St. Thomas More Elementary School

BAD SCHOOL! 1. Why do they have the parents sign a paper that states, the parents are solely responsible for your child's education NOT THE SCHOOL? 2. Why does the school enrollment start at about 35-kids and drops to about 1/2 that by eighth grade? 3. Why do so many eighth graders need to be tutors to pass math? In my opinion, the only thing the school cares about is your money not your kids.
--Submitted by a parent

The individual who wrote the July 16, 2010 clearly does not have his/her facts. The teachers ALL have degrees, some have advanced degrees and credentials. This person advocates sending a child to a CA Distinguished School (CADS) would be better, but a CADS does not mean a better education, it simply means the school raised their test scores. Environment, safety, motivation, accountability are minimal standards at CADS, it's all about test scores..
--Submitted by a parent

Couldn't ask for more!! My son has been invited to study in Ireland during summer of 2011 for maintaining academic honors while participating in sports. STM has built his foundation and continues to encourage his dreams. Worth every penny, since my son strives beyond his goals!
--Submitted by a parent

This school gets a very poor grade from the parents. Public school teachers need a four year college degree, post graduated teaching program, California Basic Educational Skills Test (C.B.E.S.T.), California Subject Examinations for Teachers (C.S.E.T.) and student teaching. They need all this before they can step into the classroom and teach on their own. Saint Thomas More School teachers take a two week class, held by the Archdiocese for certification. That is for certification by the archdiocese not the state of California. Some teachers are fully credential (but they do not stay very long) and others are still working on their degrees. If you do not want to give away around $4,000 send your child to one of the many California Distinguished School in your area. If you send then to Saint Thomas More School in Alhambra, you will be sorry.
--Submitted by a parent

Highly recommended! We are very grateful to the staff and families at STM for their support, friendships and team work! Our daughter is graduating and has been accepted into high school with honors. The education, extra curriculuar activities and service has allowed her to become a well-rounded individual prepared for high school.
--Submitted by a parent

My child and I are extremely happy with St. Thomas More School. My child enjoys going to school everyday (even during the summer!) I feel the curriculum is engaging and interactive. The teachers are qualified and who look for ways to increase student learning. They make it fun for the children. I have found the Principals extremely welcoming and easy to work with. I cannot imaging any place I would rather have my child.
--Submitted by a parent

I am very disappointed with STM. The teachers are poorly supervised and the Principals are not welcoming.
--Submitted by a parent

My children attend STM, and love it! They have such a variety of after-school activities, such as: flag-football, cheer leading, basketball, chess, guitar lessons, volleyball, etc The school is a well-rounded environment for any child. The faculty, the principals, and the parents welcome anyone and make you feel comfortable, safe, and secure about the choice you made for your child. I highly recommend our school! (Also the principals have been there for almost a decade, so the last remark dated 08-14-08, may not have been posted to the correct school).
--Submitted by a parent

the new principals took over. Once they started their duties, the first things that went were those honor's luncheons, santa's workshop, etc. Student morale went down. Parent morale went down. The principals are friendly and approachable, don't get me wrong. They just took away a lot of things that mattered to the students. In my experience, most of the teacher's do a good job but there are a few who have minimum expectations of students. Overall, I was very happy with the school, but over the years that's changed. I'm glad I'm almost done. I would still recommend it, but with caution.
--Submitted by a parent

Coming from another Catholic School, St Thomas More is awesome! The atmosphere is family oriented and everyone is supportive, including the principal's. The teachers and both principals are at school functions and are very approachable. We are always advised of 'where the money is going'. My family would and have recommended this school to everyone.
--Submitted by Nancy Flores, a parent