Leading with Faith
by Joleen Dimitroff
Catholic Community,
This past week, Assistant Superintendent Stephanie Genco Gasiecki and I had the pleasure of visiting St. Joseph’s School. Principal Karen Green has fostered a nurturing, faith-filled culture where students are clearly known, supported, and encouraged to grow both academically and spiritually. As we walked through the building, it was evident what the St. Joseph’s community values. The hallways were lined with beautiful student artwork, reflecting a vibrant and joyful learning environment.
We were very impressed with the level of rigorous instruction taking place in classrooms and the high degree of student engagement throughout the school. It is clear that the faculty is deeply committed to ensuring each child reaches their fullest potential. We also appreciated the
thoughtful safety measures in place and were delighted to meet their security guard, Mr. Kevin,
whose warm presence and professionalism contribute greatly to the safe, welcoming
environment the students enjoy each day.
Thank you to Principal Green and the entire St. Joseph’s community for your dedication,
hospitality, and unwavering commitment to excellence in Catholic education.
I am also excited to introduce a new feature in our weekly newsletter: the Beacon of Service
Honoree. Each week, we will highlight a school volunteer who goes above and beyond in
service to our students and communities. These individuals reflect God’s love and compassion
through their selfless dedication, reminding us of the profound impact one person can make
when they answer the call to serve.
Be sure to scroll to the end of this newsletter for our first honoree!
by Stephanie Genco Gasiecki
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” – Psalm 107:1
As we enter Thanksgiving week, I’m especially mindful of the many ways God is at work in our schools through your dedication, creativity, and care for students, and I was blessed to experience so much of this the past week! Here’s a quick recap, plus one new opportunity for emerging leaders.
STREAM Coordinator PD Morning with KidWind
We had a fantastic morning of hands-on STREAM learning with 20 coordinators from across the diocese at SS Peter & Paul in Williamsville. Andy Leuth from KidWind led an energizing session where teachers explored renewable energy concepts and even built and tested their own small wind turbines—experimenting with blade angles, materials, and turbine design to maximize energy output. The team left inspired and excited to bring more KidWind activities into their classrooms and to showcase student innovation at the X-STREAM Games on March 28! Special thanks to Mary McIntyre for helping coordinate this great day of learning.
Turkey Trot at DeSales Catholic School
I had the joy of visiting DeSales this week—touring their beautiful school, meeting their enthusiastic teachers, and seeing firsthand the strong arts and technology opportunities available to students. I even joined Principal Karen Rahill and the whole school community for their lively Turkey Trot! The excitement was contagious, powered by dedicated staff, joyful students, and supportive parent volunteers. DeSales offers a warm, faith-filled culture that shines in every hallway and classroom.
New Opportunity: Discerning Leaders Program
We’re excited to share information about the Discerning Leaders program (see attached flyer) through the Catholic Schools Administrators Association of New York State. This highly successful initiative is designed for teachers who:
Demonstrate leadership qualities in their current roles, and/or
May be discerning a call to Catholic school leadership in the future.
CSAANYS partners with experienced Catholic school leaders from across New York State to form a rich learning community around topics essential to leadership in our schools—mission and identity, instructional leadership, school culture, communication, and more. This program helps ensure that the discernment process for Catholic school leadership is thoughtful and well-supported as we call forth leaders from within our own communities who know our students, families, and mission.
Let’s build a cohort of 5 from our diocese!
If you’re interested—or if you have a colleague you think should consider this—please email me. Registration has just opened, and I’d love to see a strong group from our schools represented.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, please know how truly grateful I am for each of you—for the warm welcome you’ve shown me, for your faith-filled service to students and families, and for the strong partnership we are building together.
Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed, restful, and joy-filled Thanksgiving!
by Chris Riso
November 25, 2025
12/1/25 Fire Safety Inspection Must be Completed; Report Due 12/16/2025
12/12/25 NYSDOH Annual School Immunization Survey Due 12/12
12/16/25 Fire Safety Inspection Report Due 12/16/2025
12/19/25 Complete Eight of the 12 Required Evacuation or Lockdown Drills
by Nancy DiBerardino
Save the Date: Annual Chess Tournament - Saturday, January 31, 2026 at Cardinal O’Hara High School, 39 O’Hara Road, Tonawanda, NY. More Information will be forthcoming for schools to register.
Update: Catholic Schools Day at the BPO will take place on Tuesday, February 10, 2026 at Kleinhans Music Hall starting at 10:15 AM. The theme for this year will be Building Harmony. All students, grades 1-4 are invited to attend. Using a variety of musical selections, this youth concert tackles the topics of respect, personal responsibility, cooperation, and community, all through the orchestra. The BPO has a unique platform for this topic: 73 individual voices all working together to create a beautiful sound. This concert also will feature selections from Leonard Bernstein’s famous West Side Story, a musical known for its powerful story about the impacts of intolerance. Click here to register.
Safe Environment Training for Youth in Catholic Schools
This is a mandatory training that takes place yearly in our Catholic schools.
The deadline for this training to be completed and recorded on-line is January 15, 2026.Attached please find a document that explains why this training is done, how to access the resources and how to record on-line that the training has been completed.
Save the Date: Annual Art Show is being hosted this year by Chesterton Academy located at 5331 Genesee Street, Bowmansville, NY from Monday, May 18, 2026 (Set-Up) through Tuesday, May 26, 2026 due to the holiday weekend the school has added an extra day for participants to pick-up their art work. For additional information please contact Dr. Kathy Dimitrievski at kdimitrievski@buffalochestertonacademy.org
12/2 - 12th Grade Mass
12/3 - 8th Grade Mass
12/1 - Fire Safety Inspections Completed
12/11 - Virtual Principal Meeting
12/11 - SS Curriculum Committee Meeting
1/31 - Chess Tournament
2/10 - Catholic Schools Day at BPO