THE PARACLETE FOUNDATION

Field Trip to Harvard’s Museum of Natural History

Sister Ann — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:18:11 +0000

The field trip I went to was awesome because at the Museum of Natural History there was a lot of history. My favorite part was when we went on a scavenger hunt. We had to look and see very very closely and see which paw matched the animal on the paper. The field trip was so much better than staying home on a Saturday doing nothing but watching TV all day.

If you were there you would know how amazing it was.

My Father Richard Stringer came and chaperoned the trip and he thought the history there was amazing once we got upstairs and explored everything!

I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE NEXT FIELD TRIP!

Beyonce fifth Grade

Paraclete students are excited for their first field trip of the year at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

Dance/Movement at the Paraclete

Sandra Lucero — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:20:54 +0000

A new program to the Paraclete, the group focus

is to create a safe and creative space where the

children can learn and explore through dance

and movement. Led by Stefani Danahy, a graduate

student in Lesley University’s Dance

Movement Therapy masters program, the goal

is to give the students a sense of belonging. The

group is a space where the children will learn to

express themselves through movement.

Throughout the year, the children will be taught

the dances of the various cultures within

Paraclete Academy. The hope is that they will

gain a better understanding of our differences

and connections in movement. It is amazing to

see the similarities each culture has when we

look at them through the lens of dance and

movement. It is a language that everyone of

us speaks.

Hunger Games Movie Review

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:11:01 +0000

By Stanley Aneke

Last Friday, students from the Paraclete went to go see the movie The Hunger Games. You had to have good behavior and you had to read the book, and you had to attend the Paraclete regularly. The movie was well organized and baffled my mind.

The Hunger Games was really sad, it almost made Ms. Lucero cry. The actors and the actresses acted the movie out really well. Did you think the book was better than the movie? Think about that question. Ask Stanley, Ms. Lucero, Ms. K what you think.

My favorite character were Rue, Katniss and Peeta. The best part was when Katniss and Peeta won The Hunger Games. I was so happy and amazed about what happened. The part that I disliked was when Katniss just forgot about Gale. I personally thought Gale won Katniss’s Heart.

Marian and Crystal liked the movie. Did you? The movie had a lot of feeling and action in it. What would you grade the movies overall percentage? For me it was a 95%. What about you?

Paraclete Gossip Column

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:05:34 +0000

Paraclete student Crystal Aneke has started a gossip column for the Paraclete Chronicle called “Gossip Girl.” Her first column revolves around the budding romance between two of the dogs at the Paraclete: Scout (a young English Pointer) and Boo (a black Labrador Retriever many years his senior). Check out the details below.

Boo and Scout in love? Find out now on the latest addition to part one of Gossip Girl featuring your host, Crystal Aneke.

So today I saw the cutest thing ever! Guess what? So are you ready? OK, so I saw Boo and Scout sharing a bone, then later that day I also noticed Boo and Scout awfully close. The craziest thing of all, Boo denied Ms. Lucero giving her food! Can you believe that? Boo never denies food from Ms. Lucero. NEVER!

So I saw Boo and Scout sharing a bone today on the stairs! That’s how I knew it was a official. Scout stared at Boo’s brown eyes. Boo then gracefully slept on Scout’s arm. “Awwwwwww,” I screamed. “Drama bomb!” So you didn’t hear it from me! Boo and Scout are so getting married. Just look at them.

Stay tuned for the next episode of Gossip Girl!

P.S. Casey is asking people who they think is the best looking celebrity.

Hunger Games Movie Review #2

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:02:36 +0000

By Marian Cruz

Last Friday, the Paraclete went to go see The Hunger Games with the 16 students that were chosen to go. Watching was incredibly exciting and everybody’s anticipation was growing. In my opinion, I believe the movie was great and showed a lot of feelings that I myself would feel if I had to fight to the death with only one person surviving. One thing that I would do to make it better is to add more mystery between the characters and more foreshadowing.

Marian asked some Paraclete students who also went to the film for their opinions:

Stanley Aneke: The Hunger Games had a lot of action and it was really sad but very entertaining.

Casey Mulligan: It was awesome. I think the book was better though.

Crystal Aneke: It was sad and made me cry. It showed a lot of emotion and I just felt as if I was in the movie. It was great.

