Unlike the public schools which are controlled by Union people, this school has been open since the…read morebeginning of the school year with no issues due to the virus. Enrollment is up because people want their children to get an actual education. Now those people are also finding out the benefits of Faith formation. If you're tired of the virtual classroom being forced upon you and your children by the government, now is the time to enroll them in a great private school that is also affordable.

This school, which began in 1933, has quite a history. We are proud to be part of that history, and…read morethis year, have met several people who have shared their stories. Today, OLSS School educates grades K-8th, in an environment which teaches the "whole child". The curriculum is rich in math, science, social studies and language arts. It includes Spanish beginning in Kindergarten, which is when it's best to teach any language. Also included is computer keyboarding , Art, Music, Band and PE. There is one teacher per grade, and that class size is small. Students may have an opportunity to accelerate as needed, however the curriculum is advanced and challenging, thus meeting the individual needs of each student. Parents may request a change or identify if a student is having difficulty and each situation is thus addressed as needed. Each child, and their learning styles is considered. It always helps to have parent involvement, as parents know their children from the start. I am a proud parent and volunteer from this school. I have two children who have attended since Kindergarten, and would not send my children anywhere else! Not only are the teachers passionate about teaching their students, but the parents have a sense of ownership and become as involved as they can in many ways. That sense of ownership is pride in our school. Even parents who work full time, find a way to lend a hand, or spread news about our school. Teachers take the time to get to know each student, and thus can make necessary changes and or recommendations in a team approach. OLSS Students learn character that lasts a lifetime. Trust, sharing, confidence, and perseverance are some of the concepts taught. Rules are followed and good behavior is expected. Students learn "old time" skills such as cursive handwriting , which is still important in today's world. The students have morning afternoon prayer time. Students attend Mass (usually on Wed.) and are provided with opportunities to shine in many ways. Some students use their talents in speaking to their peers, which is encouraged during assigned mass times. Each class takes a turn leading the Mass, and this helps children become comfortable reading to others and develops self confidence. Our students wear a uniform each day, which for many is a wonderful and easy way to start the day. Children don't need to wear fancy clothing to be unique. Our students do have "fun" tag days which usually revolve around a theme, and often the dollar or quarter goes to a charity. They participate in many community service projects, many of those will give them memories helping their environment, or those in need. Students at OLSS School know what it is like to "give" and how helping others is part of their helping to do God's work. OLSS Students are successful in community competitions. They have a sense of pride in participation of the County Spelling Bee, Science Fair and other competitions and sporting events. They learn fair play and how to loose as much as how to win. Many of our Alumnus have gone on to successful career paths, and some have shared their experience with our parents and students. We hope to continue to grow our school, to share our strong values with other Christians, and to do God's work to help educate students for a lifetime one at a time through building strong character and leadership.

We have had the most unfortunate experience with Creative Beginnings. We secured a spot in the 3…read moreyear old part time class for our son in March to begin in September. We shared at that time that he was born 3 months early and had developmental delays for which he receives therapy weekly. One of those issues is withholding (stooling) which has made potty training quite difficult. He is currently under the care of a specialist to work through this issue. We offered to provide medical documentation for this issue but the director was not interested and suggested that if my son had such profound special needs that he would be better serviced elsewhere. Also that we have failed as his parents as he should be potty trained by now (even though we explained that he has reached all milestones later than his age equivalent peers due to being extremely premature). Since he would have to wear a pull up he is not welcome in the class, but furthermore CB will not issue any sort of refund (we paid $300 in March-$30 registration fee and the remainder for the first month balance) even though we are not allowed to attend and won't be attending the first month (which we paid for). Also, there are currently spaces still available in this class so we have not prevented anyone from registration. We are a military family and were so looking forward to this opportunity for our son. We have never been treated this way and were shocked that a business specializing in the development of children would be so cruel toward a child and also so unwilling to offer even a partial refund for services not rendered.

Love this place. Organized, clean, friendly and fun! My 3.5 year old loves it here and I have many…read morefriends whose kids go here and have gone here till school aged!

There are no mistakes with edu here. Also the staff are strict and teach discipline. They also know…read morewhat they are doing. I highly recommend going out of your way to go and learn here.

We absolutely love HMC. The teachers and staff are all amazing. My daughter has only been for one…read moreyear and is so far ahead developmentally. She had two more years of HMC before preschool. We will probably delay moving so that she can finish out preschool here.

Enrolled our child in the preschool and had to take him out: He came home one day with a bruise on…read morehis arm. We asked him about it and he stated, "That's where the teacher grabbed me," and wouldn't talk much more about it. Thinking this may be a mistake we asked the school. The staff admitted to having to "restrain him," but not until we asked and never told us, prior to our inquiries about the bruise, that he was acting out. We found this very disturbing - if an adult lays hands on my child for any reason I want to know about it before having to ask. The staff has been very dismissive about this and have taken months to respond. Now, they are no longer returning our calls. These are the facts to date - take what you want from this story.

I cannot warn parents enough about the problems with this place. The management is terrible - they…read morehire unqualified individuals. I believe that the owner only cares about making money, not the quality of care. Both of our children were put in situations (because of staff neglect) that resulted in a trip to the emergency room while at Starmaker.

The head staff is very rude at times. There is a severe lack of communication. My child was…read morefrequently told they could not use the restroom for periods of times throughout the day many times. My child was also left unattended and wondered out into the parking lot where thankfully another parent found them. I was not told of this incident until I came to pick them up. They lose paperwork frequently and if you request to know how your child is doing education wise you get the run around that they will let you know. I was never provided evaluations like I was promised. To make matters worse the extremely high turn over rate of staff makes it impossible to have a conversation about how your child is doing in school. During our year there there were a ton of excuses and threats to raise tuition when there was a lengthy contract already in place. I simply asked a week ago for letter of recommendation for my child to enter grade school and when we asked this week for it we were treated with enormous disrespect. I would highly reconsider this place as an option for your child. There are far superior options in st Mary's county.