Student Support Programs

The St. Joseph’s Program is proud to offer individualized assistance while maintaining high expectations. Established in 2010, the program extends and formalizes the support given to Bishop McNamara High School students with learning differences. The St. Joseph’s Program provides reasonable accommodations in consultation with teachers and guidance counselors.

The St. Joseph’s Program accepts students admitted to Bishop McNamara High School with documented learning differences.  Admission to the program requires that the student has been admitted to BMHS, has submitted a recent psycho-educational test, and has submitted an application to the St. Joseph’s Program.

For incoming freshmen, students complete a 4-week summer program prior to their 9th-grade year. The summer program includes reading and mathematics content paired with skill development and orientation activities for high school.

The St. Joseph’s Program is designed to provide a positive, Catholic, college preparatory, educational, and social experience for a select group of students with diagnosed learning differences.

The St. Joseph’s Program is staffed with highly qualified special and general education professionals dedicated to empowering students to think on their own, take responsibility for their decisions, and become life-long learners.

The Saint Joseph's Program will hold information nights to share the specifics about this program twice in the fall.

For a printable overview of the program, go to St. Joseph Program Brochure.

The support given to students in the classroom is guided by our team of skilled content-area instructors in collaboration with the St. Joseph’s Program staff and the counseling office. The teachers implement interventions and accommodations.

Families, teachers, counselors and administrators work together to support all of our St. Joseph’s Program students. The St. Joseph’s Program staff instructs the summer school program for incoming St. Joseph’s freshmen, easing their transition to high school.

Our staff is dedicated to the success of the student - academically, socially and with any of their goals.

The St. Joseph’s Program is staffed with highly qualified special and general education professionals dedicated to empowering students to think on their own, take responsibility for their decisions, and become life-long learners.

The St. Joseph Program and Center was named to honor St. Joseph, a patron of the Congregation of Holy Cross which sponsors Bishop McNamara High School. Known as compassionate, caring and mindful to the Holy Spirit, St. Joseph was the foster father to whom Jesus was entrusted, along with Mary his mother. His concern for the protection of the child Jesus provides a model for the nurturance of young people everywhere. St. Joseph is also the patron saint for fathers, workers, and social justice; his feast days are March 19th and May 1st.

Students in the St. Joseph Program may have testing accommodations on their Individual Accommodation Plan (IAP). These accommodations may include one or more of the following:

• Extended time
• Test response monitoring
• Multiple testing sessions

The St. Joseph Center provides a quiet, separate environment for students to take tests. When a test is to be administered for a class, the teacher sends the student to the Center to take the test.

See St. Joseph Program Testing Information.

St. Joseph Program fee (inclusive of required summer school fees) for the 9th-grade year is set at $2000. Incoming students entering beyond freshman year will receive an adjusted rate. The fee for support through the St. Joseph Center in subsequent years is $500.

Individual Accommodation Plans (IAP) are created for each student. Plans are based on testing recommendations, teacher observations, and student needs. IAPs are updated as appropriate.

The IAP may include:

• Consultation with St. Joseph Center staff
• Extended time for testing
• Testing in the St. Joseph Center
• An extra set of textbooks for home use
• Copies of lecture notes
• Preferential seating
• Foreign language assistance
• Adaptive technology usage
• Other specific accommodations as needed

Accommodations:

• Provide equitable access
• Do not change the construct being assessed
• Do not compromise the integrity or validity of the test
• Do not reduce learning expectations
• Result in valid, meaningful test results
• Adjusts how a student learns and demonstrates mastery
• Do not adjust what a student learns

Students in the St. Andre program attend courses with their peers at least half of the day, along with receiving specialized instruction in our St. Andre classroom in reading, math, study skills, and life skills.  

Students in the St. Andre Program participate in all aspects of the Holy Cross community. They join clubs, and athletics teams; serve at Mass; and participate in choir, dance concerts, and school plays.  

Students in the St Andre program receive a certificate upon completion of their high school program, signifying their accomplishments here at Bishop McNamara High School. This is a non-diploma program.

At Bishop McNamara, each student’s schedule in the St. Andre program is carefully designed with input from parents/guardians, teachers, and the student. Every student has a schedule that includes a mixture of college preparatory and elective classes, as well as small classes in reading, writing, and math that are specifically designed for students in the program.  Coursework and assessments are modified to align with the student's goals and strengths.

The Enrollment Process is:

• Completion of an online Application for Admission
• Evaluation of current individualized education plan
• Review of current psychological evaluation
• Shadow day for the prospective student at Bishop McNamara
• Interview with the prospective student, their family, the St. Andre team, and the Admissions team 

On October 17, 2010, St. André Bessette became Holy Cross’ first saint when he was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI. On this day, the Church recognized that God chose a very simple man for a remarkable life of service to the Church.

Alfred entered the Holy Cross Novitiate on December 27, 1870 and took the name André. Brother André was assigned as doorkeeper of Notre Dame College in Montreal, and he continued this assignment as a professed brother. Among his many duties, he greeted visitors and tended to their needs. Eventually many people began to experience physical healings after praying with Brother André and his reputation spread. So many people flocked to see him that the Congregation allowed him to see sick people at a trolley station across the street. The crowds got larger, more cures were reported, and Brother André became increasingly well-known. Through it all Brother André remained humble, often seeming confused that people would lavish such praise on him. He knew that the real source of these miraculous cures was St. Joseph’s intercession.

As Holy Cross’ first saint, we named this program in honor of Alfred Bessette to form empowered leaders, inspired by the Gospel, transforming the world.

The St. Andre Program is sustained through generous grants from organizations such as the Catholic Coalition for Special Education and Tribute 21. We are grateful for their support.

Families interested in learning more about the St. Andre program should contact Mrs. Abigail Greer, Director of Student Support, by phone at (301)-735-848, ext. 153 or vial email at abigail.greer@bmhs.org.

The Project PRIDE Program was established in 1999 as an admissions inclusion program to assist our most profoundly at-risk students. Project PRIDE works with approximately 20 to 25 incoming 9th-grade students each year who present one or more significant factors that may impede academic success. Students in Project PRIDE enroll in summer school and begin with remediation courses in Math, English, and Reading. Beginning in July and throughout the school year, students in Project PRIDE receive personal counseling, adjustment counseling, and academic counseling, listen to guest speakers, attend workshops and field trips, and participate in team-building experiences, which all serve as important components of the program. Project PRIDE, therefore, instills in each student a drive and a determination to overcome any obstacle or happenstance that would deter him or her from being the absolute best student they can be at Bishop McNamara High School. It is during these years of important preparation, the foundations for self-esteem and success are permeated, enabling future achievements to be realized. As former President/CEO of Bishop McNamara, Mrs. Heather Gossart notes, "Project PRIDE is a living testimony to the unlimited potential of young people who are supported, believed in, and nurtured in faith, scholarship, leadership, service, and character."

PRIDE stands for Positively Reinforcing Independence Determination and Excellence.

The Project PRIDE Program is led by its Director,  Ms. Cherese Carter. For more information, contact her at Cherese.Carter@bmhs.org.