Under the loving protection of St. Joseph and Motherly love of Mary, Jesus grew full in wisdom.  God entrusted this most holy couple to be His family.  In St. Joseph's name, we seek ways to help our families protect and provide their children with a Catholic education. 

Pope Benedict the XVI recently said that the work of Catholic education is  one of the "primary works of love" that the Catholic Church is called to perform.

"The area of education has always been particularly dear to the Church, which is called to make its own the concerns of Christ, who—as the evangelist says—seeing his flock ‘is moved…because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things (Mk 6:34).’ The Greek word that is used to express this attitude of ‘commotion’ evokes the depths (le viscere) of mercy and refers to a profound love that the heavenly Father directs toward man. The Tradition [of the Church] has seen in this teaching—and, more generally, in education—a concrete manifestation of spiritual mercy, which constitutes one of the primary works of love that the Church offers to humanity as part of her mission."

Your donation is tax deductible, we will provide an letter to thank you for your donation which you should keep for your records.

The Current Reality 

Dale City has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation.  A quick search of the zip code "22193" recently brought up 2179 foreclosed properties.  A year ago, it has been reported that the foreclosure rate here was at least four times the national average.  On top of this finanical tragedy there are good people who suddenly lost their jobs, homes, health insurance.  Some people play the game of "Who get's paid this week?" with their bills and smaller paychecks.  They sacrifice so much to give their children a solid Catholic education because we know what a good school means for a child. 

Holy Family Catholic School  has implemented many cost cutting procedures and reduced our budget spending for the year.  Our five year plan calls for financial restraint, while not sacrificing any critical need areas to maintain the quality of the education our children receive.  Tuition is the principal source of revenue, accounting for nearly 78% of our operating budget.  The task of  keeping a private school ahead in good times is difficult, in bad times...it's calling on all of our efforts to push forward and trust in God, but to ask for help when needed.

 

If you are willing to assist or would like to discuss this program further, please call f Holy Family Catholic School, at (703)670-3138, ext. 225.  You may also send your tax deductible gifts to HFCS,  Holy Family Catholic School, 14160 Ferndale Road, Dale City, VA 22193.

Holy Family Catholic School and Preschool is dedicated to the mission of offering a quality Christ-centered Catholic education and spiritual development program that is an excellent value for reasonable cost. 

Past

1992, the Early Childhood Center, ages 3-5 opened on our campus.  Our program served about 90 children.  In 1995, a kindergarten class was added, and in 1996 the first PTO was formed.  Dedicated parents, parishioners and friends worked hard to seek permission from Bishop Keating to officially begin adding grades to our school.  In February 1997, Bishop Keating granted permission to open Holy Family Catholic School by adding a first grade that Fall.  A grade has been added each year since that time to complete the eight grades of the elementary program.

Present

In July of 2007, the parish and school community made a commitment to find an experienced principal to come and reach new levels for the children and families of HFCS. Mr. Louis J. Frisenda, M.Ed was hired as the third principal, holding a degree in education.   

Under the direction of our pastor, Rev. Donald J. Planty, Jr., Mr. Frisenda was given the pillars of excellence that Father wished for the school. 

1. Strengthen and build the Catholic Identity.
2. Strengthen discipline and character development for our students.
3. Increase and make our communications with faculty, staff, parents, students, and the parish more professional and more frequent. 
4. The final pillar of excellence was to establish a professional teaching staff that would enable our school to experience academic growth and success well into the future. 

This is the work that we have been at for the last three years.  Each and every area has had some change, some grown and there is so much more we plan to do!  The 2008-2009 TerraNova test scores saw a dramatic jump in our standings and we gave credit to God and began using the data collected to bring further improvements to our program.

Future

It is still the dream that no child be turned away because of financial issues.  In the Fall of 2009, Principal Frisenda launched the "St. Joseph Tuition Helpers" program.  We are hoping and praying to find supporters from this parish family and our community who will help these children and their families.  Children need stability in the homes and in their schools.  They also want boundaries, direction, guidance with firm love and compassion.  Without your assistance some children will not return again at the end of the year.

With change comes a financial cost.  Updating the physical plant that was not originally designed to be a school is a challenge.  Keeping a highly professional, licensed and seasoned team of lay teachers is a challenge.