Author: blessedtrinityacademy2017

The Lenten season is upon us again and what a better time to connect with your children about the meaning of Lent and why we celebrate the important time as Catholics. Lent is the period of time that allows families to prepare for Easter, the celebration of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection. During this time, we try to make certain changes in order to become closer to God. As an adult, we use the time to reflect and pray, but often times our children might find it be hard to understand why Jesus died and why their normal routine is being changed, and the thought of fasting and sacrificing the things they enjoy may frighten your child. In order for her to understand they are not being denied her beloved treats, it’s important to explain to their in a child-friendly way what Lenten ideals are all about. 

Start with His Story
To start, you want your child to understand where their Catholic roots began. A great way to start is to share the story of Jesus Christ — even if they already know it, children love story time, and it helps them retain the information! Do this on a regular basis; in the Bible, read about Jesus’ life and search for Easter books for children. Emphasize the fact that Jesus lived on Earth and He achieved everlasting life.  Some great books to help reinforce this are “The Week that Led to Easter” by Joanne Larrison and “The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross” by Carl Laferton .

Talk About His Death
One of the hardest parts of meaning behind Lent and Easter is explaining death to a child. In order to explain Lenten ideals to your child, you will need to discuss the Resurrection of Jesus with her. Don’t go into excessive detail about the crucifixion itself, as you don’t want to frighten or sadden her. Explain to her that Jesus died for the salvation of His believers. For young children, you can simply say Jesus died and rises on Easter for us. Older children can listen to a little more details about death. Remember: Emphasize that death is not the end, but the beginning of eternal life. 

The Meaning of Easter
For a child, often times they only see the “fun” part about celebrating a holiday like Easter or Christmas without giving too much thought to the meaning behind it. They are focusing on attending Easter egg hunts, what the Easter Bunny will leave them in the baskets, and how much candy and goodies they will receive. However, Easter is the most important holiday in the Catholic faith. It goes beyond cute bunnies, painted eggs, and chocolate candy. Remind your child that these are just festivities and activities to celebrate, but the real purpose of this special time is the resurrection and when He rises. Jesus sacrificed His life to give ours meaning. In return, we need to reflect and prepare for the glory that is Easter Sunday. Once your child understands this, then you can discuss what can be given and what can be taken away. Most times during Lent we talk about what we are giving up or sacrificing during the Lenten season, but don’t forget that you can add things like doing acts of service like volunteering at a parish Fish Fry, attending Stations of the Cross, praying on a regular basis or even going to Reconciliation during this time. Then you can move on to the fun things like decorating eggs and making that annual visit to see the Easter Bunny.

For the past six years Blessed Trinity Academy has been educating children to achieve their fullest potential and become leaders within their communities. We offer unique and dynamic learning environments that engage students and encourage them to become confident and responsible adults. To learn more about what makes us different, contact us today or visit our website at www.btacademy.net.

Children benefit in many ways from attending Catholic schools. The inclusion of faith in the curriculum gives students expanded learning opportunities. Smaller class sizes and schools offering a wide range of grade levels allow each child to be treated as an individual. This unique type of private education helps children grow on a spiritual level while excelling in academics. Learn more about these benefits of Catholic education.

EXPANDED LEARNING

By attending Catholic school, children learn a variety of advanced subjects that help them thrive academically while exploring their faith. These schools use advanced technology to help children learn in the best possible way, offering courses not often seen in public schools. During these classes, children participate in open discussions about faith, morality and the Catholic religion, applying these subjects to their own lives. Starting as young children, students can explore the world and their roles in a way they wouldn’t be able to at a secular school.  

THE PRESCHOOL THROUGH 8th GRADE MODEL

Private schools like Blessed Trinity Academy give students the opportunity to receive individualized attention by offering smaller class sizes than public schools. This tends to lead to better academic results and a feeling of community in the classroom. Many Catholic schools have the added benefit of beginning with preschool and going up through 8th grade. The preschool through 8th grade model has once been described as a “model that supports childhood.” Not only do teachers have more time to get to know and develop relationships with their students, but this model also allows parents to keep siblings in the same building for an extended period of time. In many public school districts, children may switch school buildings 3-4 times by the time they graduate from high school. The stability this model creates all students to feel more confident and experience less anxiety as there is a comfort in knowing who your teachers will be and who will be in your class from year to year.

INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION

As staff members watch students grow throughout the years, they can provide recommendations to help them thrive as individuals. Teachers have an easier time assessing students’ strengths and weaknesses when they can coordinate with others who have worked with them through the years. Staff at Blessed Trinity Academy have a unique opportunity to help children learn and grow on an individual level. This helps students reach their full potential by the time they graduate and go into the real world.

