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Welcome
to
St. Mary School
A Message from the Principal Charlotte Koch
February, 2008
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence.”
—Vince Lombardi
Dear Parents, Families, and Friends,
Have you ever wondered why some teachers are so effective and so loved by their students? A good teacher has high expectations, encourages, and does more ‘showing’ than ‘telling.’
Good teachers instill in their students a love of learning and a sense of pride in their work. They inspire students to never settle for less than their best. The amazing thing is, their students will give them whatever they expect. So I always encourage teachers to have high expectations for their students. They will reach for those goals that are set for them.
Parents also play an integral part in helping their children develop a love of learning. When they show their children that they are interested in what the children are studying, take time to help them study for a test or help with a difficult assignment, and are willing to talk with them about their day at school it sends a critical message to the children. Through these actions, parents are “showing” their children that they are interested in what is happening at school. They truly care!
Parents, expect the best from your children and teach them never to settle for less than their best. Spend more time showing and not just telling. You will be amazed at what a difference this will make for your child and what they can and will achieve!
Sincerely,
Charlotte Koch
December, 2007
"Grand adventures await those willing to turn the corner." Author Unknown
Dear Parents, Families, and Friends,
As we proceed through the 2007-2008 school year, we have much to celebrate! Our yearly Terra Nova test scores came back from the Diocese with great results! For the past year we have worked very diligently on higher level thinking skills and it has paid off with great scores on our tests — particularly in the area of higher level thinking skills.
Our student percentile score on "analyze, evaluate, and extend" questions was a 74%, which means out of 100 students tested our students scored better than 74 of those students. Our Reading Comprehension score went up 3.2% points, our Language score went up .4% points, our Math Composite score went up .5% points, and our Science score went up .5% points.
Our overall school test average for all tests taken for all students is 70.5% as compared to the Diocesan average which is 61.5% and the National average which is 60.7%. You can see, we have much to be proud of, celebrate, and be thankful for!
Since beginning these tests in 2003-04 our overall test average has risen 8.5 percentage points. The teachers and I look these tests over every year and determine what we as a staff need to focus on to help our students grow and we set goals to work on as a staff to help the students achieve those goals.
Now we will be looking at our 2007-08 test results and setting new goals for the upcoming year. We need the support of everyone involved with our school to achieve those goals! Great things will await our students if we all work together to reach those goals!
Jump on board! It’s an exciting time at SMS!
Sincerely,
Charlotte Koch
