FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 11, 2011
SAINT PETER-SAINT PAUL PARISH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ESTABLISHED ON STATEN ISLAND AND SAINT PETER’S HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS TO CLOSE AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR
The Archdiocese of New York today announced that, after much consultation with parish and school leadership, Saint Peter parish elementary school will relocate at the end of this academic year to the former Saint Paul Elementary School at 129 Clinton Avenue, less than a half a mile away. The newly configured school, to be named the Saint Peter – Saint Paul Elementary School, has the capacity that will allow for future growth, and will be opened for enrollment for students from Pre-K to Grade 8 in September.
Saint Peter parish elementary school has 210 students currently enrolled in Grades Pre K- Grade 8. Saint Paul elementary school closed in 2006, and will be refurbished to accommodate new students in September. This relocation is another step in the reconfiguration process that was initiated as a result of Pathways to Excellence, the strategic plan for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York.
In a related decision, Saint Peter’s High School for Girls will close at the conclusion of the current school year. The school’s declining enrollment is currently 105 students, and based on the recent TACHS report, is projected to be less than 95 students in September. This would necessitate archdiocesan subsidies in the coming year, and for the foreseeable future. Saint Peter’s Boys High School, which has an enrollment of more than 600 students, is in a different location, and is not affected by these decisions.
The decision to transfer Saint Peter’s elementary school to the campus at Saint Paul’s parish was made after careful consideration of how to best use existing buildings and resources to ensure that a fully enrolled and fully supported school would be available to families on Staten Island now, and in the future. The relocation will create a vibrant school community, which will continue to provide an excellent Catholic school education, with the resources to develop new academic and extracurricular program enhancements.
During this period of transition, Mrs. Paula McKeown, Principal of Saint Peter’s High School for Girls, and Ms. Margaret Annunziata, Principal at Saint Peter parish elementary school, will work with their school communities to answer questions about what these changes will mean for students. Mrs. Paula McKeown and her staff will have the full support of the Office of the Superintendent in helping high school families transition to another Catholic high school in the archdiocese.
The creation of Saint Peter-Saint Paul Elementary School and the closure of Saint Peter’s High School for Girls reflect the direction of the reconfiguration process, and will ultimately result in broad-based support for Catholic education from multiple local parishes. The Reconfiguration Committee, composed of pastors, principals, parents and representatives of the archdiocese, conducted a thorough analysis of both the need and the resources necessary to sustain fully enrolled schools in thriving faith communities across the archdiocese.
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