During the school year, elementary and high school principals from the Diocese of Camden meet in person or over Zoom close to 20 times to discuss business and share ideas.
But coming together at the annual principals conference at the end of October was like friends reuniting.
“The opportunity to break bread with each other is a wonderful time to form relationships that may not be otherwise possible in our busy workdays,” said Ramona Bregatta, principal at Our Lady Star of the Sea Regional School, Atlantic City.
Kathy O’Callaghan, principal at Saint Peter School, Merchantville, agreed. “The conference is special because there is a greater amount of time allotted for interaction among principals. This is a wonderful [opportunity] to bounce ideas off each other and learn from best practices.”
Held Oct. 24-25 at the Flanders Hotel in Ocean City, the conference offered time for prayer, roundtable discussions and engagement with staff from the Diocese’s Office of Catholic Education as well as outside experts and sponsors. For two of the sessions – technology and language arts/reading – teachers joined their principals to allow for real-time feedback and planning for their respective schools.
Dr. Bill Watson, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Camden, kicked off the conference by talking about spirituality and Catholic identity, which included a video from Bishop Robert Barron and the Word on Fire digital library. Attendees were asked to reflect on several questions surrounding the idea of: “Why God chose you?”
Dr. Watson also utilized the seaside location, giving principals time for reflection and prayer along the Ocean City boardwalk. He asked everyone to partner up and walk to Saint Damien Parish to discuss the reflections from the morning.
Bregatta, who is new to her principal role and as such, a first-time conference participant, said her walk “enhanced the reflective prayer portion of the day.”
The prayer time proved to be one of the highlights for O’Callaghan, too. “Our jobs, by nature, are very demanding of our time and energy. The mini-retreat was the perfect time to refocus on what is most important, which is our relationship with Jesus. It gave us the time and the space to grow closer to God. It helped us to be centered in Christ in order to bring His message to others, which is our primary mission.”
Derek DellaMonica, of technology company CDW-G, was among the guest speakers. He discussed sustainable technology, which has been a topic of interest for the Office of Catholic Education and diocesan schools staff. He offered tips on how schools could create better timelines for software and hardware upgrades, and provided hands-on demonstrations on the latest classroom tools, including smartboards.
Academics and enrollment were among the conference’s key topics. Dr. Watson laid out his “state of Catholic schools,” focusing on enrollment trends and the results of a recent parent satisfaction survey. He explained that preschool enrollment has exceeded pre-pandemic levels and was 9.5% above last year’s enrollment; how diocesan high schools are seeing one of the largest freshmen classes since the 2019-20 academic year; and that seventh- and eighth-grade enrollment has exceeded the 2022-2023 school year at 3.5% and 9.3%, respectively.
The parent satisfaction survey, taken at the elementary level at the end of the 2022-23 school year, found that parents were satisfied or very satisfied with how the Diocese’s schools handle or showcase priorities, including practicing the Catholic faith, showcasing traditional values, providing a sense of community, fostering a safe environment, and beholding to rigorous academics and discipline.
Dr. Gene Kerns, vice president and chief academic officer for Renaissance Learning, an educational software company and curriculum partner of the Office of Catholic Education, spoke on literacy and the science of reading. He provided real-life examples and trends regarding the current state of student performance in reading and writing. He urged the attendees to go back to foundational skills such as phonics and initial reading skills and practice.
Dr. Kerns also provided academic papers, podcasts and additional resources for teachers and principals to incorporate into classroom instruction. He shared one resource that discussed the importance of increasing a student’s knowledge base and vocabulary as a way to help reading comprehension. He urged those in attendance to continue to learn, research and adapt to changing times.
“The best teachers, like their students, should never stop learning,” he said.
O’Callaghan said she plans to implement many of the suggestions from Dr. Kerns’ presentation. “I’ve spoken with teachers to implement more writing strategies in all subject matters, especially in science and social studies. We have re-introduced library time for this school year, and I will be reading books aloud in certain library sessions, starting with middle school.”
In closing out the conference, Dr. Watson shared some words from Dr. Kerns. “Teaching takes more than a lifetime to master.” He reiterated the importance of these meetings and for the principals to continue to to learn about their craft, especially from each other.
Bregatta agreed, saying, “We don’t often get the opportunity to sit together and share experiences or ideas with each other. It was very beneficial. I will look forward to attending next year as well.”
Both Bregatta and O’Callaghan said the inclusion of teachers for some of the presentations was a welcome addition. Bregatta said that it “may help the fostering of future administrators via the teacher pipeline.”
O’Callaghan felt similarly. “I think it is more meaningful to have teachers listen to the presentations first-hand so they can start thinking about ways we can improve school-wide. I loved partnering with my teachers to begin that conversation and brainstorm ways we can improve.”
Michael Bress is communications and marketing manager for the Diocese of Camden’s Office of Catholic Education.
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