Hi Beth,

I just want to let you know that my girls LOVE 7th grade!  They said the first day of school went by so fast it seemed like it was only 10 minutes.  They said they really liked Mr. Jacobi (he looks like an older Benedict Cumberbatch who plays Sherlock in the BBC series), and are super excited about the multi-media classes, Brendon’s PE and the robotics.  They said this year seemed more like high school because the classes are so interesting and fun.

Thank you for your continued encouragement and support of my family at SMSOC.  I can’t imagine being anywhere else.

Best,
Sarah

Hi Leigh,

I don’t tell you nearly as often as I should, but I hope you know that Jeff and I are so very grateful for you and for the faculty and staff of St Michael’s.

Your dedication to the kids is radiates in all that you do – every class, every event, every day.

My only concern – If St Michael’s is the standard by which Dan judges, all subsequent schools will really have to bring their “A” game!

Here’s to another great year!

All my best,

Jan

Two Recent Raves For Our Tri Art Camp:

Theresa,

Thanks so much for a GREAT session last week; my daughter Mallory, a Tri-Art first-timer, had SO much fun at your camp! It was really perfect for her! She re-united with an old friend from her preschool days, Maya, and thoroughly enjoyed learning swimming techniques, clay, the bike shop, cooking, a new sport to her: polo, & LOVED sewing! We really appreciate all the teachers and staff who were part of the camp!

Thanks again,
Stacy I.

Hi Theresa, I just want to thank you for such a great experience this summer. Luke attended a different camp last summer and it was a continual nightmare – he was so miserable and made us miserable as well. This year he is enthusiastic and looks forward to coming, so for that we thank you!

Thanks!

Jayne H.

The 2010-2011 school year was successful in a number of ways for the St. Michael School of Clayton.  The budget exceeded expectations.  Enrollment continues to be strong.  The school is doing an excellent job of getting the word out about its mission and its unique program.  The middle school program is taking root.  All of this is important and great news.  Beth Mosher, our head, Rev. Archie, the Chairman of the Board, and the faculty and staff of the School are all to be commended for the progress the school is making.  As President of the Board of Trustees for the past two years, these types of metrics have been foremost in my mind when evaluating how the Board, the faculty and the staff are performing.

A Parent/Teacher Exchange Worth Sharing

Elizabeth,
I don’t know if the families realize how lucky they are to have their child in a class that is taught by a teacher with a master’s degree in special ed. You are able to offer all of the kids an individualized approach to learning– disability or not. As well, you have specialized knowledge about learning styles and strategies to teach that many general ed teachers don’t have.

One of the reasons I love SMSOC is that all kids are included– no big deal. It made me so happy that Brandon participated and drew “The Scream.”

My concern was not wanting to make autism weirder than it is– and it IS weird– but also to say that people are people, bottom line. My desire is to normalize autism and families like ours yet still acknowledge the hard reality. I was so glad that Izzy wanted to share– we have no shame about it. Izzy and I were laughing this morning that Ames came in all his glory: Soviet Union t-shirt, Hawaiian shorts, and socks on his hands– and then told everyone not to worry because he doesn’t smoke!

Parent Letter

Thank you both so much for sharing your thoughts with us. I can’t tell you how happy we are to know that both our boys have such an amazing school to go to each day. The reason it’s amazing is because of the creative, talented  and caring teachers there. It has literally changed our lives.   –Marlene (mother of a second grader)

Parent Testimonial

Ms. Eppert,

Thank you so much for the introduction to speed skating. Katherine is very excited and as parents we would like to capitalize on her current enthusiasm. She brought home a brochure on speed skating last night and said that you would be putting together a “team”. I wanted to let you know that she is definitely interested! We are all for it. What do I need to do to get her started.

I love the curriculum at SMS. I love the way you keep the kids moving and excited about health. I caught Jack exercising his gluteus maximum the other day. I don’t think I knew that term until I was in High School. It cracked us up. Thank you for everything you do. Could not be happier with our decision to send both children to SMSOC.

Kristin S. Kuchem
EverBank World Markets

Parent Testimonial

Dear Beth,
Beth,
I just received in the mail Matt’s Stanford Achievement Test scores from last spring. I want to reiterate how grateful we are to you and the teachers at The St. Michael School of Clayton for all you did for Matt while he was there! His scores were the highest they have ever been in any achievement test he has ever taken. Also, he is doing wonderfully at Chaminade. I know he wouldn’t be accomplishing what he is right now without the support and dedication to his personal success that he received from you and his teachers. We are truly grateful to you!
I hope the new school year is going well and I still enjoy receiving the SMSOC newsletter. I like seeing what your school is up to these days. You run a truly innovative program and I talk it up to everyone I meet when the topic of St. Louis schools comes up. I wish you personally and The St. Michael School continued success in the future. Please tell everyone Matt misses them and says “hello,”
Christina

Parent Testimonial

“I was raised in public schools and brought my daughters to The St. Michael School of Clayton from a parochial school; so you can imagine my surprise that a place like this even exists! My daughters performed well in their parochial school, as I had in my public one, but now they are allowed to live up to their potential. Their confidence has grown so much, they come home every day with exciting stories to tell and skip off to school in the morning, eager to face the day. My wife and I could not be happier.”

Parent Testimonial

I recently received the following letter from Jeff Pike. Jeff was a past Chair of our Board of Trustees and Dean of the Art School at Washington University. Jeff, his wife, Michelle and their daughter Siena moved to Charlottesville, VA while Jeff was on sabbatical.

Dear Beth,

To say that Siena was bitterly disappointed to leave SMS prior to graduating from the sixth grade is an understatement. We moved to Charlottesville, VA for my sabbatical and Michelle and I enrolled Siena in Burley Middle School.
It took some time to get Siena properly placed in the new curriculum.
However, faculty and staff were helpful and professional. We met with
Siena’s faculty fairly regularly throughout the year. By mid-term in the
fall it became clear to her faculty that Siena needed to be in an advanced
math class, and was moved. She struggled with the change getting very low grades. As she adjusted, her grades improved.