St. Luke Catholic School

Great school. Great Teachers. Great Families. Great Environment. Our kids are thriving and happy! School and teachers communicate extensively and welcome parent participation.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in middle school at St. Luke and the teachers are really impressive. I feel that he will be prepared for higher level coursework in the core studies in high school. The new principal has infused the school with a very positive learning environment, the teachers are really happy to teach the kids, the parents are friendly and cooperative.
—Submitted by a parent

I can't say enough good things about St. Luke. After experiences with public schools and other private schools in the area, this one beats them all hands down! The teachers are amazing and unbelievably well qualified. My sons are learning by leaps and bounds. The best part is that they love school. I am also impressed by how kind the kids are to each other. The kids themselves don't tolerate bullying which is nice.
—Submitted by a parent

Wow, what a comeback! New leadership as of summer of 2012. The school is united again, strong and looking forward. The happiness and kindness are contagious and my kids skip their way into class. *sigh* happy parent again. You give peace to parents, St Luke.
—Submitted by a parent

Our 2 children started at St. Luke this year and it has been a great experience. The teachers are focused on the students, and the classes are small enough to allow for individual attention. The academics are challenging to each of my kids and there are programs in place both to challenge the kids who might otherwise be bored, and also to support the kids who may struggle a bit. The school community has been fantastic. Both of my children were immediately made to feel welcome and both come home with big smiles each day telling us about what they learned and about the fun they had with their new friends. I have receive better communication from their teachers than I ever had from their previous schools. The parents have also made an effort to include us "new parents" in the community and been very welcoming. We are so pleased with our decision to send our kids to St. Luke. This is a school that truly is focused on teaching the academics and on the other important life lessons they will need to be successful adults such as responsibility, caring for others, and community service. I would strongly recommend St. Luke to anyone in the area.
—Submitted by a parent

I am very active in the school community and continue to be impressed by the dedication of the faculty, staff and families. Saint Luke School has been a wonderful community for us. My children comes home happy every day.
—Submitted by a parent

My children are so happy at this school. Each day I ask my K daughter how school was she says "better than yesterday!!!" with a grin from ear to ear and my 2nd grade son is no different - all smiles!!
—Submitted by a parent

We love St. Luke school. This is our first school year at St. Luke and it has been an "interesting" year with a happy ending! Teachers, children and parents are wonderful. The first months of the school year were hard on us - parents - because the new principal was not incompetent and we did not trust him. Thanks got he left after just a few months on the job. Now the new principal was selected and will be running the school starting 2012/13 school year. We know we made the right choice to send out children to St. Luke school.
—Submitted by a parent

Times have changed at Saint Luke. The new principal "talks" about implementing programs, but nothing has been done. He has managed to mess up the programs already in place. Activities normally scheduled by the PTO have been cancelled. Emails from the PTO Board to the principal are not returned. Field trips are cancelled the day of only leading to disappointment for the students and frustration to the parents. He can't even get the 2012/2103 tuition rates correct. One day there was an email from the principal with a double digit increase in tuition and now we have not received the "revised rate" although parents are expected to reenroll in three days. If you come expect continual frustration at the most expensive Catholic elementary school in Arlington Diocese!
—Submitted by a parent

St. Luke is a great school because of the community. The PTO sponsors events throughout the year which allow parents, children and faculty to spend time together. Parents and faculty are welcoming and work together to ensure the best for the children. Newer programs to enhance the education of the kids are underway. There is a wrinkle in the fabric of the community at present, but this is because parents are involved in the school and care about its direction. It is no different than the very strong opinions which existed relative to the recent county school board elections. When people truly care about the education of their kids, they express their concerns. The community is working together. While some of the communication has become heated at times, the community continues to be respectful of one another and to work together. At the end of the day, we all want the best for our kids. My kids love St. Luke. They love their teachers, the various events and the school itself.
—Submitted by a parent

We really like St. Luke. The children and very polite and respectful and there is a quiet calm in the school that really promotes an optimal environment for learning. The small school feel and structure is great for our kid, much better than the public school she was at before St. Luke. The teachers are very warm and committed, and have a genuine interest in promoting learning so that the children are working to their potential. I highly recommend the school and the tuition fees are very reasonable. It's a great value for a private school education.
—Submitted by a parent

Saint Luke is a wonderful place with committed teachers and a strong community. At the end of the day, my children are happy and are learning. We support the attempts to bring differentiated education to the school so all students can learn in a small setting.
—Submitted by a parent

Im not sure I could've heard a pin drop the other night, but I definitely heard the gasp when it was revealed that a particular school leader left movie night (he had committed to chaperone) to have dinner and drinks. making it back just in time for parents to see him.The debt is real and solutions need to be found.However, Im not sure that hiring a carpool company, buying calendars as gifts,or purchasing an Otis Spunkmeyer oven (where are those cookies anyway) are steps in the right direction.The issues speak for themselves and it is sad to see personal vendettas try and cloud this dismissal situation.Just this last week the school had a visit from the fire marshall (guess that no one checked about whether it was ok to block the fire lane before enforcing a new drop off procedure) and the state department had to call over the "proposed" diplomatic tuitions discriminatory nature.This is past "change being hard" Change often leads one in a better direction. Lets please stop the pettiness-parents had keys for things like basketball practice.what else would they be for? a hot party on a saturday night?gimme a break. stick to the facts.We all need the one change that offers solution...