Paraclete Cited in Boston Globe Editorial

Sister Ann — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:17:29 +0000

The Paraclete Academy is featured in a recent editorial by Lawrence Harmon in the Boston Globe about “what it takes to close the achievement gap between low-income urban students and their suburban counterparts.” http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2011/10/28/schools-need-second-shift/2RRklk7pFbmQt590RuwOvO/story.html

Harmon believes successful turnaround efforts “often require adding two, three, or even more hours of academic and enrichment programs to the school day.” His solution is not to extend the hours teachers are in school but to hand off the next shift to young dedicated college graduates. He cites two such programs that do just that: Citizen Schools and the Paraclete Academy.

This is what Harmon has to say about the Paraclete Academy:

“Some high-quality after-school programs operate without any taxpayer funding. The Paraclete Academy in South Boston is a calling for its co-founder, Sister Ann Fox. It’s also a godsend for low-income, elementary, and middle-school students who arrive at the former St. Augustine convent on E Street shortly after school and stay as late as 8 p.m. Paraclete takes considerable care to balance the ethnic and economic mix of its roughly 50 students.

Paraclete survives by virtue of philanthropic contributions, in-kind services from its families, and a brilliant personnel strategy: recruit talented and idealistic college grads willing to sign 11-month contracts in exchange for a small stipend plus room and board on the upper floors of the former convent.

Three recent graduates from Colby, Notre Dame, and Grinnell make up this year’s teaching contingent. With training from Paraclete’s principal, Ben Klooster, and opportunities to observe teachers at nearby Perkins elementary school, the young staffers more than held their own this week while conducting review classes for sixth graders who are preparing to take the entrance test for the city’s competitive examination schools.

At Paraclete Academy, it becomes clear that the school day can be expanded dramatically without the expense of employing veteran, certified teachers. What’s needed – and what’s available from the ranks of recent college grads – are a cadre of adult friends who are competent tutors and eager to share their outside interests. At Paraclete, that can take the form of anything from a spirited game of four square in the parking lot to hands-on classes on robotics.”

In the last fourteen years, the Paraclete Academy has been home to 50 such talented and idealistic young people. They come to South Boston to enrich the lives of urban youth and they leave with their own lives greatly enriched as well.

The Paraclete Library Dedicated to Boston’s First Lady

Sister Ann — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:06:46 +0000

We were delighted to welcome Mrs. Angela Menino,First Lady of Boston, to the Paraclete October 6 and surprise her with the announcement that we were dedicating our library in her honor. South Bostons Paraclete Academy honors Angela Meninowww.boston.comSouth Bostons Paraclete Academy honors Angela Menino www.boston.com She thought she was coming to read to a group of our student¸which of course she did. Later, Mrs. Menino confided that she loves reading to children; it was obvious that our children loved being read to by her. Another planned “coincidence” was the presence of many of our board and event committee members who were having a meeting about our November 9 Reception and were able to take part in the festivities. Check out our facebook for pictures.

Learning from Rwanda

Sister Ann — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:43:11 +0000

There is a nice article by Bella English in the Boston Globe http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2011/08/18/rwandan-nun-studies-marketing- about our friend Sister Augusta, a member of the Benebikira Congregation of Rwanda. Sister was interviewed while in Boston attending summer classes at Babson College. She explains why she wants to start a bakery, and why her congregation has created for-profit businesses. An equally interesting response to the article appears in a social impact blog on the website of FSG, http://www.fsg.org/KnowledgeExchange/Blogs/SocialImpact/PostID/152.aspx. This is the well known consulting firm founded by Michael Porter, and is in the fore front of promoting socially responsible business practices, what is often referred to as “creating shared values.” Both articles are worth the read.
We were glad to welcome Sister Augusta back for the summer. She stayed with us when she first came to Boston to learn English and obtain her associate degree in business on a full scholarship from Bay State College. Sister came to study in America because she wanted to learn from us and what a nice turn of events to read that American economists discovered that there was something they could learn from her and her Rwandan sisters.

