A Letter from Our Principal, Alma Cornejo

“Support Our School!”

September 25, 2016

Dear St. Therese Parish Community:

Saint Therese Carmelite School has truly become the excellent Parish School it once was.  For the sake of the souls of the children attending Saint Therese School, we have renounced Common Core, adopted a proven classical curriculum, and hired a team of educators devoted to the faith and to classical education.  We are committed to excellence in Catholic education and to helping the children of our Parish attain it.  It is because of this that we ask you now to Support Our School. 

In the spirit of Saint Teresa of Avila, we have all become reformers and have already begun to see the positive effects of these changes.  Our students have begun to measurably develop their intellects and critical thinking skills.  They are reading at higher levels and beginning to write and speak persuasively. Their math skills are such that we have added a Euclidean geometry class this year.  Their test scores are up across the board. More importantly, they are learning the Truths of the Faith and becoming confident Catholic ladies and gentlemen. 

The word Carmelite in the name of our school reflects our commitment to Carmelite spirituality.  We are blessed to have a full-time chaplain and to have the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles come to our school on Carmelite Spirituality Days.  Our students practice the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy in their service projects throughout the school year.  Our Student Council leaders implemented a “Lenten Penny War” to help the Ugandan Missions; they attend weekly Mass and have regular confessions scheduled for them; each month they are presented with a new virtue to practice; and the older children do Spiritual Bouquets for the First Communion Class.  These were once ordinary things to expect of a diocesan Catholic school in days gone by, but today they are considered extraordinary. 

Restoring Catholic classical education within the Archdiocese is possible and we are the proof of that.  At Saint Therese Carmelite School we know that if we remain faithful to God, if we give Him back His school and bring the children to Him, He will most certainly give us what we need.  It is with the deepest humility that today I beg your generosity and continued support for our Parish School in our monthly collections. 

We cannot maintain this great work on behalf of our children without each of you.  Be assured, every single penny you give is received with the deepest gratitude and judiciously spent to maintain our School’s commitment to excellence in education, guided by the Light of the Catholic Faith.  Thank you in advance for your generosity today and in the months to come.  

God reward you,

Mrs. Alma Cornejo

Principal