For more the past six years Blessed Trinity Academy has been helping children grow to their fullest potential and become leaders within their communities. We offer unique and dynamic learning environments that engage students and encourage them to become confident and responsible adults. To learn more about what makes us different, visit www.btacademy.net today.

The Christmas season is in full swing and it is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. However, it is important to take time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. This can definitely be a hard concept for children to grasp especially with the anticipation of Santa Claus. But that just makes it so much more important to talk to children about what the true reason for the season is! A great way to do this is through prayer. Taking a few minutes each day to pray with your children will help put the importance of the holiday season into focus. Here are a few verses from the Bible that can help guide your family’s prayer time:

Verse of Loves

Mark 13:34: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

Romans 5:18: “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

Verse of Peace

Isaiah 26:3: “With firm purpose you maintain peace; in peace, because of our trust in you.”

Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Mark 1:1-3: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]. The Preaching of John the Baptist. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’”

Verse of Life

John 6:51: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

Matthew 10:39: “Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

John 3:36: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.”

Blessed Trinity Academy is committed helping children grow to their fullest potential and become leaders within their communities. We offer unique and dynamic learning environments that engage students and encourage them to become confident and responsible adults. To learn more about BTA and what we can offer your family, visit www.btacademy.net today!

Last month our blog focused on how students in Catholic schools have a higher rate of practicing their faith into adulthood than those that attend public schools. This month we are focusing on service and being engaged community members.  One of the things Catholic schools strive to accomplish is to turn their students into servants of God.  Through various service projects through school and community, Catholic schools offer ample opportunities for students to serve others.  Whether it is writing cards to shut-ins, organizing food drives, packing meals, raising money for charities, or volunteering in local communities, students in Catholic schools are taught from a very young age to think about those in need and try their best to help. Catholic schools consider serving the community to be an essential part of a child’s education.   Those values of giving back to others are carried over into adulthood and can be seen through not only service, but also active civic engagement. According to the NCEA (National Catholic Educational Association), the following holds true:

 • People who attended some sort of Catholic school are more likely to feel a social responsibility to the needy.

 • Catholic school graduates are more civically engaged.

 • Catholic schools serve the disadvantaged and marginalized.

 • Catholic school graduates are more likely to vote

. • Catholic schools are deeply rooted in the communities they serve.

 • Catholic school graduates are more tolerant of diverse views. 

Blessed Trinity Academy has been helping children grow to their fullest potential and become leaders within their communities for the past 6 years. We offer unique and dynamic learning environments that engage students and encourage them to become confident and responsible adults. To learn more about what makes us different, visit our website by clicking here.

In our last blog post, we highlighted how Catholic school students typically outperform their peers in public school when it comes to academics.  But that is not the only way that a Catholic education can provide lifelong benefits to a child. Obviously, faith is at the heart of any Catholic school.  That is the mission that lies at the center of everything we do in our classrooms.  The foundation that is laid in terms of faith at an early age is something that will carry children through to high school, college, and into adulthood.  The numbers do not lie.  From daily prayer to going to mass to even identifying as a Catholic, children who attend Catholic schools are more likely to practice their faith than those who attend a non-Catholic school.

Here are some statistics that underscore the importance of Catholic education in today’s society:

• Catholic school students are more likely to pray daily.

 • Catholic school students attend church more regularly and retain a Catholic identify as an adult

. • Thirty-four percent of Catholic elementary school graduates and 39 percent of Catholic secondary school graduates continue to practice Catholicism into adulthood. This is compared to five percent of Catholics who did not attend Catholic schools.

 • Catholic high school graduates are more likely to consider faith as one of the most important parts of their lives. 

At Blessed Trinity Academy we encourage children to live fully in their faith.  For the last 5 years we have been helping children grow to their fullest potential and become leaders within their communities. We offer unique and dynamic learning environments that engage students and encourage them to become confident and responsible adults. To learn more about what makes us different, contact us today by going to http://www.btacademy.net.

For a long time, there has been a general misconception that children in Catholic schools are out performed by their peers in public schools.  Catholic school students are viewed, incorrectly, as being behind academically behind in math and reading.  However, if Covid has shown anything, it is has proved that Catholic schools have been doing it better than public schools and the proof is in the numbers:

• On national and standardized tests, Catholic schools consistently outperform public and other private schools by as much as 20 percentage points.

•  National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results for the Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL) assessments show Catholic school students were “at or above proficient” scoring 60 percent and public schools scoring 40 percent. In basic overall achievement, Catholic schools stand at 93 percent and public schools at 83 percent.