St.. Luke is a fantastic school!! I could not agree more - it is fantastic because the majority of teachers are excellent, and they CARE about our school and our children. Those self-entitled moms who "run the school" are actually volunteers that help to make the school a great place - the back to school BBQ, the 5K race, the cultural arts assemblies, hot chocolate day, pizza day, field trips, Santa's Workshop, faculty appreciation luncheons, the basketball teams, the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised....I could continue on and on...none of these things would exist without parent volunteers. Many parents volunteer much more than the required 24 service hours to make Saint Luke School a very special place for our children. Now, our school administration has shown disdain for most of what we hold dear. So please, the attitude of self-entitled moms running the school is at best ignorance, and at worst vindictive and petty. Take some time to educate yourselves about the situation. Read the PTO minutes. See how often our leader is absent and missing from the school.
—Submitted by a parent

St.. Luke is a fantastic school!! I could not agree more with the previous post. The self-entitled moms that were allowed to run the school under the old principal are on the warpath because they don't run the school anymore. And they think by disparaging the new principal and new priest that they can somehow regain control. Not happening, ladies!! The vasy majority of families are happy and all of the kids are. The new principal is taking needed steps to make the school better academically. I am looking forward to the naysayers leaving so we can get back to focusing on the school that we and our children love so much.
—Submitted by a parent

The school is great, I could not agree more, especially our amazing teachers. However, the principal is an extremely incapable leader, as is proven each day and from past endeavors. I am in fact a father, and I could not disagree more with the last two posts. Let's clarify, the issues and comments are felt by a majority, FATHER'S INCLUDED, as was witnessed by an unprecedented recent parent meeting representing approximately 80% of the school. A trend that seems to have followed the new principal with each school he has attempted to lead. Let's also clarify that nothing negative has been said about our new pastor. The school was previously lead by capable leaders that did not show favoritism, nor allow it. The reading program, long standing traditions & school procedures have been stopped or changed, so yes, our "perks" have been stopped, all of which have affected our children. Our community remains strong, especially our wonderful, caring, and devoted wives/mothers that want nothing but the best for our kids. I encourage anyone to contact the principal, but from experience e-mails go unanswered for weeks, calls aren't returned & meeting times are often missed...good luck.
—Submitted by a parent

We are not coming back to St. Luke next year. I am not a self-entitled mom who was trying to run the school, but an average parent who puts in the minimum volunteer hours. If everything is great, then the previous poster should host a meeting for all the parents who are happy with the school and see if you get more than 50% attendance like last night's meeting. I am concerned because I see drastic changes being made at the school that have a direct and negative impact on my children. After reading the PTO meeting minutes, I can trace every negative change in the school directly to the new principal or new pastor. As an example, the reading program was halted with no notice to the parents. A reading committee was to be formed by the principal for finding a replacement program. According to the PTO, no committee has been formed even though they repeatedly ask him about it. My children went from checking out a book every week (and more importantly, reading each book) to rarely reading their library books. We love the parents and teachers at the school, but I refuse to wait and see how this all shakes out when my children's future is in question. We can get better elsewhere.
—Submitted by a parent

St. Luke school is an awesome school! The warm, caring staff and families make it a wonderful community. At present, the community is divided. There is a new administration and many of the long time families at the school are not trying to assist, but instead are on the attack, in part because the perks and status they once had, are gone. Favoritism has been replaced with fairness. Many of the disgruntled parents will not be at the school next year and their "concerns" are not born of a desire to better the school, but to enact revenge because they are no longer allowed to do as they please. The new principal needs parental support as he corrects past mistakes and restores the school community. If you're interested in having your children attend St. Luke, tour the school and meet the principal. You'll find that the school is a wonderful environment to educate and enrich your children.
—Submitted by a parent

I am responding to the previous misinformed poster with the truth. The grievances at this school became so numerous as were the amount of concerned parents that it required an off campus meeting with a professional mediator tonight. Over 50% of the parents attended. The purpose of this "parents only" meeting was to discuss the issues at hand and to come up with proposed solutions for the administration. It was a successful, well run meeting and will hopefully contribute to the restoration of harmony.
—Submitted by a parent

I have been at this school for many years and have been very involved in participating my time and efforts in helping this school succeed for the sake of not only my children but of all the children. As a member of the "long time families" I have personally experienced the inablity of the "new" administration to adequately govern this school. There are safety, communication, and integrity issues just to name a few. Now that my children are being directly affected by the incompetence of the management, I will participate in restoring Saint Lukes back to exceptional school it once was last year. We are a strong community that cares how our children are being nurtured academically and spritually which is the foundation of who they will become.
—Submitted by a parent