My School is closing!!…read morehttp://www.northjersey.com/education/educationnews/Hackensack_Catholic_school_to_close.html Hackensack Catholic school to close Wednesday, February 18, 2009 BY JOHN CHADWICK NorthJersey.com STAFF WRITERS A Catholic elementary school in Hackensack will close in June because of declining enrollment, the Newark Archdiocese said today. Holy Trinity School, on Maple Avenue, has experienced about a 24 percent decline in students since 2000 and currently has an enrollment of 183, said Jim Goodness, a spokesman for the archdiocese. Church officials plan to merge Holy Trinity with St. Francis School, a parish school on South Main Street that also has suffered enrollment loss and is down to about 118 students. The archdiocese decided that St. Francis School would be the one to stay open because it has received extensive renovations in recent years. The school is under a flight path for Teterboro Airport and received government grants for soundproofing, Goodness said. "To try and level off the costs of providing education and stabilizing enrollment, which has fallen at both schools, the natural solution is that the parishes should combine their schools into one," Goodness said, adding that such issues as transportation and staffing were still being worked out. Holy Trinity is the sixth parish school that the archdiocese plans to close this year and the only one in Bergen County. The other schools are in Hudson, Essex and Union counties. Goodness said that schools with declining enrollments typically turn to the parish for financial assistance. But with parishes also struggling with changing demographics and increased costs, their ability to support schools is limited. "It is reaching the point in some parishes where they cannot support the school in the way they might have in the past," Goodness said. The pastor at Holy Trinity said the parish was contributing about $150,000 to $200,000 to the school, but the enrollment was still falling. The tuition is about $3,200 a year for parish families. **************************** How could I *not* give my Elementary school five stars? (Especially if it's Religious!) No, seriously. All kidding aside, this was a Catholic K-8 school, complete with boys and girls in plaid uniforms, nuns in habits, and daily assembly outside in the parking lot (YES, even in the SNOW) to 'line up' and take attendance. Though I was never baptised and never raised Catholic, I thought this was a great place. The teachers and sisters at this place ran a TIGHT ship. You wouldn't ever THINK of smack talking, much less bring stuff to school that didn't belong. The fear of the cruxifix at the front of each classroom was enough to set you straight, regardless of your religion. Looking back, for a faculty of ALL women, these ladies knew what they were doing- they did NOT take crap from us kids! AND, I even learned a few things, science and math, and they even had art and music class. Gym in those uniforms was pretty uncomfortable, though I was only there from 3rd through 5th grade ... and THEN I went to public school in Southern California! Oh, the horror!

I also attended Holy Trinity (K - 7th) from 1959 - 1966. Am…read moresorry to hear of its closing. It played an important part in my life.

Both of my sons have been attending for close to 4 years now. They have SO much fun at school every…read moresingle day. They are always making a nice craft, and learning so much. My 5 year old is ready for kinder in the fall, all thanks to them. They do awesome STEM lessons with the kids, and we love getting pictures and videos of them daily. It makes me smile seeing how much fun they have. HIGHLY recommend them!

Clean space, great management, quality educators. My 1 and 2 year old are soooo happy here, and…read morethey have learned so much too. 10 out of 10 recommend!

We first enrolled our daughter in Pre-K 3 at the French American Academy, and she's now in her 4th…read moreyear. This school truly feels like a second home to us. The bilingual curriculum (French + American) is outstanding, and even though we don't speak French at home, we've watched her become such a confident and curious learner. As a parent, I've been impressed with the Singapore math approach they use; it's helping her develop a strong understanding of math, not just memorization. My daughter also enjoys the after-school clubs, especially Cooking Club and Soccer - they've become highlights of her week. The teachers are incredibly talented and experienced. With the small class sizes, our daughter gets the kind of individualized attention that lets her feel seen and supported. This is the only school I've encountered where all the teachers and students know each other's names. The campus itself is spacious, bright, and feels very safe. There is an enclosed on-site playground for the younger grades. We are truly happy we chose this school and feel grateful for the nurturing environment our daughter gets to learn in every day.

Our 3 boys currently attend the FAA and all started since they were 2.5 years old. We have been…read moreattending this school for over 3 years and plan to continue until they graduate. The preschool program has far exceeded our expectations. The teachers are attentive, meticulous, and sensitive to each of our children's individual needs. They always respond to my concerns immediately and treat my children as they would treat their own. Our family does not speak French at home but we chose this school to provide our children the opportunity to become bilingual starting at a critical young age in development. Our boys come home singing French melodies, count in French and say basic phrases. Our eldest son who is almost 5 years old is learning how to say basic sentences in French which is amazing. My only complaint is that I wish the school was closer to our home -since we commute 35-40 mins each way. It's a sacrifice however we can already see the benefits in progress. In addition to a strong curriculum including music and physical education , they have an after school program with various classes including soccer, cooking , art, etc. Our boys love this school and I do hope they expand to offer a middle school in the future. The FAA also offers French classes for adult learners. I have been attending the weekly class for over 2 years and have made incredible progress I never knew was possible with our amazing instructor Isabelle. Truly the FAA is a gem of an institution and we are grateful our children have the opportunity to learn and attend this wonderful school.