Academic Excellence
Excellence has been a goal and hallmark of Catholic schools since their inception. As early as 1884, the Bishops of the United States meeting in Baltimore declared, "A complete education is inclusive of faith as well as education for the world." The bishops challenged us not to relax our efforts until our schools, "be elevated to the highest educational excellence." St. Mel Catholic School has a 51 year tradition of Integrating Faith with Academic Excellence. We implement high standards, strong motivation, and effective discipline within a caring atmosphere combined to foster excellence and a high quality of student performance that is supported by evidence.
St. Mel Catholic School takes great pride in remaining in the forefront of Catholic education. Through long range strategic planning our school has the benefit of a self-contained Science Lab complete with scientific instruments and a Smart Board to expand interactive learning experiences. Fran Dellaserra, a veteran teacher of twenty six years, continues to motivate and captivate our middle school students with her lessons. All grades have access to the use of the Science Lab. It's a busy place.
St. Mel is committed to infusing technology into our curriculum. Our students benefit from having a local computer consulting company, Computer Explorers, and Darcy Grieves as our Computer/Technology coordinator who assists in managing the integration of technology across the curriculum. Our entire school is linked to a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi setting and our lab includes 20 computers. Classrooms in grades First through Eighth are equipped with Smart Boards and all teachers have received training to maximize the utility of the Smart Boards. Parents and students benefit tremendously from accessing information from our website, www.stmelschool.org , and signing into the Schoolyard portion of the website. Teachers post their weekly newsletters, homework, field trips, and other pertinent information. At their convenience, parents may access their child's grades including attendance, e-mail teachers with questions, feedback and concerns, read newsworthy items, view the school calendar of events, and download forms.
Our top-notch faculty is well-respected within the Diocese of Sacramento and in the community. They are fully qualified professionals committed to bringing out the best in their students as they grow in knowledge, skills, and values in a faith filled environment. Last year in 2010, St. Mel School participated in the WCEA/WASC accreditation process and earned a full term 6-year accreditation, the highest rating a school can achieve. For the past 20 years, we have achieved the highest level of accreditation from the Western Catholic Schools Association and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges; a level of achievement few schools can match.
Our fine students are some of the most active and involved students in Sacramento each year. Our seven sports programs consistently compete each year for PAL championships. St. Mel's Athletic Director and P.E. instructor, Molly Nichols, devotes her 11 years of expertise growing these programs to benefit our school. Our twenty plus co-curricular and extra-curricular activities allow students to compete in local and state academic competitions and decathlons as well as expand their passions in the areas of art, drama, foreign language, leadership, and community service, just to name a few. Additionally, individual students are recognized at Monday Morning Assemblies related to the specific Student Learning Expectation (SLE) for the week. Students participate in the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) in grades 2nd - 8th. St. Mel students score significantly higher on this test than national and local school averages.
While providing a stimulating and demanding education, St. Mel School practices differentiated learning instruction. Mary Lou Giles, our Resource Specialist with 25 years of experience, coordinates and implements services to students who are in need of support to develop to their full potential. Our Accelerated Math instructor is Marjorie Booth who has been a faculty member since 1999. She provides advanced math instruction to students in grades 4th - 8th who display talent and a willingness to work hard. Participation is based on a combination of ITBS scores and grades.
Our goal at St. Mel Catholic School is to educate the whole child: mind, body, and spirit within an environment that is safe, secure, and well-maintained. St. Mel will continue to aggressively plan for the future and be visionary in identifying and meeting the future needs students and their families.
