My children have been at St. Mary's for 3 years and we LOVE it! The class sizes are fairly small, and there are at least 2 instructors in every room. The teaching staff really take the time to give each child personal attention - my son was a late reader and his teachers worked with him and we were able to enroll him in added enrichment programs. This school reminds me of something from the 1950s (in a good way) - the hallways are wide and clean, the classes are bright and cheerful and you almost expect the whole place to smell like freshly sharpened pencils. Once you've been there for a couple of years, everyone knows you by name, even if they didn't teach your child. It is just a wonderful environment.
We are not Catholic, so we made the decision to attend St. Mary's based on other factors. However, I am glad that my children are being taught right from wrong and that the curriculum values morality as well as academic achievements. Although the school is very centered on Catholicism (of course) it is taught in a very loving way, not in a way that condemns people who may have been raised in other faiths. There is no hate or damnation in the religious teachings.
My only concern (which is relatively minor) is that the school sends home a TON of paper every day - all kinds of notices. I would love it if they would get more up to speed with tools like Facebook and Twitter - or even just regular updates to their websites. I would like to have the ability to ""opt out"" of paper notices and be able to access a secure class website instead for non-critical announcements. I know not everybody is comfortable with technology but even if just a third of parents wanted to go paperless, it would probably save a lot of money and paper.
In short - I can't imagine a better school for my kids and I'm so glad we made the decision to send them to St. Mary's.
Pros: Warm, colorful classrooms, great teachers
Cons: Need better technology - more updates on FB, website
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