Student Life
Faith & Service
Service Learning
At St. Gabriel Catholic School, we recognize the value and dignity of all people and acknowledge our responsibility to be good stewards of the gifts God has given us. Through participation in community service projects throughout the year, our students learn about the needs of others in our community and discover that even at a young age, they can follow the teachings of Jesus and help those in need. Some of our many community service projects include:
Thanksgiving Thursdays
Twice a year, students are invited to bring to school a donation of canned food, dried foods, diapers, or toilet paper. These items are then provided to local families in need through Catholic Social Services. Through this act, students have an opportunity to help others just as Jesus did.
Catherine's House
Throughout the year, our school supports Catherine's House, a local ministry sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy that provides transitional housing for women and children who are homeless. Community service projects include:
During Christmas, each classroom sponsors a resident at Catherine's House and contributes items on their Christmas wish list. Presents are wrapped and delivered to Catherine's House two weeks before Christmas.
In the spring, we collect "birthday bags" (each with a box cake, frosting, candles, and balloons) to be used at Catherine’s house throughout the year.
Throughout the summer, students organize lemonade stands in their neighborhoods with all of the proceeds used to purchase school supplies and clothes for children at Catherine's House.
Monthly Dress Down Days for Charity
Once a month, students may wear regular (non-uniform) clothes to school. On each of these days, a charity is recognized and students are invited to bring in a small donation to support this charity (e.g., canned food or $1)
4th Grade Nursing Home Grandbuddy Program
Our fourth grade students have the privilege of working closely with the residents of a local nursing home as they learn to live out the beatitudes and put our faith into action. The students learn to interact, interview and form relationships with their "grandbuddies."
Students make birthday and holiday cards, tray favors, and room decorations and present musical programs. Each student also participates in interviewing an individual resident and then compiling a biography of that person's life. These books are presented to the residents at the end of the school year.
Faith & Church
Daily prayer is an essential part of our school day. We begin and end each day together in prayer. We pray before meals and throughout the day at the beginning of many of our classes and meetings.
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Prayer boxes in each classroom and the school lobby enable students, teachers, and parents to invite our Praying Mothers Team to pray on their behalf.
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Our prayer partner program enables students in older grades to mentor and share faith with students in lower grades. Fifth grade students delight in the opportunity to shepherd their kindergarten partners through each school mass. Our 2nd graders partner with 2nd graders at St. Matthew Catholic School, as they celebrate their preparation for First Eucharist.
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Students attend Mass together weekly. They take an active role in creating the themes for each mass, selecting appropriate readings, writing prayers of the faithful, choosing songs, supporting the choir with their voices, and participating as lectors.
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Our school music program includes learning faith-based songs that the children sing at school masses.
Celebrations throughout the year of church feast days and liturgical seasons provide the opportunity for students to learn about the history of the Catholic faith and develop a sense of belonging to our faith community.
Events include:
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Living Rosaries prayed during October and May
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St. Gabriel’s Feast Day Celebration
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2nd grade “Saints Museum”
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A visit from St. Nicholas
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3rd grade Nativity Program
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5th grade Living Stations of the Cross presentation
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May Crowning Mass and roses