St. Francis of Assisi School

St. Francis has been through it's ups and downs over the years but I can honestly say my children have received an excellent education and they go to school with quality children and involved families. I love the fact that my children are learning about their faith and are able to live that faith daily with their friends at school. It is so refreshing to have a new principal. It was time for fresh ideas and innovative approaches to running a school. I like the fact that the principal goes into the classrooms and observes the teachers to make sure their teaching techniques are solid. That did not happen with the previous principal. I look forward to the changes that are coming and to see the school continue to grow and be innovative in it's approach to teaching and learning.
--Submitted by a parent

Obviously the most recent post was written by a staff member. There has not been one mention of iPads in any communication to the parents this year. These posts are not about attacks or defending them. They are about a basic job responsibility; show up, be available, and communicate. We all agree he is a nice man. He has had a lot of things happen this year that no one could have prepared for, but there are situations that should have been remedied already. The Kinder teacher left at Thanksgiving. A permanent replacement should have already been hired. E-mails and phone calls go unanswered for more than a week. And yes, he should be the first one to arrive and last to leave.
--Submitted by a parent

I am amazed at how people can review a school by their perception of one individual's actions. If your expectations are that administrators make or break a school based on their presence alone, and accusations of negligence in timely responses, then perhaps the poster should find the the principal of their dreams and send their child to THAT school. That being said, St. Francis School continues to produce a great education in our children. National test scores shows that our classes excel in academics. The school has a full time resource teacher for those who struggle. Spanish is included as part of the curriculum. We have an active parent base that supports the school's needs. The school has SmartBoards in every classroom and I hear iPads are on the way. The P.E. program is great. Children learn in a safe and loving environment from preschool through 8th grade. I have never had a phone call, email or meeting request denied. And if I did, I would certainly confront the problem, not degrade an organization anonymously. You're hurting your own school in a public forum when your best form of action should be to address your concerns directly with the administrator or even the pastor.
--Submitted by a parent

The new principal at St. Francis is a very nice man, and he really seems to care about the kids. This being said, nice, does not necessarily mean you are good at your job. Any formally trained principal will tell you that one of the first things you are taught, during your training, is that you are the first one to arrive on campus and the last to leave. You should be visible, available and easy to reach, or at least have the decency to return emails and phone calls from parents. This principal arrives to school as school is starting... 7:45 am (sometimes after) on a daily basis. He arrives with no apologies, just excuses. Not only is he not available for parents before school, he is also having difficulty responding to emails and phone call on a regular basis. The message you send when you choose not to respond to a parent's concerns is that of disrespect. And we are paying for this...something to think about.
--Submitted by a parent

It is incredible how some people use the internet and e-mail as a platform to complain. Perhaps the parent who wrote such a hot tempered post below would have considered the facts, it would have never been posted. We send our children to a Catholic school for a variety of reasons. Catholic values is one of them. Apparently, there are some who feel the church and school should do what they want, rather than what is the policy of our diocese. Personally, if I were that unhappy with the way things are, I would leave. Anyone who looks at the community of St. Francis will realize how wonderful it is in its entirety.
--Submitted by a parent

I wrote a 5-star review last year and I'm taking it back! PLEASE think twice before enrolling your child in this school, because at some point you will be unhappy and leave. The problem is the administration. The new pastor, Fr. Bud, is keen on using the children to promote his agenda of social justice and integration. Last year, he was attracting the homeless to the campus with his lunch program. This year, he is revamping the First Communion program for the students so that the students of St. Francis School will not receive the sacrament together, but in small groups who will be mixed in at the regular masses in May. I don't know of any Catholic school in the Diocese (except for St. Peters - Fr. Bud's old parish) that doesn't allow the 2nd grade students to celebrate First Communion together! Further, some of the students will have to have 1st Communion at the Spanish and Vietnamese masses if there is no room at the English masses. It doesn't make any sense! Two years ago, Fr. Bud changed the Kindergarten program from half-day to full-day in the middle of the year! They even have an online ad inviting families to try St. Francis for a few months for free. Not joking.
--Submitted by a parent

We are entering our fifth year at St. Francis with much excitement. My child has had a wonderful and challenging experience in every grade. And as a parent in is nice to be in an environment where the parents are actually involved in the school and are so helpful to each other. It is really like a second family!
--Submitted by a parent

Horrible school. The management and teachers are terrible. We left after 4 years due to new managment and bad teachers.
--Submitted by a parent

I love the way they teach the kids. My child just finished kindergarten and he has grown so much in a span of one year. Their key strategy is "learning through play". I totally agree with it as 5 years old is still a child. Teacher turnover is very low - my son's teacher has been there for 17 years!
--Submitted by a parent

Not only am I a graduate of St Francis, 2 of my brothers and my sister attended. All four of my children attended this school. One of my granddaughters (the only one local) attends the preschool. My wife and one of my daughters teach at the school. I am extremely pleased with the atmosphere and caring environment at the school. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants their children to learn in a caring family environment.
--Submitted by a parent