PROFOUND DECISIONS AT A YOUNG AGE

Sister Ann — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:47:55 +0000

As adults we tend to think that we are the only ones capable of making profound decisions. In reality, decisions are being made by children as young as ten, eleven and twelve that profoundly influence their adult lives. Let me introduce you to Louis and Darwin.
When he came to the Paraclete in the fifth grade, Louis prided himself on being street-wise. He soon befriended a group of less sophisticated boys who lived on the same block in their housing development – but never knew each other because they went to different schools. Everything was going smoothly until Louis began not showing up at the Academy. His mother was worried that she was losing him to the streets. He was hanging out with a group of older boys who thought basketball much more important than school work.
Our principal told Louis that he had a choice: he could either come when he was expected or not come at all. He could not just drop in at his convenience. He was sent home to think about it and let us know. When our principal called two weeks later and asked Louis what he had decided, there was a long silence. Finally, Louis very quietly said, “If you really want me, I want to come back.” At the age of 11, Louis made what was probably the most profound decision of his life. He returned and entered an excellent charter school in the seventh grade. That first year he came back for homework help but by eighth grade he was on his way. When Louis stopped by to visit, I asked him how was school. He answered, “I am on the honor roll and on the basketball team.” That pretty much says it all.
Darwin was a small fourth grade boy when he got up the courage to ring our door bell one day. When I opened the door, there was Darwin, who told me he wanted to come to the Paraclete. His brother had been a Paraclete student, and went on to Nativity, Roxbury Latin and was about to enter Tufts I explained to Darwin that we did not take fourth graders – he would have to wait until fifth. He explained to me very quietly that he would be good and work hard. I explained that the classes might be too hard. He considered this, and asked if he could just come to do his home work; he would not bother anyone. He might need a little help but not much. How could we say no? His decision to take it upon himself to ask for early admission to the Paraclete and his success once there made an impression when the time came to apply for private schools. He is now successfully following in his brother’s footsteps. Incidentally, Darwin’s decision was one of the factors that lead us to think seriously about admitting fourth grade students.
We often do not realize the importance of this in-between age. Yet, it is the age when children start thinking of themselves as individuals – separate from their families – and they start thinking what kind of person they want to be. This is not the same as the question they are frequently asked by adults: what do you want to do when you grow up? The questions they ask themselves and the decisions they make are about what kind of person they want to be – and what sort of things they want to do – now.
As we reflect on these stories and other like them, we realize the importance of recognizing that students are making important decisions, and that our job is to help them make thoughtful choices. While we have high expectations for behavior, we realize that to be effective, we should emphasize decision making – not simply following the rules.

Why Begin with the 4th Grade?

Sister Ann — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 20:37:12 +0000

Research indicates the fourth grade is a critical transitional time for reading and social development. Our experience at the Paraclete Academy mirrors this finding. Beginning later this fall, we will expand our existing core instruction of fifth and sixth grade classes to include this crucial grade.
During the first three years of school, children learn the mechanics of reading with vocabulary words that focus on the familiar – the terminology of family and home. Almost every child feels comfortable with the words they read. Beginning in the fourth grade, reading moves into the wider world and with this transition comes less familiar vocabulary. At this age, children themselves are moving into the world and becoming increasingly influenced by what their peers think over the thoughts and opinions of the adults in their lives. The creation of a positive learning community that provides peer support for working hard in school is an important part of our program.
Simply teaching vocabulary words is not enough. On average children need to acquire 5,000 new words each year to reach the optimum level of 80,000 words academically successful adults know. Individualized, sustained, daily reading is the most proven method for vocabulary expansion. The Paraclete Academy, through its emphasis on daily reading with books tailored to the reading level and interests of each child, is seeing solid results with this approach. Its 14,000 book library is color coded by grade level and organized by various interest levels which makes finding the right book easy for both teacher and child. Our student blog will include a place for books reviews where students and teachers alike may give their views and ratings on what they are reading.
At the same time, reading can not be done in isolation; children need real life exposure to the world around them, experiences that are often taken for granted by middle class communities and families. Exploratory learning – a prominent component of the Paraclete Academy’s curriculum – addresses the limited world experience of many of our students. Through hands-on classes in sciences, gardening, robotics, cooking, art, music and field trips, our children acquire real life knowledge of the world around them and a context to understand the vocabulary that describes it.
Finally, the importance of peer acceptance that begins at this age is taken very seriously by the Paraclete Academy. Fostering a community of learners and mutual peer support is as important as teaching itself. The importance of such a culture can not be minimized; it is often the determining factor in a child’s decision to try to do better in school.

For an excellent summary of research conclusions, check out on-line: “The Transition Years” Educational Leadership: April 2011 | Volume 68 | Number 7: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr11/vol68/num07/toc.aspx