Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome to Holy Spirit Catholic School. I am truly honored and blessed to serve as Holy Spirit’s Principal, and I am extremely passionate about Catholic education. Holy Spirit Catholic School, serving PK3-8th grade students from over 40 zip codes, is an Archdiocesan pacesetter in academic excellence, a community of leaders (students, parents, and faculty), and an environment of spiritual growth and Catholic traditions. I am very excited about all the opportunities we have as a school community to make a difference in the lives of our students.
Holy Spirit Catholic School promotes a collaborative partnership with parents in forming students with Catholic values. Each child is challenged to grow in all areas: spiritually, intellectually, personally, socially, and physically. We encourage students to develop leadership skills and a commitment to service that will extend beyond their time at Holy Spirit. Using the teachings of the Catholic Church as our foundation, we embrace the call to instill a moral compass in our students intended to last a lifetime.
We look forward to getting to know every child, meeting their academic and social/emotional needs, and challenging them to be the best they can be, the one God created them to be! I invite you to call our Director of Admissions and Advancement, Lisa Rosenfeld, at 210-349-1169 or lisa.rosenfeld@hscssa.org, to schedule your personal tour so that you can see first-hand why HSCS is considered a premier school within the archdiocese, why our faculty and staff, and especially our precious students, love to come to school every day, and why we all are proud to be Holy Spirit Flames.
In His Service,
Lourdes Garcia
Mission
Holy Spirit Catholic School, Faculty, Staff, and Parish Family is dedicated to providing excellence in education, centered on the teachings of the Catholic faith.
Academics
Holy Spirit Catholic School strives to educate the whole child - the child's intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual development. Holy Spirit Catholic School uses the curriculum guidelines of the Department of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of San Antonio along with the Texas State Standards (TEKS) as its primary source for determining the course of instruction. To accomplish these goals, teachers use textbooks (online and physical), workbooks, group/individual projects, and other supplementary and online resources as necessary to assure mastery of these objectives. Special attention is given to developing age and skill-appropriate teaching practices to meet the needs of all students. All teachers at Holy Spirit Catholic School have a minimum of a bachelor's degree, are certified to teach in Texas, or have agreed to complete the requirements set by TCCB ED.
All students receive instruction in the core courses of Religion, Math, English, Reading/Literature, Science, and Social Studies as prescribed by the TCCB ED Bell to Bell schedule. All students receive additional instruction in Art, Music, Library, Physical Education, Spanish, and Technology. Middle School students have additional offerings in STEM, Theater Arts, and Yearbook.
HSCS infuses technology as a complementary tool in the classroom. All 4th-8th grade students have 1:1 Chromebooks, and PK3-3rd grade students have classroom Tablets. In addition, all classrooms have CleverTouch Interactive Boards.
Administration and teachers use the analysis of NWEA MAP test data, which is given three times a year, with attention to grade-level mastery, curriculum gaps, and student progress. The school also has multidisciplinary activities that highlight and celebrate students' talents and abilities, including fine arts performances.
Finally, one of the most notable accomplishments of HSCS is our well-established program known as the SOAR program (Student Opportunities for Achievement and Results), which assists students with learning differences (accommodations). This program is dedicated to meeting the needs of eligible students to ensure academic success.
Holy Spirit graduates have been the Valedictorians and Salutatorians at Catholic High Schools 27 times since the year 2000 years and often comprise many 10-ten graduate spots in Archdiocesan High Schools.
Faith
At Holy Spirit Catholic School, formal religion classes are taught daily using the Archdiocesan Religion Standards, the National Catholic Education Association Standards, and the National Catholic Standards. Catholic teaching and Gospel values are woven into every academic area, as reflected in The New Religion Connections in the Diocesan Standards. All Religion teachers and administration are TCCB ED certified, most HSCS teachers have received their Religion Teacher Certification, our Campus Minister has Level 4-Professional Catechist certification, and most non-Religion teachers are TCS certified.
Each morning, Holy Spirit School incorporates catechesis over the intercom in the homerooms to include Catholic prayers, information on the Saint of the Month, and an explanation concerning the Virtue of the Month. Various Catholic traditions and liturgical seasons, such as the Living Rosary, All Saints Day, Las Posadas, Stations of the Cross, Advent and Lenten Reconciliations, and May Crowning, are incorporated across the grade levels throughout the school year.
The sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist are typically done in 2nd grade. Holy Spirit students actively participate in Mass as altar servers, lectors, hospitality ministers, and choir members at our weekly student liturgies and our monthly grade level parish masses.
Every grade level does a service project, and the school participates in a school-wide global service project every other year. Through daily prayer, prayer services, school liturgies, sacraments, the integration of morals and values in academic studies, social interaction, and service to others, the school expresses its Catholic identity and reflects Jesus’ message of love. The school’s mission statement, rooted in Gospel values, exemplifies the identity of the Catholic School.
Extracurricular
Holy Spirit has active Boy Scouts and Girl Scout programs from kindergarten through 8th grade. Holy Spirit participates in Catholic Youth Organization Sports (CYO) from PK3-4th grades and the Archdiocesan Interscholastic League in 5th-8th grades. Holy Spirit's athletic program incorporates teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship, and integrity as students participate in various sports. HSCS offers leadership opportunities through the Safety Patrol Program, the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), and Student Council (StuCo). The Safety Patrol Program is offered to 4th-5th grade students who assist with morning carline duties. NJHS is a program open to Middle School students who meet the required standards in five areas of evaluation: scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship, and character. StuCo provides middle school students the voice for solutions to problems and opportunities affecting students and focuses on service opportunities in our school.
In addition to offering sports, scouts, and leadership opportunities, Holy Spirit participates in the Catholic Arts and Academic Competition (CAAC), designed to showcase student talents and understanding of Catholic Identity, Arts and Humanities, and Academic Achievement by competing with students from other Catholic schools in the archdiocese.
HSCS offers extracurricular clubs created to meet various student interests, such as reading, art, writing, gardening, chess, technology, and the Marian rosary club. Finally, Holy Spirit students actively participate in mass as altar servers, lectors, hospitality ministers, and choir members at our weekly student liturgies and our monthly grade level parish masses.
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