Very few elementary schools have a principal with more professional qualifications and awards than Saint Joseph School. Dr. Paula Valenti brings 40 years of combined classroom and administrative experience to her role as principal here. She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Seton Hall University, a Master of Arts in Elementary Education with a specialization in Gifted and Talented, and a Bachelor of Arts in Education with certification in Kindergarten through Grade 12.
She began her professional career as an art teacher in the Montclair gifted and talented magnet schools, went on to teach at Dumont High School, and then spent 18 years teaching in the Ridgewood, NJ public school system.
After years of seeing how the Arts were continually threatened by budget cuts, she sought a place at the decision -making table and moved to administration. Her roles there have included being supervisor of 72 schools in Newark, assistant principal and then principal of Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, and principal of Emerson Jr/Sr High School in Emerson, NJ. She is the recipient of three Governor’s Awards, is a Fellow of the Art Educators of New Jersey and is a founding member of Hand and Mind Institute, which offered professional development seminars on college campuses. She capped her very distinguished career as Superintendent of Glen Rock Public Schools.
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When she retired from public education in 2017, she sent her credentials to the Archdiocese of Newark. A product of Catholic elementary education herself, having attended St. Anne’s Catholic School in Garwood, NJ, Dr. Valenti wasn’t ready to hang up her educator/administrator hat. Eager to share her experience and skills with today’s Catholic school students and families, she was delighted to find herself assigned to Saint Joseph School in Oradell/New Milford—and we have been truly blessed by her presence here.
She has already created some exciting initiatives at SJS, including the monthly Lancer Cafe at which students invite distinguished guests from the community to dine with them as they polish their table manners and conversation skills. She has expanded our student drama program (the spring production will be “The Great Gatsby”), integrated our library, media and technology curriculum, and created a winter lunch recess enrichment program with everything from chess and cooking to Lego construction and crafting. She will be introducing a new reading and language arts program in the Fall, has implemented the “parent portal” online program that allows parents to directly access a student’s progress and is looking into expanding “the greenhouse,” our early childhood education program.
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Stop by to meet Dr. Valenti or call 201-261-2388 to learn more about Saint Joseph School. Registration is ongoing for the 2019-2020 school year. Also, consider the Lancer for a Day program where your child can experience first hand a day at Saint Joseph School. Located at: 305 Elm Street, Oradell, NJ 07649. sjsusa.org