s North End followed months of discussion by the superintendent of schools with the two pastors, and the approval of the plan by Bishop Coleman.

“I am certain that the new All Saints Elementary School will be able to provide Catholic education to the children of the North End of New Bedford for the foreseeable future, having as its foundation the histories of St. Joseph-St. Therese and St. Mary’s Schools and, as it moves forward, the support of those respective parishes and our Diocesan Schools Office,” said Bishop Coleman.

At the heart of the decision to move in this direction were several concerns: the need to build and sustain enrollment, the ongoing maintenance of two aging school buildings, and the desire to provide an optimum educational experience for students.

“By combining the resources of two parishes, we can make certain we are providing our kids with the absolute best in education and preparing them as best we can as they move on to high school, college, and the working world,” said Father Hamel.

Both schools were experiencing a disturbing downward trend in student population. In the current school year, the 97-year old St. Joseph-St. Therese School has 152 students while St. Mary’s, which opened in 1965, has 180.

Bishop Coleman and those who created the plan understand the sadness that the closure of these schools will bring; yet, all believe it will ultimately work to strengthen Catholic education.

“A Catholic school is the primordial means of evangelization that the Church has at its disposition,” Msgr. Oliveira explained. “Catholic schools have fallen on hard times because of economic concerns and shifting demographic changes. It is better to take two good schools struggling with enrollment and make one stronger school. This move initiated by the Diocesan Schools Office will hopefully continue the possibility of Catholic education in the North End of New Bedford for years to come,” he said.

Faculty and staff of both St. Joseph-St. Therese and St. Mary Schools and parents of students enrolled in each were informed of the plan for the new All Saints Elementary School in separate meetings at both schools on Thursday, March 25.

Faculty and Staff Email Addresses

Cathy LaCroix - Principal

Monsignor Oliveira - Pastor

Susan Darling - Secretary

Charlie Dacey - Grade 8

Kerri-Jean Furtado - Grade 7

Jeanne Mendes - Grade 6

Donna Cadorette - Grade 5

Patricia Olejarz - Grade 4

Michelle King - Grade 3

Ann Marco - Grade 2

Laurie Plante - Grade 1