•  NAEP results of twelfth-grade students performing at or above proficiency in reading and math are, respectively, Catholic school seniors perform at 63 percent compared to public school seniors at 37 percent; and Catholic school seniors at 48 percent compared to 25 percent for public school seniors.

• Catholic schools are 37 of the 50 private and religious schools recognized as National Blue Ribbon schools in 2017. 

• Catholic schools graduate 99.3 percent of their high school seniors compared to 82 percent in public schools; 86 percent of those Catholic high school graduates go on to four-year colleges and universities.

Blessed Trinty Academy is a preschool through 8th grade Catholic school located in Glenshaw, PA. We offer unique and dynamic learning environments that engage students and encourage them to become confident and responsible adults. If you are interested in learning more about how a Catholic education can benefit your child, regardless of your religious denomination, contact Blessed Trinity Academy at admissions@btacademy.net or visit our website at www.btacademy.net.

Summer is a time for relaxation and crazy adventures with family and friends. Some of you may have attended our awesome summer camp or maybe you attended some fall sports workouts. Hopefully many of you have been working on your summer reading assignments too. Summer is always filled with fun and adventure but being in school is an adventure too. 

Many people have been working hard over the summer to prepare for this next adventure – the 2022-23 school year! A new school year with new classrooms, new teachers, new friends, and a new principal. We have so many wonderful, exciting things to look forward to as we continue to grow as a BTA family. I am so excited to be a new member of this family. I am looking forward to making memories with all of you and to watching you grow in faith and academics. Are you ready to begin this adventure with me? 

Mrs. Elizabeth Vita

Principal, Blessed Trinity Academy

Spring is the season for graduations.  While we mostly recognize students graduating from high school and college, eighth grade graduations can be just as monumental especially for children who attend at Catholic school.  By the time they arrive at eighth grade graduation, most Catholic school students have been together since kindergarten or even preschool.  For an eighth grader, the movement from middle school to high school is more than just the movement from one grade level to another.  While students who attend public schools will most likely be moving to high school together, students in a Catholic school will be splitting up and going different ways. Undoubtedly this can be a time of transition and celebration.  Here are some ways to help your child celebrate their accomplishments and prepare for the transition:

Help Your Child Become More Independent

There is a lot of growth that happens in middle school especially because children become teenagers during this time.  Finding the right balance between offering assistance and giving them space to learn and grow can be difficult.  But you want your child to work towards being an independent adult which they will need when they head off to college. Teaching your child to advocate for themselves is important to prepare them to move on from their primary grades.

Talk About High School

By the time your child comes to the end of their eighth grade year, they are probably thinking a lot about high school.  You have probably attended open houses, done a shadow day, attended welcome events or orientations, and met with guidance counselors in preparation for the start of the school year.  If you haven’t done so already, educate yourself about your child’s new school.  Look at the different classes and activities that are available.  Then talk to your child about what to expect and discuss ways they can get involved in their new school.  This will help ease the transition and open them up to new friendships. Encourage them to look on the school’s website and talk to other students they may know who already go there.

Celebrate the Graduation

For parents, eighth grade graduation may not seem like a big deal. Most children pass eighth grade with no real problems. However, this isn’t just about the end of her middle school journey — it’s also about the beginning of her journey into high school. Surprise your child with her favorite breakfast, or get the family together for a special dinner celebration, complete with a graduation cake. Make sure your child knows that you’re proud of her for taking the next step. 

Blessed Trinity Academy is a preschool through 8th grade Catholic school located in Pittsburgh, PA.  We pride ourselves in providing the foundation for students to develop their leadership skills and grow to their fullest potential.  We offer unique and dynamic learning environments that engage students and encourage them to become confident and responsible adults.  To learn more about Blessed Trinity Academy, contact us at admissions@btacademy.net or visit our website at www.btacademy.net. 

The holidays are right around the corner and that means spending time with family, friends, decorating, and enjoying a lot of delicious food.  Your family probably has some tried and true traditions you have followed year after year, but maybe this year it is time to spice it up with something new.   Blessed Trinity Academy has some ideas for new holiday traditions you can incorporate into your family’s Turkey Day festivities and preparation for Christmas this year.

Give Back

The holidays are the time to think of other people, especially those in need.  If your family hasn’t actively given back to their local community, let this be the year you start making a difference.  There are so many ways you can provide blessings to your community this Thanksgiving and Christmas. On a small scale, you can show appreciation for those around you by leaving some homemade treats on your neighbor’s doorstep. Or, you and your family can help those less fortunate by volunteering at a Thanksgiving food drive.  In addition many of the local parishes or community centers run toy drives to provide toys to children in need.  Taking a name from a giving tree can bring many blessings to local children who may have very little this season.

