From the Principal 
As you might imagine, I have often heard the remark, "Summer just isn’t long enough!" This year, I certainly share that sentiment -- not because I want more "summer fun." Rather, this summer hasn’t been long enough because there has been so much to be done for St. Joe’s. That is not to say that everyone hasn’t been hard at work preparing for the upcoming year. Our Assistant
Principal, Pauline Martineau, has spent many, many hours working with me to update me on school policies and practices as we have rewritten the Parent/Student Handbook to bring more clarity and effectiveness to our school. The revised handbook should be on the STJ website next week.
The faculty have met with Pauline and me for more hours than we can count, discussing the curriculum and undertaking some preliminary mapping so as to be sure we make no assumptions as to the scope and sequence of the curriculum. Other topics of our discussions have included: assessment, homework, resources and technology.
I must say that I am impressed with the energy, enthusiasm, and dedication of this faculty. They have been through many changes and have often been left on their own to try to figure out a direction for the program. Now, with the strong sense of the joint commitment we all share for St. Joe’s and with the understanding that I am in this with them -- all the way, they are energized and ready to bring to the St. Joe’s experience a strong sense of direction and ongoing evaluation of our effectiveness.
There is one very important and very strong impression that I have to share with you. Mrs. Martineau and the faculty have consistently demonstrated a palpable sense of community among themselves. They work extremely well together -- not because they have to, but because they want to. They love working together and share the kind of humor together that cannot be forced. I am noting this because this strong sense of community was something I began experiencing as I attended several STJ functions toward the end of the last school year and when I sat down to have a conversation with some of your daughters and sons. In a past letter to you, I noted that STJ is a very special place -- one where kids can still be kids, be serious when they need to and are certainly thoughtful, but it is also a place where they can still be silly and just enjoy being together. In my many years in education and administration and through the many, many experiences I have had visiting other schools and, in some cases, evaluating schools for accreditation, I can say with certainty that STJ is a rare experience.
I can also say such an experience begins with the faculty. It is certainly supported by the parents and it can only be realized with students who are ready to receive it, but it is the faculty who develop it, nurture it and continue it. Program, assessment, and policy can be improved in a relatively short period of time and with knowledgeable direction, but the sense of community and the character of an institution can be a painstakingly slow process to develop. To begin this year with a faculty who "get it" in terms of community is an advantage that I value greatly.
That sense of community is something I have also experienced through my numerous meetings with parents. In every meeting, your commitment and concern for our school has been felt. You have shared constructive criticism about the quality of instruction, effective use of homework, assessment, classroom management, policy, technology, and location. In each parent conversation, you have shown a critical level of concern, but with an understanding and compassion that have moved me. The STJ community is alive in your hearts as it is in the faculty’s.
We have much more work to do. There is little doubt of that. However, we have a very good beginning for the opening of school this year. We will continue working hard to improve STJ noticeably as the year progresses. Every concern I have heard has been noted with the faculty and is being addressed. Some areas will be works-in-progress, but your sons and daughters will have a great year, one that is focused on preparing them for high school with an emphasis on the skills they will need to succeed. They will continue to have the kind of experience you have come to count on as part of the character and community of that school, combined with a sound emphasis on academic preparedness in a truly Catholic environment.
There is one last area that I would like to address before I end my letter -- that is technology. There is only so much that can be accomplished over the course of one summer. However, technology is worth noting. At no cost to you and through an exchange of equipment that STJ no longer needs, Trinity High School has issued each STJ teacher an iPad and projector, along with an allowance for apps. While this does not place more technology into the students’ hands, it does bring the possibility for many more resources into the classroom experience. Ipads are extremely useful tools on two levels. Certainly, at Trinity, we are embracing the interaction and use of apps for both teachers and students. Another considerable benefit pertains to teachers’ use of iPads as a means to efficiently and effectively bring otherwise unavailable resources into the classroom. Rather than hunt endlessly and frustratingly through the internet for resources, teachers can find thousands of "turn key" apps to enrich instruction. The addition of iPads with the faculty is certainly not the solution to every challenge in classroom instruction, but this will be a significant addition to instructional resources. I am sure it will take time for the faculty to become entirely comfortable with this new technology. So, I will count on everyone’s patience as we make it through the awkward moments that lie ahead. Change always takes a little time to get used to.
Again, thanks to all of you who have emailed me with your questions and concerns or who have been able to take time to meet with me. Your commitment has done much to energize me as we renew and reinvigorate STJ. More challenges lie ahead -- especially as we begin strategic planning for STJ. Among those challenges, location is one that will require a great deal of creative thinking and financial planning. Before the year is over, strategic planning will be well under way, but that is a topic for another letter...
Sincerely,
Denis Mailloux, Proud Principal, STJ