It is all about Families here at Cardinal Pacelli School. Several years ago, Cardinal Pacelli School instituted a buddy system which operates like a family. Since the family unit is the backbone of our society, we decided to create the most family-friendly environment with our students and staff and call it Saint Families.
We have created 21 school families with two students from each grade level, led by the eighth graders. A faculty member serves as an advisor for each family. The saint families meet once per month for spiritual and social development activities which often involve a holiday or holy day. Sometimes, even a group sing-a-long at Christmastime fosters the family feeling right here at school!
Students remain in these families throughout their entire time at Cardinal Pacelli, and as the eighth graders graduate, the kindergartners take their place. A saint is assigned to each group and posters are displayed outside the classrooms and when we attend Mass as a Saint Family, banners are hung on the pews.
Saint Families focus on following the footsteps of Jesus as they get to know each other better and learn to work cooperatively. Building a deeper understanding of community helps us develop a strong solidarity among everyone at school. We hope to see our students develop an understanding that for a community to prosper, each of its members must be responsible and contribute positively to the whole community.