School Programs

junior high service hour program

Families work together to serve at the Ronald McDonald House for SMA's Day of Giving.

In an effort to encourage our students to think of others, St. Mary of the Assumption School is beginning a service hours program for our junior high students. This service fits into our religion curriculum. The number of hours and where the service may be completed vary by grade level. (Currently, due to limited opportunities because of COVID restrictions at many organizations, the total number of hours for all junior high students is 12 hours/year, and the categories of service locations have been removed. Our students may fulfill their 12 hours in any combination of locations and activies that works for their family.)

what is the 6th grade service requirement?

Total hours required: 12 hours
Service hours at home: 4 hours
Service at school or in the parish: 4 hours
Service in the community: 4 hours

what is the 7th grade service requirement?

Total hours required: 16 hours
Service at school or in the parish: 12 hours
Service in the community: 4 hours

what is the 8th grade service requirement?

Total hours required: 20 hours
Service at school or in the parish: 10 hours
Service in the community: 10 hours

what are some examples of service that will work for each category?

HOME: Spending a Saturday helping clean out the garage; time spent collecting items at home to donate to charity; and clearing a grandparent's home.
SCHOOL/PARISH: Preschool Pals, Caring Angels, Faithbuilders, Student Council, Grace Notes, Knightly News, Altar Server, Festival, Helping Hands, and rosary making.
COMMUNITY: Parish Day of Service, St. Pat's Soup Kitchen, Safety Town, Project Hope, A community fundraiser, Shovel/rake for the elderly, Food banks, etc.

EnRICHMENT program

St. Mary’s Enrichment Program is designed to meet the needs of students who have demonstrated higher than average cognitive skills and achievement test scores. Gifted students have unique characteristics that require a modified curriculum and social and emotional support. The Enrichment Program curriculum encourages questioning, creativity, problem-solving, and higher level thinking skills.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE ENRICHMENT PROGRAM?

Students in grades 3-8 who meet the highest criteria based on standardized assessments.

HOW DOES THE ENRICHMENT PROGRAM WORK?

Enrichment Program participants meet weekly in the Enrichment classroom for one hour. Students work collaboratively on interdisciplinary projects designed to encourage questions, problem solving, and higher-level thinking. Students are responsible for making up any work that they missed in their general education classes while they were pulled out for Enrichment.

who facilitates the ENRICHMENT program?

Mrs. Petsche facilitates the Enrichment Program. Mrs. Petsche brings years of classroom experience to the program and has a knack for motivating students to stretch themselves.

Does my child have to be re-evaluated each year?

No. Once a child is identified as gifted, they may continue with the Enrichment Program through the 8th grade, assuming that they are responsible about making up work missed in their general education classes. Students who do not qualify the first year of eligibility may be invited to participate in subsequent years if their test scores and classroom performance warrants it.

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL ENRICHMENT PROJECTS?

Past projects have included designing Rube Goldberg machines, participating in mock trials, learning about engineering with Lego robotics, solving logic puzzles, a stock market competition, and creating student-produced videos. Each lesson is differentiated to meet the abilities of Enrichment participants and extend beyond the scope of grade level standards.

These Enrichment students are encouraged to think out of the norm. They are designing tracks with speed bumps, blockades, and turns in an attempt to slow down a marble as it travels from one end of their track to the other. In this race the slowest time wins!

auxiliary services

Through Ohio Auxiliary Services and federal funding, St. Mary’s is able to provide assistance for students with special needs, including two intervention specialists, a school psychologist, a speech and language therapist, a nurse, a textbook/service clerk. All of these services, with the exception of the nurse, are housed in the Learning Center near the Weaver Activity Center. Students are screened to determine if they qualify for special education services. In addition, parent and teacher referrals may also be made.

i can the way i am

I CAN the Way I AM is a school-wide disability awareness program that takes place throughout the month of October. The faculty, staff, parents, and students devote class time to study a specific disability with the goal being to raise awareness about all that people with disabilities can do. Students prepare for classroom simulations and guest speakers using resources funded by the PTU. This program partners with the Cleveland Sight Center, Cleveland Hearing and Speech, Deepwood, and many individuals with disabilities in our community who share their stories. Each year the program concludes with a school-wide celebration highlighting all that we have learned: In 2015 the Wheelchair Cleveland Cavaliers visited students, in 2016 St. Mary's welcomed Sam Drazin, a nationally recognized speaker with Treacher-Collins Syndrome, and in 2017 5th-8th graders saw the movie Wonder in the theater on it's opening day.

who participates in this program?

