Educational Technology
Our Lady of Lourdes Academy strives to prepare students with real world skills for the 21st century. The school prides itself in being a leader in its use and implementation of educational technology.
Campus-wide Network
Our campus-wide network allows access to the local intranet, as well as the World Wide Web.
Online Attendance
Each classroom is connected to the network, allowing teachers to access online attendance, the Microsoft Office Package, virtual whiteboard software and other instructional applications.
Smart Boards
Our Lady of Lourdes Academy has interactive Smart Boards in all classrooms. This innovative technology adds an element of interactivity to each lesson and creates a captivating learning environment.
Computer Labs
The labs in rooms 215 and 216 are used predominantly for business and computer science studies. Fully-equipped, software packages include: Microsoft Office, Microsoft Visual Studio, JCreator and other accounting and business applications. The publications lab in room 214 is primarily used for the production of our school newspaper, literary/art magazine and yearbook, as well as for instruction in graphic design, digital imaging and multimedia. In addition to the software packages listed above, this newly renovated Mac lab is equipped with the Adobe Creative Suite. Digital cameras, scanners and other peripheral devices are also available for student use.
Wireless Laptop Labs
Our wireless laptop labs, including tablet PCs, enhance our English, economics, mathematics, social studies, science, theology and foreign language curriculum, affording students the opportunity to conduct real-time research, use specialized educational software and access the plethora of information available on the Web.
Science Labs
The Christine Robbins Science Center includes four laboratories, fully-equipped with computer mini-labs, Smart Boards, probe ware and a video microscope, which allow students to apply learned concepts with real-world tools.
Foreign Language Labs
Our foreign language labs enhance students' auditory and verbal skills in both French and Spanish.
Library/Media Center
Computers with Internet access, online subscriptions and library card catalogs offer library patrons the latest available sources on information for academic and business purposes. Our networked color-laser printers are available for student and teacher use.
Computer Resource Room
The Computer Resource Room, located in the library, is available for class instruction, as well as individual student use. It houses 15 brand new iMac computers, equipped with Adobe Creative Suite, among other applications.
TV/Video Production Room
Our morning announcements and activity videos are produced with state-of-the-art video equipment and industry-standard video editing tools.
Cafe Pre-Pay
Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy is participating in a new cafeteria program, which has a wide array of foods available for breakfast and lunch. Members of the school community pay for their meals using a new computerized debit system, which accesses each person's account through fingerprint recognition.
Edline
Our Lady of Lourdes Academy partners with Edline, a Web site hosting and portal solution for schools that facilitates the flow of information among parents, students and teachers. With an Edline account, parents and students can view grades, assignments, class notes and a schedule of events, as well as communicate with teachers. Edline also affords the school the opportunity to send e-mail, voice and text notifications/reminders to members of the school community.
School Web Site
The school's Web site (www.olla.org), which is updated daily, provides parents and students unlimited access to news and information. In addition, it facilitates e-mail communication with faculty and administration.
Today's digital world is noisy, complex and often disorienting. The result often means school communication gets muddled, and the intended message gets lost in translation. Given that most are comfortable using Facebook to communicate, it seemed only logical to use Facebook as a reliable conduit to communicate to constituents on a regular basis, affording the school the ability to share important information that will not only improve student achievement but help build a productive and healthy school culture. Facebook is used in conjunction to Edline, e-mails, the school Web site and our text and voice dialing functionalities to maximize communication between the school and the captive audience Facebook provides. The school's Facebook presence also serves a marketing purpose -- allowing others to take a glimpse at day-to-day activities at the school. The school's Facebook page can be accessed by visiting www.facebook.com/lourdesacademy.