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St. Thomas More
Statement of Philosophy
We believe that the parents/guardians are the primary educators of children.
We believe in the Second Vatican Council's statement on education--that our school
pupils will develop more fully in a Christian atmosphere of Christian values and love,
enabling them to worship and learn how to relate to all human culture the news of
salvation so the light of faith will illumine their knowledge of the world, of life and of
mankind.
We believe, as stated in the American Bishop's 1972 pastoral, To Teach as Jesus Did
that the fourfold purpose of Catholic education is to proclaim authentically and fully the
message of Jesus: To foster an understanding and building of community in all areas of
life, to encourage service to each other for the god of all, and to participate in
frequent parish worship celebrations. We believe our school affords the fullest
opportunity to realize the fourfold purpose of Catholic education as stated in In
Support of Catholic Elementary and Secondary School: Message, Community, Service, and
Worship.
We believe, as stated in the same pastoral, "Since the Gospel spirit is one of
peace, brotherhood, love, patience, and respect for others, a school rooted in these
principles ought to explore ways to deepen its students' concern for and skill in
peacemaking and the achievement of justice.
We believe that our school should be a true community of faith in which the formational
efforts that are initiated by the Christian family are complemented, reinforced, and
extended by the school.
We believe that the role of education is to develop the total human person spiritually,
intellectually, emotionally, physically and creatively. This development can be fostered
if each child is provided with scholastic and creative opportunities designed for his/her
individual needs and talents. Each child must be encouraged to think freely and reason
independently, to achieve self-discipline, and to accept responsibility for his/her own
learning insofar as he/she is able.
We believe that our school is responding to the multicultural educational needs of all
its students.
We believe that all students should be provided educational experiences that emphasize
the heritage, the responsibilities, and the privileges of American citizenship in line
with the Catholic traditions.
We believe that our school welcomes non-Catholic as well as Catholic students and is
committed to the high quality of education in a context infused with the gospel values as
stated in In Support of Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools. (U.S. Catholic
Congress, Nov. 1990)
We believe that the success of our school is attributed to the support from our parish
and neighborhood.
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