We moved our son to St. Alphonsus from SPS this year to start middle school as a 5th grader. Part of what drew us to the school -small class sizes--was also a concern regarding his social interactions with new peers. Our son is very justice oriented, vocal, and independent, and we were somewhat concerned with what that would mean for assimilating into a small, close-knit group of same-age class peers. However, his experience at St. Al's has been overwhelmingly positive this first year, and we've gained an entire community of support as well as friends.
As part of that community, there are volunteer expectations, but they are not misaligned with our experience of expectations of local public schools. We are a two-career, working parent household, and were easily able to make our volunteer commitments.
Academically, our son is thriving. St. Als has a terrific arts program, as is demonstrated by the annual Spring Musical. Math and science have always been strengths, but after this year, we have added reading and language arts to his list of academic strengths as well. The teachers have been particularly responsive to concerns and questions and are truly engaged and integrated into their students' learning.
One of the messages delivered at the beginning of this year was that St. Als strives to ensure that the middle school students are prepared as young adults. I have seen that in spades. Expectations for personal responsibility and accountability are extremely high. And parents of older students who have graduated from St. Als have all stated that their child was prepared for high school, whether it be public or private. Overall, our son has grown both academically as well as emotionally, and I am able to point to specific markers and interactions at school that contributed to that growth.
To be frank, this year for the school was transformative, not only with regard to certain aspects of the culture, but also in leadership. The school desperately needed a change in leadership for students, families, and faculty. My background is in private education as an administrator, and changes and challenges experienced by St. Als in the last 18 months are not easy and transitions are often difficult and can dramatically impact the overall well-being of students. Since the transition was announced, I have been impressed with how the rest of the administration, in conjunction with the Parish leadership and Parents Club have handled the transition, including their talent search for a new principal and new teachers.
In sum, we are very happy with our decision to transition our son to St. Als, and look forward to the next few years until he graduates. read more