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Mission Statement | Purpose | Services | Contact | Staff | Resources
The Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Gary, following the command “TO TEACH AS JESUS DID” are committed to the educational MISSION of the Church.
Recognizing the cultural diversity of the people of our Diocese and the need to prepare our students to become globally responsible Christians in the Catholic tradition, we, as Church, work collaboratively to provide quality education for the total child in affirming school communities built on a foundation of Eucharist, Prayer, and Gospel Living.
To this end, our Catholic Schools are dedicated to:
- creating and celebrating an understanding of the world in the light of the Gospel and Eucharist
- instilling the desire for Christian service to the community
- encouraging social responsibility in an effort to promote peace and justice
- developing a Christ-like atmosphere of care and respect
- fostering self-esteem, leadership, and personal responsibility
- striving for academic excellence
- sharing with parents in the educational mission of the Church
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The Schools Office serves the 22 elementary and 3 high schools in the Diocese of Gary. There are 15 elementary schools and 2 high schools in Lake County; 3 elementary schools in Porter County; and 4 elementary schools and 1 high school in LaPorte County. All the schools are accredited by the state of Indiana.
The Catholic Schools of the Diocese are an essential part of the total educational mission of the Church of Gary. Because all but three schools are parish based, much authority and responsibility for the implementation of the mission of the Catholic school lies with local pastor/principal leadership. The Catholic Schools Office provides services, resources, and facilitates for the Catholic school communities.
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- Develops and implements the annual Principals’ In-Service/Retreat gatherings.
- Develops and implements the New Teacher Orientation and monthly support meetings.
- Provides local or regional staff professional development opportunities according to the School Improvement Plan.
- Supports schools’ participation in the bi-annual INPEA Teacher Conference.
- Revises Curriculum Guides on the Indiana textbook cycle in partnership with teachers and principals.
- Prepares all principal and teacher contracts for local pastors and principals.
- Provides all diocesan forms to local schools.
- Develops, helps to implement, and provides services for diocesan-wide community programs such as safe environment, crisis management, safety audits, student assistance programs, and ESL screening.
- Coordinates the diocesan members of the Indiana Federation of Catholic School Parents, which is linked to the advocacy efforts of the Indiana Catholic Conference.
- Maintains a file of teacher applicants and substitute teachers for principals.
- Implements a program of recruitment for candidates for potential school administrative positions in the diocese.
- Collaborates with Office of Ministry Formation to provide religious formation program for principals and teachers
- Implements Diocesan Tuition Assistance Program
- Implements Safe Environment Plan including the “Protecting God’s Children” training sessions and the VIRTUS online bulletins.
- Conducts national and state background checks for all staff, faculties, and volunteers for the Diocese of Gary.
- Provides support for Strategic Planning implementation.
- Provides the annual Pastor and Principal 40/30/20 year Veteran Teacher Appreciation Luncheon.
The Catholic Schools Office accomplishes the following communication efforts:
- Visits to school communities with emphasis on schools with declining enrollment or budget issues.
- Communicates regularly with the principals by monthly mailings and weekly Email Updates.
- Communicates with both pastors and principals to determine:
- Principal effectiveness
- Staffing needs
- Budget projections
- Serves as a liaison with various external groups so as to provide both our local schools and those groups with necessary and vital information. Such communication
includes:
- The State Department of Education, and the Indiana Professional Standards Board.
- The Indiana Non-Public Education Association (INPEA) and the Indiana Federation of Catholic School Families (IFCSF) which work with the Indiana Catholic Conference (ICC) in political networking and advocating Catholic education.
- The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) which is the national organization for Catholic educators. Services include materials, workshops, newsletters, and conferences.
- Deals with parental and administrative concern and/or issues when they arise.
- Facilitates meetings of pastors and principals where there is a question of school viability or possible school expansion.
- Works with the Diocesan Education Commission in its mission to preserve and enhance the ministry of Catholic education in the Diocese.
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The Office of Catholic Schools
9292 Broadway
Merrillville, IN 46410
219.769.9292
Fax 219.738.9034
Superintendent ext. 233
Coordinator of School Visits ext. 234
Click here for currently available Diocese of Gary Catholic School Employment Opportunities!
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Barbara M. O'Block, Ed.D.
Superintendent
email
Barbara M. O’Block, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Gary, is also an adjunct professor, formerly assistant professor, in the Department of Education at Calumet College of Saint Joseph in Whiting, Indiana.
Previous to this, Dr. O’Block served as Associate Superintendent at the Office of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago. In this role she supervised a team of professionals in the following areas: special education services, staff development, technology, school boards, family/school partnerships, external and federally-funded programs, Catholic school identity and mission, personnel services, and the state and archdiocesan school accreditation/certification processes.
Dr. O’Block’s entire professional career had been with the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic school system. She began her tenure in the Archdiocese as a classroom teacher, teaching at nearly every elementary grade level. She later served as principal of three different schools in Vicariate VI of the Archdiocese.
Barbara O’Block earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from De Lourdes College and studied music (piano performance) at Saint Joseph College. She holds a Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction; both advanced degrees were awarded by Loyola University, Chicago.
Dr. O’Block has presented at conferences both locally and nationally and has been a strong advocate of professional development.
Dr. O’Block is married to John, a parish business manager. They have a son, John, a daughter Katie (Jose) and a granddaughter.
Darlene B. Marchina, M.S.
Coordinator of School Visits
email
Darlene Marchina, Coordinator of School Visits for the Schools Office of the Diocese of Gary, has served the diocese in several ministries for her entire professional career.
She taught Gr. 3 and Gr. 4 at St. Casimir School in Hammond from 1969-1979 and also taught in the religious education program. From 1980 through 1983, she became a religious education catechist at St. Elizabeth Seton in Valparaiso. In 1983, she became a Religious Education Coordinator and continued to serve the families of St. Elizabeth Seton as a Primary Sacramental Coordinator through 1999.
She became the Coordinator of School Visits in January, 2000. In her role working for the Schools Office, Darlene works collaboratively with the Superintendent to share the vision and mission of Catholic schools. She assists the Superintendent in the design and implementation of staff development, prepares faculty contracts, maintains personnel files and databases of teacher and substitute applicants, coordinates the teacher internship and mentoring process, assists with submission of files to the Indiana Department of Education, and collaborates with the Foreign Exchange Program liaison.
Darlene also serves as the Virtus Coordinator for the Safe Environment Program and coordinates the Tuition Assistance Program.
Darlene is a 1961 graduate of St. Casimir School and a 1965 graduate of Bishop Noll Institute. In 1969 she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College (St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana). In 1973 she received her Master’s Degree in Education and a Reading Endorsement from Purdue University Calumet (Hammond), in 1984, a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Calumet College of St. Joseph (Whiting), and in 1993, a Diploma of Ministry in Catechetics from Calumet College of St. Joseph.
She has served as President of the Hammond Area Reading Council, the St. Mary Catholic Community School Board (Crown Point), and Holy Spirit Parish Pastoral Council.
Darlene is married to Bob, a retired school teacher. They have four sons, Patrick, Ryan, Kevin, and Kyle. They are members of Holy Spirit (Winfield) where Darlene serves as lector, extraordinary minister of communion, catechist, RCIA sponsor, and member of St. Vincent DePaul Ministry.
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