Message from the Principal
March 2017
Dear St. Thomas School Families,
I would like to take the opportunity to share with the school community the results of our Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA) accreditation. It was a great success and a great amount of gratitude goes out to faculty and staff who dedicate their time, effort and love to making St. Thomas the Apostle school the best. Our official accreditation with not come until July but the chair of the accreditation committee did share the report of findings that will be turned into WASC and WCEA for review. Below is a summary of the report of findings, as written by the accreditation committee, and a list of our schools significant accomplishments and goals moving forward. If you would like to know more information about these accomplishments and goals I would be happy to meet with you so please reach out.
Visiting Committee Summary of Thoughts
The Visiting Committee observed that St. Thomas the Apostle School is a very pleasant, warm, and loving Catholic community. We were exceptionally impressed by the analysis and use of student data. This focus on student accomplishment is evident in the level of engagement of each individual, and the interactions among teachers and students; students clearly feel personally involved in their own learning. We were impressed by the level of parent engagement, as evidenced by the attendance and input at the parent meeting. Parents repeatedly mentioned how they feel a sense of community at this school.We were also impressed by the commitment and dedication of the school board. The school board is a willing resource that can be further utilized to help the school reach its goals moving forward. Finally, the school’s Catholic identity is also noted as a strength; the combination of prayer, worship and service has had a positive impact on students’ faith formation. St. Thomas the Apostle School is truly a blessed community!
School-Wide Significant Accomplishments (the eight most significant determined by the VC)
- Student faith formation as exemplified by attention to prayer and worship, including the addition of music at the mass and increased opportunities for participation in liturgy.
- Christian service opportunities in the local community as exemplified by meaningful community partnerships.
- School-wide implementation of PlanBook.com to document Core Instructional Practices, SLEs, and academic standards.
- Utilization of technology in efforts to differentiate instruction and engage students
- Use of STAR assessment information to determine student learning groups/differentiation
- Unpacking of ELA standards in order to align lesson objectives with standards.
- Tracking student growth within grade levels
- Implementation of Universal Access time – teacher collaboration to determine which students and subjects are targeted.
Critical Goals (identified by school)
- Curricular Development for ELA
- Curricular Development for Math
- Develop a Structured After School Program Focused on RTI and Extracurriculars
I am so proud to be the principal of St. Thomas the Apostle School. Our successful accreditation is a testament to the calibre of our faculty, staff, students and families at our school. We are truly creating a blessed community in the heart of Los Angeles, one child at a time!
Sincerely,
Mr. Michael Santa Maria
Principal