A huge thank you to all the parents who came out last night for the 2013-2014 State of the School Address.  We feel it is extremely important for our parents to know how their school is performing in key areas and hope everyone who attended walked away with a clear picture of this – from both our perspective and that of Mr. Hartling, Principal of East Catholic.

A quick recap, for those parents who were not able to attend:  Amy Guenther, Director of Advancement, showed our (outstanding) IOWA scores from 2013 as well as showing how each class has performed year over year on the test.  The presentation also discussed enhancements to our Science and Math programs and the large influx/strong performance of our instrumental music students.

The presentation touched on the windows project as well as showing our fundraising and other means of income.  In this discussion, we showcased the average cost of educating a student at SJS for the past 3 years compared with the tuition numbers.

We discussed our enrollment this year (and showed enrollment trends for  the past 10 years) and the importance of everyone’s support in helping us get the word out about our school.

We discussed the school’s upcoming re-accreditation – set for October 2015, what that means, and the numerous elements involved.  We concluded with other initiatives that the school is working on and several enhancements you will see this year.

For the second half hour Jason Hartling, Principal of East Catholic, spoke about his observations regarding what is going on in education today.  Lending nicely to the discussion, Mr. Hartling talked about his varied background as a teacher, principal at a public school, his many years working with the magnet school programs in Baltimore, and his perceptions from this experience.  He very clearly articulated the academic strengths and moral/Catholic values he sees in SJS students that matriculate to East – including the overall foundation Saint James is giving students: a foundation that sets the tone for success in High School, College, and beyond.  He finished by taking questions from the parents in attendance.

If you were unable to attend last night and would like to view a recorded version, please contact Amy Guenther at aguenther@saintjamesschool.net and she will work on scheduling a time with you.

Based on positive feedback from our Spring Yankee Candle fundraiser, we are sending home with your child the Yankee Candle Fall/Holiday catalog.  Some students will bring them home today, others will receive them to bring home on Tuesday.

Orders can be placed until 10/25/2013 (note extension from the date in the packet) so that we can ensure delivery to you before our Thanksgiving break.

You will see that there are some great hostess gift ideas for those of you who are traveling for the Holidays as well as some wonderful Christmas gift ideas.

This year, Yankee Candle has also provided  a website so that out of town friends and relatives who would like to support the school can also participate in this fundraiser.

As always, participation in our fundraisers is voluntary.   If you can find something you can use or get some of your holiday shopping done, we certainly appreciate your support.

Any questions can be directed to Ailsa Christina at t4bearkwi@yahoo.com or Mary Ann Creamer at ma1283@att.com.