St. Joseph Parish School

Best School Ever!! Our kids have been attending school here for over 8 years. We love the teachers, and especially love the way the older kids buddy with the younger kids. Great Catholic Education. Thanks !!

Just a quick note. There's no place else to write about it. We came to the first Friday Fish Fry of this year's Lent last week (Feb 12). Not only was the fish very good (I had the perch, very filling) but the attitude of the student servers was outstanding. They were continually going by offering coffee and deserts. Not sure of the server's name but he talked me into getting a slice of cake his grandmother made. It was perfect. No indication of the actual teaching of subjects at the school but they're definitely teaching manners. Great job!

I know there is a review below that describes overhearing an interaction between Mary Stallman and a group of children. I was not there for that interaction and certainly do not wish to denigrate someone's opinion. However, the collection of all of these online reviews paint a picture of the school and I want to make sure it is colored in it's entirety so prospective parents have a balanced view. We moved our three girls to St. Joe's last year in 2016. My husband and I are post-graduate level educators and we were seeking an educational environment with good structure, comprehensive education and a common-sense approach. In our public school option, the teachers were hard-working and among the best you could ever ask for. However, there was very little classroom management that could be applied in order to create an environment where every child could really have the opportunity to fully master subjects. There was so much disruption because teachers struggled to enact consequences for this new generation of children. My daughters were constantly ducking flying pencils, being distracted by children who were always up out of their seats, interrupting the teacher, and just generally injecting behavioral chaos into the learning environment. Additionally, the supervision in areas like hallways, playgrounds and bus lines was the best they could do, but with classes topping out at 28 on average, 3-4 sections a class, that often left less than a handful of teachers to manage 90-120 students at certain transition points during the day. Our girls were doing fine, but they certainly weren't happy or comfortable. We decided that "fine" wasn't good enough and the daily experience that would most shape their childhoods was worth it to invest in. It was the best decision we ever made to switch our girls to St. Joe's because of the school's daily investment to a protected learning environment. The students at St. Joe's are expected to behave. They are expected to be kind. They are expected to respect that other children have a right to learn. However, they are children and naturally do not always meet those expectations. In those instances I can personally attest that this is not a school where children are bullied, intimidated or threatened This is a school where a teacher is allowed to tell a student (or group of students) when their behavior is dangerous or harmful and stop it immediately. This protected learning environment at first revealed some critical content knowledge holes in our daughters' education (as we suspected). While they did very well in the public school, it became obvious when held to a higher standard they were behind. However, a year later they are fully caught up and as educators we are 100% confident that switching them will have lifelong positive impact for all three. If you are seeking a school for your child where appropriate behavior and character development is an integral component of the overall educational environment, then I encourage you to visit St.Joe's. The committment to the positive environment yields higher academic success across the board for all students in all areas. I also encourage you to come and stop by at drop off. You will see every child who leaves the front doors at 3:15 everyday runs first to Mary Stallman with complete confidence that she will open her arms to hug them and then ask them specific questions about their day, their accomplishments and their experience. They have no fear of her whatsoever. They know her to be consistent, loving and their greatest champion. Come see for yourself.

Our son has attended St. Joe's for the past two years. We have only great things to say about the school. Wonderful focus on curriculum and on the development of students as good citizens. The school offers a great sense of community for the entire family. Teachers, staff and administrators are dedicated and hard working.

We are looking at schools for our kids and had the opportunity to walk through St. Joe's. The tour was going well until the end when we overheard the principal (Mary Stallmann) screaming at three K-5 kids. We did not think much about it at first but the screaming just continued and got even louder. At one point she told the kids "Don't walk away from me, I am not done yelling at you yet." We were shocked by what was happening. We could not even think. We were lost for words. Needless to say we will not be sending our kids to this school and hope the parish and the school board considers more constructive ways in the future of remedying misbehavior.