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From the Director's Chair Greetings DECATS Families! The last week of DECATS has been amazing as we have concluded our time “Diving Deeper” together. I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for entrusting us with the care and well-being of your children this summer. It has been an absolute joy to watch them learn and grow. We know our Scholars will take all that they have learned and go out and make a difference in the world. The Scholars were very busy this week completing culminating activities in their courses. Our Manners Scholars showcased their dining [...]

From the Director's Chair Greetings DECATS Families! On Thursday morning, over a year of planning, months of building courses, and hours of exploration and discovery culminated in our annual closing celebration day. What amazes me most about DECATS, beside the fascinating breakthroughs, remarkable insights, and moving acts of kindness is how quickly it all goes by. It seems like only yesterday we were gathering together for the first time, starting to learn our new theme song, and learning the standards of our time together. We played hard, learned more than I thought possible, and dove as [...]

From the Director's Chair Greetings, DECATS Families! The final week of our program is always filled with many experiences, such as course presentations and the culmination of our service project. Our community came together to collect over 800 juice boxes to donate to Kids Meals! During Thursday’s Closing Celebration, our Scholars were Diving Deeper into their creativity together and developed a powerful performance that was a wonderful display of critical thinking and leadership. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your Scholar’s growth this summer. I pray that all the Scholars walk away [...]

From the Director's Chair Dear Parents: Time flies when you are having fun! It’s hard to believe that we have completed our second week of DECATS. I wanted to take a moment to provide you with an update and share some of the highlights of what your scholars have been up to. It has been an eventful and exciting week with memorable experiences as we continue to “Dive Deeper.” Our scholars have been actively engaged in various activities that promote learning, teamwork, and personal growth. Here are some of the key highlights: Our “Manners” Scholars refined [...]

From the Director's Chair Greetings DECATS Families! The second week of the program has drawn to a close, we are continuing to dive deeper, and we are nowhere near the end of our exploration. The Scholars continually wow me with their discoveries, breakthroughs, and use of creative and critical thinking as they continue to plumb the depths of the great power that they possess. Budding photographers have chronicled their vision via the lens of a camera (“Through A Different Lens”), a creative group of architects are making a plan to try and survive various extreme weather [...]

From the Director's Chair Greetings, DECATS Families! It is with gratitude and joy that I share with you that the second week of DECATS has been amazing! Our Scholars are working at learning and Diving Deeper using their gifts and talents! I am so proud of them and thrilled to share a few highlights from this week with you. As the second week comes to a close, our “Manners” Scholars refined their social skills of introduction and small talk. They look forward to putting all of these skills into practice on Tuesday during our Manners to [...]

From the Director's Chair Ahoy, DECATS Families! The first week was a great success, and we are smooth-sailing aboard the SS DECATS! We are so grateful you said ‘Yes!’ to DECATS this summer. Mr. Ferrugia, Mr. House and Graduate Assistants open and close each day with celebratory songs during our morning and afternoon assemblies. The energy waves are crashing over the deck! It is exciting to have our parents join us for our assemblies each day. Scholars are diving in to actively engage in singing, dancing and celebrating all things DECATS. We’re sure that you’ve heard [...]

From the Director's Chair Greetings DECATS Families! I am delighted to write with an update on how deep we are already diving during the first week of DECATS at Strake Jesuit. From the first moment of Monday’s program the energy level was off the charts, and it only went up from there. During their first period courses, our youngest Scholars started learning about proper handshake and introduction etiquette, other Scholars started learning about their prefrontal cortex in Executive Functioning, while our Wellness squads began learning how to keep their bodies strong and healthy. Our Values & [...]

From the Director's Chair Dear Parents: Greetings from DECATS! I am delighted to share with you the highlights of our Scholars’ first week. It has been an amazing start filled with laughter, growth and unforgettable memories. The moment our Scholars arrived they were welcomed with open arms by our dedicated Mentors. The initial jitters quickly faded as we began with energetic songs and praise in the first morning assembly. It’s heartwarming to witness blossoming friendships creating a supportive and inclusive environment. From the morning to afternoon our Scholars engaged in a wide variety of exciting courses. [...]

Dear Families, We hope you have continued to be safe and well during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re writing to share with you our latest updates and decisions regarding this summer’s program. Program Status After considerable thought, discussion and prayer, we will not hold DECATS this summer. This was not an easy decision to reach, and we stand confident that our sadness for not conducting the program this year is temporary and will result in a stronger program in 2021. Our theme – “The Strength Within” – will take on a whole new meaning and still coincide with the Summer Olympics. We trust [...]