‘A Lantern During Dark Times’: School Rallies Behind Teacher, Family Affected by Fire

One of the most terrifying moments teacher Emily Espinal and her family ever experienced was a fire that spread from a next-door neighbor’s attic to their home last month. A few days into 2021, the bedroom of Espinal’s 6-year-old daughter Mia — filled with newly opened Christmas presents on the second floor — was extensively damaged in the middle of the night. Espinal and her family made it out of their house, unharmed, on Jan. 3.

Coronavirus’s Mental Toll on Diocesan Students and Families

While school procedures are changing, the unknown dangers might lie deeper than the surface level for the students. School Psychologist Christina Sama-Bommarito at The Mary Louis Academy in Jamaica Estates calls COVID-19 a perfect storm for children and adolescent mental health.

Diocesan Schools, Academies Undergo Deep Cleaning Before School Resumes

In a few weeks, a majority of the 66 Catholic schools and academies in Brooklyn and Queens plan to physically reopen under Plan A (100% in-person instruction), with the flexibility to adopt Plan B (hybrid instruction) or Plan C (100% distance learning through the new St. Thomas Aquinas Distance Learning Catholic Program) quickly if COVID-19 cases arise.

An Interactive Classroom for the Senses

This summer, St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy, Windsor Terrace, installed new classroom sensory furniture and supplies for its early childhood program.

St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy

Situated in a prime location in the middle of Windsor Terrace, across the street from the F/G trains and blocks from the southwest corner of Prospect Park, St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy offers pre-kindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds, and kindergarten through grade eight.

Bishop’s School Visit Encourages Vocations

Students at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy in Windsor Terrace took a break from tests and pop quizzes to spend an afternoon talking about their vocations in life with Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.