St. Catherine of Siena Elementary School

It is so sad that this school chooses to not help the students or care if they do well or not.this is lead by the principal who does not care and will not get involved.Some of the teachers are great,but too many shouldn't be teaching, and are never held accountable.Some teachers don't even teach from any books and have no lesson plan. Clearly this school doesn't practice no child left behind. There are much better schools out there do not choose this school.
--Submitted by a parent

My child is an above average student and thank God for that or he would have learned nothing this year in Kindergarten! As he was the only child "unable to integrate", I was point blank told by the teacher that she wasn't altering her normal classroom procedure to help him adjust. What educator doesn't "waste time" with a kid having problems? I got more help for my son in a ten minute interview with the local public school principal than I did from a whole year at St. Catherine's with the principal, teacher, AND social worker telling me they wouldn't help him, take him somewhere else. So much for the notion of "least of my brothers"
--Submitted by a parent

This school has only gotten worse with the new prinipal and administration. It is in desperate need of some people to change the way it teaches, disiplines, and interacts with the average student. Would not ever send my son there again!
--Submitted by a parent

I am so surprised to read the negative reviews here. All I know is that I think St. Catherine is a GREAT school. I am impressed by how nice the kids are and how involved the parents are. It's a good school academically.
--Submitted by a parent

I agree with the previous post. The school should review the programs/services that are offered to the students and parents. The school does not offer full day kindergarten, no after-school care and no three year old day care. I have gone to several Education meetings at the school and there seems to be a disconnect between the school/church and the parents that pay the tuition to support the school. I am dissapointed that the new administration that has been in charge of the school for approximately two years now has not put in place any programs to help support students and parents. The Principal is excellent and I personally am sad to see her leave. The teacher quality receives three stars from me. Parent involvement is high at the school. Safety is a priority of all the staff over the students, but disicipline is inconsistent.
--Submitted by a parent

This school needs to take a look at how the public schools are changing and they need to do the same. Every child is different and every child learns differently. No matter how much St. Catherine's wants to be a 'prep/honors' school it won't happen unless they decide to let enrollment go even further down (and it already has gone way down) and only keep their honor students! But good luck keeping the school alive if that happens. Administration is sorely lacking and for the one person that mentions no anger seen.....its there and very visable!
--Submitted by a parent

As the parent of a St. C's student, I am stunned to read these reviews here. I have found the teachers, staff and academics to be very high quality and definitely reflective of strong Christian values. While I understand that some parents may have issues with any school, I found myself wondering if these parents were attending a completely different school...
--Submitted by a parent

I must say as the parent of an average student, I am very happy with the treatment and help my child receives at St. Catherine of Siena. I am at the school very often as a volunteer and have not witnessed any 'anger' on the part of the teachers or the administration. As with any school or organization, I have seen some students who can push the limits of anyones patience and parents who turn a blind eye to it. I am sure the school has made mistakes in how it handles some things but overall they do a wonderful job. I believe the teachers genuinely care about the students and provide an excellent faith based education. I would recommend this school to anyone and everyone with children.
--Submitted by a parent

The academics are excellent, as in the majority of the staff. There are times when I don't always agree w/ the administrator, but she is top notch on safety, dedication and hard work. It is a great value for the money. There are too many parent/teachers in the program and it is true that a select few have a lot of influence. The fun meter has been reduced to nearly zero with the elimination of many school recesses and fun learning time (i.e. field trips, outdoor activities, etc.).
--Submitted by a parent

For a 'Catholic' school it does not practice what it preaches. School seems to run by chosen parents of the 'perfect' child syndrome. Only thing going for this school is their academics exceed that of local district schools in the area, Truly lacks the basis of Christian values!
--Submitted by a parent