Blessed Sacrament School is a neighborhood school in northwest Washington, DC dedicated to educational excellence for grades K-8. For more than 90 years, Blessed Sacrament School has worked to recognize the unique talents God has bestowed on each of our students.
Our mission is to assist parents -- our students' primary teachers -- in the formation of the "whole child," helping each student grow academically, spiritually, morally, emotionally and physically.
As Catholics, we invite students and families of all faiths and beliefs to enrich our learning environment and school community.
Our goal of excellence is rooted in the teaching mission of the Catholic Church, a mission to assist parents in the development of the whole child. This means giving attention to the child's spiritual, intellectual, moral, emotional, and physical growth. We believe this can best be accomplished within a community of persons who share a family-like love for each member of the community, along with a determination to work together to accomplish common goals.
Our primary goal is to direct the child toward a mature Christian life. The achievement of growth into a life of full participation within the Christian community should be nurtured within the school setting. The Eucharistic celebrations, communal prayer, and participation in sacramental liturgical celebration are all ways in which the children are guided toward a mature relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.
As part of the development and nurturing of a Christian ethos, we challenge the children to live and act as Jesus would. We overtly state this expectation in our C.A.R.E. theme (Courtesy, Acceptance and Respect for Everyone). But, we also reinforce it through service opportunities and we model it in the way that we treat each other as adult members of the community.
Because Blessed Sacrament School believes so firmly in the concept of education for the future, we are determined to strive for excellence in all aspects of the curriculum. The administration and faculty direct their efforts towards continuous program evaluation, quality program development, and professional growth and development. These efforts enable the faculty to enrich the lives of those they teach.
Among many educational ideals, the concept of individual needs stands out as basic to our philosophy. Therefore, we are determined to do as much as we can to identify individual needs, research available alternatives, and select for each student the best course of action we are able to provide. Such a concept assumes the investment of time, personnel, money, and effort. Given the assets which we have, we are determined to do as much as possible to ensure that each student achieves his/her potential, thus developing the talent bestowed by God.
Perhaps the strongest tool we have toward the achievement of these goals/ideals is our experience of community, unity, and dedication within the faculty and staff. Believing in the basic premise that a child's welfare is central to a successful education, the faculty shares its concerns. By working together we can solve problems and arrive at solutions for the good of all. We believe that a strong spirit of dedication and unity among the faculty will promote a student body which is more apt to care for every member as if it were truly a family.
Maintaining ourselves as a parish, neighborhood school is another advantage, which we strive to continue. The success of the students, faculty, and entire school is the result of a close working relationship within the community. The school is an integral part of the parish, sharing in its liturgies, social outreach, and parish challenges as well as its blessings. Students are aware of the needs among families, sharing themselves through prayer, or offering whatever assistance they can. This close working relationship is life-giving to the school community.
Because we believe in the necessity of nurturing each individual, we try to provide an atmosphere of friendliness throughout the school. A sense of family characterizes our classrooms; a spirit of caring motivates our actions toward each other; and an attitude of Christian love is evident in the respect which we accord to each other. Parental support and caring are also evident in the areas of home-school association and fundraising. Even more important, parental support is present in the daily life of the school as parent volunteers help with lunch duty, serve as room parents, assist with field trips, work with children on extracurricular activities, and generally lend support where it is needed. This close working relationship adds to the family spirit of the school leaving us free to be ourselves with the knowledge that we will be accepted by our classmates and teachers as brother or sister in the family of God.
Finally, because we are a Christian educational facility, we see ourselves as journeying together to the future, a future ripe with hope because we walk with each other as we all walk with Christ.
