School Highlights
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Maggie, a first grade student at St. Andrew School, participated in a branding video for INOVA Children's Hospital..
Please click here.
Andrew the Apostle Catholic School Receives
2009 Best of Clifton Award
U.S. Commerce Association's Award Honors St. Andrew School's Achievement
St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School has been selected for the 2009 Best of Clifton Award in the Schools category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).
The USCA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2009 USCA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.
Meet our School Nurses, Lynn Soderstrom and Debbie Zeller
St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School's Registered Nurses, Lynn Soderstrom and Debbie Zeller, have provided school health services as a team since 2002. They have been parishioners of St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church for over nine years. In addition, the nurses have been actively involved in St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School's Parent Teacher Organization as both parents and staff members. Most recently, the nursing team initiated health promotion programs including three immunization clinics for the parish and school for 2009, community CPR and first aid training, wellness policies, crisis management, and participation in school health studies.
Mrs. Soderstrom earned her B.S. in Nursing from George Mason University and has been a professional nurse for 27 years. In addition to her role as a school nurse each Tuesday and Thursday, Mrs. Soderstrom works at Inova Fairfax Hospital's Interventional Cardiovascular Admissions and Recovery (ICAR) unit as a Nurse Clinician II. She holds advanced certifications in adult and pediatric life support and is active in quality improvement processes in both organizations. In addition, Lynn has served as cardiac care technician for the Fairfax City Volunteer Fire Department. Mrs. Soderstrom is an active member of the Virginia Association of School Nurses and American Association of Critical Care Nurses. Her most recent contribution to the school and parish was a health-screening program for adults in collaboration with Life Line Screening. In her free time, Lynn volunteers as a rescuer of abandoned dogs through Mid-Atlantic Border Collie Rescue.
Mrs. Zeller has been a nurse for over 30 years, earned her B.S. in Nursing from Hampton University, and is working toward a Master's of Science in Nursing. She is a certified CPR instructor and nationally certified school nurse. Mrs. Zeller works to improve the quality of school health services through her roles as the Chairman of the Diocesan School Health Advisory Committee, School Health Liaison to the Virginia Council for Private Education, and the Private and Parochial School Nurses' Director for the Virginia Association of School Nurses. She has standardized school health protocols and instructed diocesan nurses on the new wellness and life threatening allergy policies. Her most recent contributions include the Virtual Nurse's Office resource for diocesan nurses and the school's safe playground initiative. Mrs. Sigg appointed Mrs. Zeller as Chairman of the Design for Excellence Re-Accreditation Process. In her "free" time, Mrs. Zeller volunteers as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist and a Scout leader.
Thanks to the combined efforts of Mrs. Zeller and Mrs. Soderstrom, other schools would be challenged to find a more superior School Health Office! Our parish and school have reaped the benefits of their many talents.
Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award
Mrs. Marilynn Zook, St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School's third grade teacher, received the 2008-2009 "Elementary Distinguished Teacher of the Year" Award among our 38 diocesan elementary schools. The Arlington Diocese Distinguished Teachers of the Year Award Program was established by the Catholic Business Network of Northern Virginia (CBN-NV) and the Arlington Diocese School Board to honor dedicated Pre-Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade teachers in Catholic schools in the Diocese of Arlington whose accomplishments and talents have made an extraordinary impact on students, colleagues and the school community. These awards recognize teachers who consistently and in extraordinary ways evidence exemplary teaching, a Christian and caring attitude and dedication to their school communities. Mrs. Zook was recognized at the 14th Annual Catholic Schools/Business Partnerships Awards Banquet at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner on May 3, 2009. Mrs. Zook has taught at St. Andrew's since the beginnings of our school and she has made a tremendous impact in the lives of many students over the past 15 years. Congratulations, Mrs. Zook! Our school and parish communities celebrate with you!
St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School celebrated their annual "Field Day"
on June 9, 2009. Before the "fun and games" began, Fr. Kelly, Pastor,
Mrs. Glenda Sigg, Principal, faculty, staff, parent volunteers and the entire
student body gathered in the rain in the church parking lot for daily prayer,
and they did so in the form of a cross.
"It is very easy to keep Christ in one's midst, even on Field Day" said
Mrs. Anne Sisson, IT Assistant. Mrs. Sisson and Mr. Kevin Crossin, P.E.
instructor, who arranged for the photo shoot, could be heard shouting
"This way, this way to the cross" as the student hurried to assemble.
Soon after prayers, the rains ceased, the skies opened up and the sun
warmed the crowds. The rest of the day was filled with games, a lovely
picnic and the great camaraderie of the school community in Christ's name
St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School celebrated their annual "Field Day"
on June 9, 2009. Before the "fun and games" began, Fr. Kelly, Pastor,
Mrs. Glenda Sigg, Principal, faculty, staff, parent volunteers and the entire
student body gathered in the rain in the church parking lot for daily prayer,
and they did so in the form of a cross.
