Welcome to Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School
The philosophy of Nativity of Our Lord is based on a firm belief in the inherent dignity of each individual. Accordingly, ample opportunities for spiritual andintellectual growth are available to all students. Our philosophy of education also reflects an awareness on the part of the staff, of the diversity of economic, social, and cultural differences within the school community.
Dear Friends of Nativity,
In June of 2020, a Catholic School’s Task-force was created by the Diocese of Buffalo Education Department to discuss school reopening plans for the 2020-2021 school year. The task-force is made up of the Superintendent of Catholic Schools, assistant superintendents and administrators from local diocesan schools. Once these plans are approved and disseminated Nativity of Our Lord will customize the plans to fit the needs of our building while giving the appropriate amount of safety to the students, faculty and staff.
Nativity of Our Lord School is preparing, this summer, to be open for students in September 2020. We are planning building-wide policies and procedures that will address school arrival and dismissal, traveling safely through the building, socially distanced classrooms, monitoring temperatures of individuals present in the building, and other factors that will be impacted during the school day due to the circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers will be receiving distance learning professional development, over the summer, in the event that the school is not able to open as planned in September or in the event that schools get shutdown at some point during the school year.
I feel it is important to emphasize, we are planning to be open in September, however, there are factors and circumstances that are out of my control regarding the opening of Nativity. We are a private school but we do need to follow the mandates of the state and our local school district when deciding when and how to open the school. Once those mandates are announced we will follow them to ensure safety to all members of the Nativity of Our Lord Community.
I thank you all for taking the time to respond to the various surveys you were sent recently. Those results are helpful as we plan our future and devise plans to continue to provide high quality education in the event that we need to revert back to distance learning.
Thank you all for your continued support for Nativity of Our Lord School.
Sincerely in Christ,
Christopher Gardon
Principal
Nativity of Our Lord School
STREAM schools are the necessary evolution of STEM Schools in Buffalo, using an interdisciplinary approach to bridge subject areas. It is important to note that that STREAM Education is not a new curriculum, but a philosophical framework for delivering excellence in Catholic education for 21st century learners!
Educator Spotlight
Our teachers love Nativity. We have educators who have dedicated their teaching careers to making Nativity the strongest academic environment of the Southtowns.
Meet Mr. Michael Kerwin
Mr. Kerwin has been at Nativity for 39 years! He has touched the lives of hundreds and hundreds of students. Read on to learn a little about Mr. Kerwin’s history at Nativity:
Mr. Kerwin was hired by Sr. Kathleen Murphy and started at Nativity in September 1981 to teach junior high social studies and one section of reading. Mr. Kerwin taught Spanish from 1992-1997 and from 2009 to the present.
Far from remaining in the classroom only, Michael hit the court when he coached basketball from 1981-1991, and 1992-93. Early on he worked with Joe DeMarco and Mr. Kerwin took over when Mr. DeMarco left teaching. Outside of the classroom and the court, Mr. Kerwin also helped organize school talent shows in the mid-1980’s.
By 1989, Michael was named assistant principal, working under then new school principal, Ruth Frost. Michael was also named Chairman of the Middle States Steering Committee in 1990-1992 and was a recipient of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award in January 1991.
He also found time to play guitar at school masses and Christmas programs since the late 1980’s, for many years with Sr. Geraldine Nowak and then with Mr. Lawrence Maguda.
Mr. Kerwin has worked for four different pastors: Msgr. Thomas J. Beasley, Fr. Lawrence Milby, Fr. Bernard Nowak, and now Fr. James Ciupek. He has worked for three principals: Sr. Kathleen Murphy, Ms. Ruth Frost, and Mr. Christopher Gardon.
Mr. Kerwin graduated from St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, Canisius College, and the University of Buffalo. He has been married since 1985 and he and his wife have a son and a daughter.
Mr. Kerwin appreciates his time at Nativity, saying, “I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work, right from the start, with so many talented colleagues at Nativity School.”
