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Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
- How do we apply for FACTS? ( Tuition Assistance)
- Do you need to be Catholic to enroll?
- Are the teachers qualified?
- What is your approach to rewarding /holding students responsible
- Are there any asbestos issues at the school?
How do we apply for FACTS? ( Tuition Assistance) Go to our school web page and there is a link to do it online.
http://www.stmarkcatholicschool.org
Do you need to be Catholic to enroll? No. We do give enrollment priority to parishioners but students from all
faiths may apply.
Are the teachers qualified? Our teachers must comply with N.C. certification process.
What is your approach to rewarding /holding students responsible I�m not one to do much recreational reading. I do like professional
journals and non-fiction that helps me gain insight and perspective to help
me with my job. Recently something I read peaked my attention and enticed
me to share some thoughts with you to think about as you continue the very
difficult job of parenting�
Mel Levine, a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina
Medical School in Chapel Hill, says today's children �may well shatter.�
For sure that got my attention. That comment coming from a report on �60
Minutes� last fall which discussed how the so-called echo boomers -- the
children of baby boomers, who were born between 1982 and 1995 -- are �over-
managed� and �very pressured� and are treated by their parents as pieces
of �Baccarat crystal or something that could somehow shatter at any
point.� His message is that, �Children are being coddled and protected to
a degree that threatens their ability later in life to strike off on their
own and form healthy relationships and proper job skills� These parents are
trying to create a really terrific statue of a child, rather than a child,�
says Levine, author of �Ready or Not, Here Comes Life� (Simon and Schuster,
2005)
Felix Carroll of the Albany Times Union wrote, �They're your little
Renaissance kids. You shuttle them from soccer practice, to clarinet
lessons, to karate, and -- because they will be going to a great college --
to SAT prep class��
What do most parents want for their children? Most parents would cite that
what they want most for their children is: happiness, success in school,
satisfaction with their lives, and solid friendships. For Catholic school
parents we�d add an appreciation for the role God plays in their lives and
sensitivity to social justice issues. In order to reach these goals, our
children need inner strength to deal competently with the many challenges
and demands they encounter. Some label this ability or capacity to cope and
to feel competent, resilience. It�s also a word some use to dismiss the
affect life experiences have on children who endure difficult
circumstances, because, they seemingly make it through OK. All children
experience pressure of some nature and all children need to develop some
form of �resilience.� This comes from children working through things not
getting through due to adult intervention or compensation. The self-assured
child learns to use problem solving skills and learns how to make
decisions. They learn how to succeed, when they learn how to get past
failing at something. They learn to invest their energies into those
things they can control rather than succumbing to those things over which
they have no control. We have to present opportunities for our children to
develop interpersonal skills and to advocate on their own behalf. They need
to appreciate the benefits of trial and error to foster the resilience they
will need later on.
We are seeing the effects of hovering and interceding too much for our
children. Dr. Beverly Low, one of the deans at Colgate University, says
that �where before parents would drop their kids off to college and get out
of the way, parents now constantly call her office intervening in a roommate
dispute or questioning a professor's grading system.� Employers are
seeing parents show up to negotiate employment terms. That isn�t empowering
our children.
Another comment which Carroll wrote caught my interest as it aligns with my
philosophy of recognition. ��You inflate their egos. You give them
graduation ceremonies even when it's just from preschool. You give them a
trophy at the end of the season even when they lose.� His target group is
the coined �helicopter parent�. I don�t subscribe to all of the innuendoes
connoted by the term but I do find merit in stepping back to give children
the opportunity to work through challenges, to pick themselves up, brush
themselves off and to start all over again, until they make it. That�s
when self esteem and self worth kick in. That�s when they�ve earned the
trophy.
Are there any asbestos issues at the school? Dear Parent, Teacher, and Employee of St. Mark Catholic School:
As required by federal legislation (40 CFR 763.93 (G) 4), we are hereby
providing this Notice of the availability of our AHERA Management Plan for
your review. The older portions of the St. Mark Parish facility were
constructed prior to the prohibition of the use of asbestos as a building
material, and this legislation, enacted in 1989, mandates the creation of
the original Management Plan and subsequent re-inspections every three
years, and the availability of that information to all parents, teachers,
and employee organizations.
Asbestos is a mineral found in rock form in its natural state. Because of
its abundance and durability, asbestos was used (prior to 1979) in the
manufacturing of : ( a) fireproofing materials; (b) thermal insulation; (c)
acoustical material and (d) decorative finishes such as floor tiles.
If Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) are not handled properly, they could
lead to serious health affects to exposed individuals.
The following ACMs have been identified in a facility used by St. Mark
School:
1. Twelve inch floor tile and associated mastic in the church hall
(1978 section) which serves as the gym and cafeteria for school children.
An Operations and Maintenance Plan ( which includes preventive measures,
emergency response procedures, and requires periodic surveillance and re-
inspection of ACMs) is in place to manage the ACMs and to protect the health
and safety of building occupants. The maintenance staff applies a minimum
of five layers of sealant wax to the floor tiles to preserve the integrity
of the tile.
The person immediately responsible for asbestos related activities at St.
Mark Catholic School is:
Tim Sullivan
Director of Building and Grounds
910-392-0720 ext. 321
Please do not hesitate to contact the school office to schedule an
appointment to review these materials.
Sincerely,
Marguerite Miller-DiFulvio,
Principal
St. Mark Catholic School
Dear Parent, Teacher, and Employee of St. Mark Catholic School:
As required by federal legislation (40 CFR 763.93 (G) 4), we are hereby
providing this Notice of the availability of our AHERA Management Plan for
your review. The older portions of the St. Mark Parish facility were
constructed prior to the prohibition of the use of asbestos as a building
material, and this legislation, enacted in 1989, mandates the creation of
the original Management Plan and subsequent re-inspections every three
years, and the availability of that information to all parents, teachers,
and employee organizations.
Asbestos is a mineral found in rock form in its natural state. Because of
its abundance and durability, asbestos was used (prior to 1979) in the
manufacturing of : ( a) fireproofing materials; (b) thermal insulation; (c)
acoustical material and (d) decorative finishes such as floor tiles.
If Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) are not handled properly, they could
lead to serious health affects to exposed individuals.
The following ACMs have been identified in a facility used by St. Mark
School:
1. Twelve inch floor tile and associated mastic in the church hall
(1978 section) which serves as the gym and cafeteria for school children.
An Operations and Maintenance Plan ( which includes preventive measures,
emergency response procedures, and requires periodic surveillance and re-
inspection of ACMs) is in place to manage the ACMs and to protect the health
and safety of building occupants. The maintenance staff applies a minimum
of five layers of sealant wax to the floor tiles to preserve the integrity
of the tile.
The person immediately responsible for asbestos related activities at St.
Mark Catholic School is:
Tim Sullivan
Director of Building and Grounds
910-392-0720 ext. 321
Please do not hesitate to contact the school office to schedule an
appointment to review these materials.
Sincerely,
Marguerite Miller-DiFulvio,
Principal
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