"It is very easy to keep Christ in one's midst, even on Field Day" said
Mrs. Anne Sisson, IT Assistant. Mrs. Sisson and Mr. Kevin Crossin, P.E.
instructor, who arranged for the photo shoot, could be heard shouting
"This way, this way to the cross" as the student hurried to assemble.
Soon after prayers, the rains ceased, the skies opened up and the sun
warmed the crowds. The rest of the day was filled with games, a lovely
picnic and the great camaraderie of the school community in Christ's name
Meet our Principal, Mrs. Glenda Sigg
Mrs. Glenda Sigg assumed the position of principal at St. Andrew the Apostle School in July 2008. She has an extensive educational background, training and experience that compliment her leadership qualities. She completed her education at Virginia Tech, Wake Forest University, and UVA, and she has a Postgraduate Professional License from the Commonwealth of VA in Administration and Supervision PreK – 12, School Psychologist and Secondary School Counselor. She has served as a School Psychologist with public school systems, a Guidance Counselor and Assistant Principal at St. Leo the Great School, and was the founding Principal of St. Veronica Catholic School. Mrs. Sigg has a strong commitment to Catholic education and is focused on strengthening the educational and spiritually offerings.Meet our Preschool Teacher, Mrs. Mary Ralston
Mrs. Ralston has been a parishioner of St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church since 1992, and she has been involved at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School since its opening in 1993. She served as President of the PTO during the 1994-1995 school years, and she previously held positions at our school as a registered school nurse (1994-1996) and physical education and health teacher (1997-1999). Since 2005, she has been the lead teacher in the preschool program. Mrs. Ralston, a Registered Nurse, earned her B.S.N. from Georgetown University and her Masters in Nursing Management from George Mason University. She holds a Virginia Catholic Education Association teacher's certification, Advanced Catechist Certification from the Diocese of Arlington, and is certified in CPR and First Aid. What a blessing to have a woman with so many talents as our preschool teacher!Mrs. Ralston's three children graduated from St. Andrew the Apostle School. Her strong commitment to the Catholic faith is the foundation of her dedication to Catholic education and is evident in her classroom as she teaches the children about the wonders of God's creation and guides them in developing their personal relationship with Jesus. Mrs. Ralston's curriculum includes a formal religion program, as well as a pre-reading, math, science and social studies programs. The curriculum is enhanced by classes with the school librarian and music teacher each week. The faculty and staff, including a resource teacher and guidance counselor, are available to Mrs. Ralston and her students. The preschool students are "buddies" with our fourth graders for religious, academic and social activities, and they jointly participate in many of the elementary school activities, including Mass. The preschool students perform All Saints Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Catholic Schools Week and spring programs, which are attended by parents, our priests, faculty, staff and students. Mrs. Ralston, mindful that parents are the first teachers of their children, incorporates parents into class activities so that they can help strengthen the educational and spiritual aspects of our preschool program.
Technology News
Mrs. Vonda Brown, computer instructor and Network Administrator at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School, has been exceedingly busy this spring! Without any cost to our school, Mrs. Brown successfully applied for and received 50 licenses for Google Earth Pro that have a retail cost of $400 each, with a total software value of $20,000. With historical imagery and a touring feature, students can both go back in time and create easy tours of our world. They can dive beneath the surface to explore underwater canyons, see shipwrecks in 3D, and view content submitted by oceanographers. Google Earth Pro allows students to "fly" anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean. St. Andrew students will be thrilled to explore God's creation with this new technological innovation in the fall 2009.
Microsoft recently instituted the MSDN Academic Alliance (MSDN AA) Program. In another successful effort, Mrs. Brown submitted a Microsoft grant application and St Andrew's is now a member of MSDN AA. She obtained FREE software valued at $1,500.00 for each computer application. Software will be downloaded on the 33 LAB computers and will also allow the students to download the software onto their home computers! The in-school value alone of this grant is $1500 X 33 = $49,500.00. For innovative learning experiences, students may use the development and design tools found in Visual Studio and Expression Web, and a new curriculum unit and tutorials are now available for Expression Web. St. Andrew students will now be able to use the same software the professionals are using in industry.
Mrs. Brown, who received her B.S. degree in Electronic Engineering from Old Dominion University, has a passion for computer technology. In February 2009 she received her certificate as a Promethean Training and Resource Developer, one of only two Promethean Training and Resource Developers in our Diocese. With this expertise this month she is offering summer seminars to Catholic school teachers in our diocese in ActivBoard II and ActivBoard III training.
Mrs. Brown recently redesigned the St. Andrew the Apostle parish website, thus eliminating expensive contractor fees. Thanks to her efforts, St. Andrew the Apostle Parish and School have reaped the benefits of her God given talents.