At BTA, we offer several opportunities for our families to donate to families in need.  This year we are collecting non-perishable items for a local food pantry.  We are also encouraging families to put together shoeboxes of essential items that will be sent to those in need in Appalachia.  

Move, Move, Move

The holidays are filled with food!  Everything from turkey to stuffing to pies to cookies are available from Thanksgiving through the Christmas holiday.  That makes it the best time to get your family moving. If your child gets antsy when sitting at the Thanksgiving dinner table for a long meal, you can try starting a new tradition that lets her burn off some of that energy before the big feast. A game of backyard football provides energetic fun for the whole family.  Or for a more challenging exercise, you and your child can participate in a Turkey Trot. These family fun runs are held the morning of Thanksgiving to give participants a chance to burn off some calories before they stuff their bellies with turkey. With a new, active tradition, your family can enjoy quality time away from the television this Thanksgiving.

Encourage Little Helpers

Cooking a holiday meal can be a big undertaking!  Often our holidays are filled with a Thanksgiving feast, baking cookies, or maybe a Christmas brunch.  This makes it the perfect time to encourage help from your child.  Let your whole family help out in the kitchen by giving each family member a dish or task to complete. Younger children can do small tasks, like mashing potatoes or sprinkling marshmallows on sweet potato pie. If your child is older, you can help her create an entire side dish or dessert. Baking is an important part of any holiday and is also a fun activity to do with children.  From getting math lessons when it comes to measuring or getting those creative juices flowing when it comes to decorating cookies, not only will you create a lot of great memories, you will also make your children feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when they see their finished product.

Blessed Trinity Academy has been helping children grow to their fullest potential and become leaders within their communities for the last five years. We offer unique and dynamic learning environments that engage students and encourage them to become confident and responsible adults. To learn more about what makes us different, contact us today.

School is back in session and there is a whirl of activity taking place both inside and outside the school walls.  A great way to show your child you are invested in their education is by getting involved in their school.  Children love seeing their parents at their school helping with different activities from classroom parties to the Book Fair.  Because of Covid last year, opportunities were limited for volunteering in most schools, however, this year more schools are allowing parents in their building to help with various things.  Schools, whether it be private or public, constantly need volunteers to help with school tasks, including planning events, chaperoning field trips, and organizing fundraising activities.  Parents are also needed to serve on committees.  At Blessed Trinity Academy, parent volunteers are essential to run our PTG (Parent-Teacher Guild), Athletics Association, and help with fundraising activities.

 Parent volunteers provide a huge relief and support to the community. A lot of the activities and opportunities provided for our children at school cannot be accomplished without the help of volunteers.  Get involved and demonstrate to your child the importance of getting involved and working together.

How to Get Started:

Most groups at school have monthly meetings that are open to all parents and staff. Attending one of these meetings is a great way to see how the group works and what activities they are putting together.  If you are new to a school, this is also a fantastic way to meet other parents at school.  

In addition, talk to your child’s teachers or the school principal.  Teachers and administrators are always grateful for a group of parents they can call on when things arise that they need help with.  They can also make suggestions of upcoming events that may need an extra set of hands. Some things that schools like BTA often need help with are:

• Lunchroom monitors
• Homeroom parents
• Volunteers at class parties
• Chaperones for Field Trips
• Coaches for athletics
• Assist or run after school clubs
• Help at Book Fairs, Santa’s Workshops, Holiday Shops
• Volunteer to be a board position on one of the committees
• Coordinator a fundraiser
• Be a science fair judge
• Organize restaurant nights
• And the list continues….

These are some things to keep in mind while you are volunteering:

• Only dedicate as much time as you are willing. Don’t be afraid to say no, and be clear about what you are able to do.
• Any little bit makes a difference. Oftentimes some of the duties only involve making some phone calls or sending emails, things that can be done from home.
• Start small — don’t offer to be the athletics or PTG president right away. Take on only as much as you are capable.
• Talk to the teachers and students so you can find out what they need help with. You’ll want to make the most out of your time there, so select activities wisely.
• Don’t give any special treatment to your child. You’re there for everyone, not just her or him! Limit your interactions and stay behind the scenes.

At Blessed Trinity Academy volunteers foster our sense of community and are essential in creating all of the wonderful experiences our students love so much.  If you are a school parents and are interested in volunteering your time, please visit our website or email Mrs. Edmiston at principal@btacademy.net.

If you are looking for a place where parents are welcome to be a part of your child’s education, contact us today!

By Meredith Kandravy, Director of Admissions and Marketing and Parent at BTA