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As a parent with two children at St. James, one of which has a learning disability, I can say St. James has done a remarkable job in addressing the needs of LD students, making accomodations and working as a team with the parents. We have lived in other states and have found that it's unusual for Catholic Schools to have a resource department. The resource department's highly trained staff has the ability of teaching a student with an average to above average IQ with a learning disability. If there are more severe issues a public or specialized school may be a better fit. St. James offers a very challenging curriculum where the teachers instill a love of learning in a warm, nuturing environment.
We have been at St. James for five years and love it. The teachers are committed and caring. The IHM sisters who run the school are well-educated, professional and compassionate. We chose St. James because it is a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and have been very satisfied with our children's education, both academic and religious.
We had our 2 kids attend SJ for 1 year & we couldn't wait until the year ended so that we could transfer them out. About 75% of the curriculum focused on teaching religion, which sacrificed the necessary teaching of primary subjects like grammer/English, math, science, & social studies. Homework usually covered these primary subjects even though they were rarely/briefly addressed during the school day (if at all) with the expectation that the parents teach their kids these subjects. During the school day, when the primary subjects were addressed, such time was used for drilling/testing what the kids memorized from their homework. Critical-thinking & problem solving were just not taught at SJ. Overall, SJ is fine if your child can learn independently from books, etc. without any guidance from a teacher & is self-motivated. If your kid needs a teacher to actually teach them the subjects, then look elsewhere.
I would have to say we are very pleased with St James. Excellent academics, thoughtful and involved teachers and staff. We have been very impressed.
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