Students pre-K through 8th grade participate in the program.

HOW DOES THE "i can the way i am" program work?

Each grade level has a specific focus. The students are introduced to a specific disability-related topic, experience hands-on simulations, and meet with speakers who have first-hand experiences with disabilities. The website will highlight key topics addressed by grade level and feature pictures from previous years.

How Can I help?

Each year the program has approximately 40 volunteers. Volunteers can register with this link. Volunteers are typically contacted the summer before the program and provided with the details they need about dates and times. Each grade level needs parents to facilitate classroom experiences related to heightening students' awareness about those with special needs.

Kim Stenger, an attorney from Kirtland, visits with 1st graders to discuss the abilities of people with disabilities.

bullying prevention programs

St. Mary of the Assumption School incorporates the topic of bullying prevention throughout the curriculum. Staff and students are also trained to prevent and address bullying through formal, evidence-based programs designed for elementary school students.

The "Stick Together" bullying program was presented by Mrs. Betley to students in the 2nd-5th grades. As part of this program, students came up with words to define "kindness," watched a brief video on spreading compassion, shared their feelings about how people are treated, and took a pledge to work together to create a safe school where everyone is kind to one another. St. Mary's also partnered with the Cleveland Playhouse to bring Classroom Matinee to all students in 4th-8th grade. This professional touring theater production had an anti-bullying message and addressed issues of racial tolerance, socio-economic inequality, and conflict resolution. The goal of the aforementioned programs is to stop bullying before it starts.

The Lake County Narcotics Agency shares the PLUS program with twelve schools in our community.

P.L.U.S. program

P.L.U.S. stands for Peers Learning Usable Skills and was developed by Officer Willis from the Lake County Narcotics Agency. The program strives to teach 5th grade students the dangers of drugs like alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants, and others. In addition, Officer Willis introduces skills the students can use to help them avoid and resist the pressure to use these drugs. Since drug use often leads to violence, the program also teaches skills to help students avoid violence and violent situations.

The 7th grade students participate in the P.L.U.S. Squared Program. The goal of this program is for students to review the dangers of drugs. In addition, Officer Willis discusses the dangers of prescription drug abuse, and the new group of drugs known as synthetics. The program looks at the damaging effects of drug use on our community and our families. Officer Willis and students also examine perceptions about drug use among middle school students and discuss how they are influenced by what they believe to be true.

WHat do 5th graders say about the program?

"My favorite part of PLUS is when we do activities at the beginning of class because they are fun, but they also teach us about the topic that we are learning about."
"I have learned that you should never, ever, in your one and only lifetime, try drugs. They are so harmful to everyone."
"I like Officer Willis’s enthusiasm and writing notes on what he is teaching us."

what do 7th graders say about the program?

"P.L.U.S. Squared teaches me about drugs and the dangers of them, so if I’m in a situation, I know what to do."
"I like the fact that I get to learn about these drugs and what they do to you so that in the future I can help somebody who is planning on taking it know about it before they become ill."
"P.L.U.S. Squared has given me more insight into drug use and I learned statistics that were very surprising to me."
"One thing I like about P.L.U.S. Squared is that we can talk about things in a comfortable environment."
"When people think about drugs, I think that they put up a wall and say that will never be me and I’ll never do that, but in reality, it could happen to you and we discuss that."
"P.L.U.S. Squared makes me think critically about my decisions and understand how they can affect me."

how can parents find out more about the p.l.u.S. program?

Officer Willis holds a parent information night for St. Mary's families every year. Parents may also learn more about the program by visiting the P.L.U.S. home page.

what is expected of parents with children participating in p.L.U.S.?

As part of the P.L.U.S. program, students are asked to complete enrichment assignments with their parents. Officer Willis asks parents to discuss with, listen to, and question their children's feelings, beliefs, and expectations regarding the content of the assignment.

Officer Willis working with 5th grade students.