St. Mary Immaculate Parish School

Loved St. Mary Immaculate School. We only were with you two years but were very happy with the school. Our family moved to Florida thats the only reason for leaving. This school has such nice families. They welcome you with open arms. You were like family and we will miss you. The Little's
--Submitted by a parent

I love this school as I have been at this school since kindergarden. The principal and vice principal are very nice but firm. They are the best leadership that I have seen the whole time I was here, and there has been at least five different principals/vice principals in the time that I was here. As in any school, there is a teacher or two that is not the nicest and shows a bit of favoritism. My parents do not volunteer as much as some and I feel that I am treated the same as any other student in the school. The teachers are understanding and are willing to stay after school to help us study or to go over a lesson that we do not get. The grade school teachers are the nicest teachers I have met and if I am walking through the hall they still say "Hi how are you?" It is a very family based atmosphere at this school. The math class is split into three groups based on skill so that you can work at your own pace. The only thing at this school that is not up to par is the resource program. Until my family threatened to leave did they begin to pay attention to this program.

SMI is a very good environment for children. The educational standards exceed the local school districts...except at the special needs level. Children receive an excellent foundation in education and Christian values. There will always be teacher's pets at every school...it's human nature. Regarding tuition and fees...they are on par with other private schools and receive no funding per child from the state so all costs must be covered by the parents an/or parish...nothing unusual. A lot of families work very hard for free to provide numerous additional activities and experiences for the children.
--Submitted by a parent

Decent class sizes, teachers that are truly dedicated to teaching and who love to do it!
--Submitted by a parent

The new principal this year is very enthusiastic about the school and the children. It is a pleasure to see someone who is involved and wants to see the children succeed. The asst. principal is involved and has done a great job keeping parents up to date using green methods (website). The teachers are dedicated. The kids seem to enjoy their experience. I am pleased to see that my daughter is experiencing horizontal learning so not only is she studying what her class is but additional studies are given to her to keep her mind active. Well done! I am quite pleased about sending my child to the school!
--Submitted by a parent

All this school cares about is the money. Everything that you don't do, you must pay for. If you don't sell all your raffel tickets, you pay! It's ridiculous. Also, since I am a student, I feel that the Junior High there is very hard and more like a competition. There are fights (not like fist fights) between friends a lot and it is kind of clique-y. Also, it doesn't offer as many extracurriculers as I would like it to.
--Submitted by a parent

I'm an 8th grader at SMI. I've been here since kindergraden and before me both my sisters went here. I've had the best years of my life here. Yes the school has its probelms but which schools don't. I have a sense of family with my classmates and even though yes we do have an 'in' crowd but it doesn't control school. We still look out for and love each other no matter what group were in. Most teachers are great and they have prepared me for high school. yes some teachers are not excatly the best or nicest but its good to learn to deal with them before you get to high school. I have made many friendships, memories, and traditions here at SMI.I have learned about myself at SMI. I love this school and will miss it.
--Submitted by a parent

I couldn't be happier at SMI. Having been in the Plainfield public schools I find it hard to believe anyone would complain. Many of the children in the public schools are not getting the help they are entitled to and parents have to fight for the limited help they do get. I have always felt welcomed by the teachers and other parents. My oldest is now in high school and she is excelling duen to her experience at SMI. I'm sure there is some favoritism but I found that at our other school too. There is good and bad at all schools and you have to decide what you're going to focus on. I have found much more good then bad.
--Submitted by a parent

When we switched to SMI I new right away I woukdn't like it here. They pick favorites and you can definitely tell. It is ok I guess but I ahve seen better.
--Submitted by a student

We had the misfortune of having our children attend this school for three horrible years - kept hoping something would change. The disorganization is unbelievable. This was the worst experience for our family. We thank God we got out when we did.
--Submitted by a parent