Elementary School Improvement Plan

Catholic Identity

St. Vincent Elementary School has fulfilled the requirements for accreditation with the Missouri Nonpublic School Accrediting Association for the 2019-2020 School Year.  This accreditation was earned to our commitment to excellence and the ongoing school improvement process.  

We commend the community of St Vincent de Paul School for:

• Nurturing the charism of St Vincent de Paul through your many age appropriate service projects. 
• Creating a yearly theme that reflects Catholic Identity rooted in Gospel values.
• Incorporating the Virtue Based Restorative Discipline (VBRD) Program to address issues of faith and social justice concerns with students and faculty.
• Offering diverse adult education formation programs for parents and other parishioners.
• Providing a monthly Youth mass where all ages are welcomed and encouraged to participate.
• Initiating the "Traveling Mary" devotion.
• Recognizing the generosity of the parish community for their support of Catholic Education.

We Suggest:

Re-wording the Parent/Student participation at Sunday Liturgy to, " Increase student and parent attendance and participation in Sunday Liturgy."  This goal will be achieved through observation (and or survey) by the pastor. Consideration should be given to - a committee of teachers and parents to study the survey results (if completed)and surface possible policy recommendations to the pastor for assisting parents in deepening their own understanding and commitment to the Catholic Faith and participation in Sunday Liturgies. Consider partnering with the High School to invite younger students of the elementary and the PSR to the Youth Mass on Sunday and to return by recognizing and thanking those who attended. Also considercelebrating sacramental preparation and other special occasions at the Sunday Liturgies, e.g. Rite of Enrollment for Confirmation students.

Educational Issues

We commend the teaching community of St Vincent de Paul School for:

• Celebrating the artistic talents of students through displays, choral groups, and the production of two annual musicals.
• Valuing and nurturing a close knit community.
• Incorporating higher order thinking skills in a student centered learning environment.
• Maintaining an attractive and vibrant Library.
• Using the Accelerated Reading Program to enhance the literary skills of  the students.
• Introducing students to the intricacies of publishing their own books.
• Enhancing student learning with a variety of social studies projects.
• The creative and meaningful use of technology in the classrooms.
• Providing a challenging comprehensive and relevant curriculum according to survey results.
• Collaborating efforts of the PSR and elementary teachers to provide a welcoming
  environment.
• Guiding the students in setting their learning goals, choosing activities, and evaluating
  their own work, using technology (e-beam) to research, analyze, and present information.
• Meeting students' needs through the use of aides in the classroom.

We Suggest:

A re-wording of the Curriculum goals to state, "The administration and faculty will establish a process for reviewing, adjusting, mapping, and implementing curriculum changes. This goal will be achieved when there is a well-aligned, mapped curriculum utilized in all grades. Consideration should be given to providing staff development in on curriculum development, defining a time line for revising curriculum goals for all subjects, implementing the curriculum revisions with best practices aligned to Archdiocesan, state, and national standards, evaluating (through multiple assessments) the effectiveness of the revised curriculum and adapted instruction, and sharing the revised curriculum with parents."

Institutional Issues

We commend the community of St Vincent de Paul School for:

• The principal for development of monthly Facilities Safety Inspection Sheets to assist in the maintenance of a safe environment.
• The St Vincent PTO for providing parents a voice in decision-making through comprehensive surveys.
• The parish community for providing financial resources necessary to supplement the students' tuition so that their education is affordable.
• The parents, grandparents, and parishioners who devote countless hours to the school by volunteering in classrooms, the library, and cafeteria.
• The maintenance and custodial staff who do an excellent job in keeping the facilities safe, clean, attractive and  well-maintained.
• The principal and faculty for their efforts to maintain good communication through  newsletters, email, text alerts, and Jupiter Grades.
• The parish and school's Information Technologist for dedicated service to the St. Vincent de Paul community.
• The school nurses who provide needed health services for the students.The cafeteria staff for well-planned , healthy, and delicious lunches.

We Suggest:

A re-wording of the standardized testing goal to, "Students will demonstrate growth in academic areas as measured by standardized tests. Individual student profiles and group narratives will be evidence of achieving this goals. Consideration should be given to adding a Learning Consultant to assist with this goal, longitudinal (line-item) evaluation and vertical evaluation of class performance profiles, comparing the CogAT scores and the ITBS scores to determine inconsistencies, developing a plan to address any inconsistencies using administrators, teachers and parents in a committee format, and consideration of administering the ITBS standardized tests to all students grades 2-6."