Basilica School of St Mary Parents

[Anonymous]

These are job openings: https://www.smsva.org/about-sms/employment

I don't know enough to know how typical this is, but there seems to be a fair amount of openings even this early in the hiring season.

[Anonymous]

I think there is a lot of turnover in general in teaching though.

[Anonymous]

Yes, if you look at ALL the schools, including Catholic, private, and public, there is always teacher turnover. St. Mary's is also a big school, so they are going to have double the openings than a single-track school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, if you look at ALL the schools, including Catholic, private, and public, there is always teacher turnover. St. Mary's is also a big school, so they are going to have double the openings than a single-track school.

You're probably right but I wonder how many teachers are leaving because of the administration vs natural turnover.

[Anonymous]

How many students are leaving BSSM is a key question in my opinion. Are there a lot of students leaving or just teachers?

There are parent concerns the middle school lost a lot of veteran teachers and the new teachers are struggling. The lack of instructional support for new teachers is important so parents hope the school figures that out quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many students are leaving BSSM is a key question in my opinion. Are there a lot of students leaving or just teachers?

There are parent concerns the middle school lost a lot of veteran teachers and the new teachers are struggling. The lack of instructional support for new teachers is important so parents hope the school figures that out quickly.

It doesn't look like many middle school teachers are leaving right now..

If the decline continues in middle school, it is going to be a couple of years before parents start pulling kids.

Is there someone assigned to help newer teachers? Looking at the website, there are people who could help with this.

[Anonymous]

Back to anti LBGTQ thoughts being put into kids heads that happens at every chance they get. It’s horrible but luckily my DS has been taught morals at home. The amount of racist comments that come from teacher and students is alarming! If you are looking for a school to guide a child’s moral compass this isn’t it and academically a complete joke.

Also, the school has a podcast room and a certain CPAC president uses it…. St Mary’s is as conservative as it comes.

[Anonymous]

The middle school teachers not leaving right now are all brand new teachers! The most veteran teacher of the middle school is leaving this year and all the is left is first year teachers! Two teachers left last month with zero plans of replacing them just putting in random aides to try to teach. It’s a total mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Back to anti LBGTQ thoughts being put into kids heads that happens at every chance they get. It’s horrible but luckily my DS has been taught morals at home. The amount of racist comments that come from teacher and students is alarming! If you are looking for a school to guide a child’s moral compass this isn’t it and academically a complete joke.

Also, the school has a podcast room and a certain CPAC president uses it…. St Mary’s is as conservative as it comes.

There is a podcast room? Is that a joke?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The middle school teachers not leaving right now are all brand new teachers! The most veteran teacher of the middle school is leaving this year and all the is left is first year teachers! Two teachers left last month with zero plans of replacing them just putting in random aides to try to teach. It’s a total mess.

Wow! It is a tough market for teachers, but for people to leave in the middle of the year is not good. It has happened before in middle school, but it sounds like it is especially messy over there right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Wow! It is a tough market for teachers, but for people to leave in the middle of the year is not good. It has happened before in middle school, but it sounds like it is especially messy over there right now.

People get sick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- I hate when people spew off like the last two previous posters. It is a typical Catholic school. And such, you will find both Republicans and Democrats in the community. The vast majority tend to be moderate but there will be a few that lean to the far side of their respective ‘side’.
Instead of seeing the benefit of DC being around different viewpoints as a positive, they see it only as a negative. I wish people would focus on that which binds us together. IMO this has offered DC a wonderful place to hear and learn varying opinions.

I think PP's point was that your child is NOT going to get varying opinions at St Mary's. From my experience you would be hard pressed to find Democrats in the parent community, and many of the Republicans were supporters of the Trump presidency - either for ideological reasons, or simply because it benefitted their career. PP is correct - it's something to be aware of before applying to the school.

Current parent here: While there are some parents who have supported/ made money off the Trump presidency, that is the exception to the norm. There was a SMALL group of loud people last year who supported Trump, but most left the school to pursue homeschooling.

There are plenty of non-Republican parents at the school, and a variety of political opinions. It is a Catholic school, and reflects Catholicism.

I'm a liberal and my son went thru St. Marys. i'll admit, I was ready for my son's time at the school to be over however my son looks back on his time spent there as a solid experience - many of them have known each other since K and are now in a DC high school. Apparently, it's changed since he's left and not for the better but this is heresay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Back to anti LBGTQ thoughts being put into kids heads that happens at every chance they get. It’s horrible but luckily my DS has been taught morals at home. The amount of racist comments that come from teacher and students is alarming! If you are looking for a school to guide a child’s moral compass this isn’t it and academically a complete joke.

Also, the school has a podcast room and a certain CPAC president uses it…. St Mary’s is as conservative as it comes.

There is a podcast room? Is that a joke? [/quote

I know who you're referring to; he's a joke (that certain CPAC president). He and his wife are opportunists and will do anything to fill their pockets. And the poster is right, the moral compass is lacking.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If it matters to you, be aware that the parent community can be a bit toxic (mean girl behavior among the mothers, for example), and that the politics of many are of the MAGA ilk. Perhaps not a deal-breaker for you (or a positive!) but worth knowing before you sign up.

I take serious offense to this. My daughter spent pre-K to 8th grade at BSM and we couldn't be happier with her experience there. Do you understand that Catholicism stands for LIFE and has no room for people who disagree. It's a Catholic school for goodness sake. Of course most people lean to the right. That's what our religion teaches us. If you don't like it, keep your mouth shut and stay at your secular school.

Tired of the attacks on Catholicism. If people attacked Islam, Hinduism, mainstream Protestant religious and Judaism like the Catholic church has been attacked, there would be massive protests over it.

Here's the difference: I have absolutely no problem with a Catholic school telling its Catholic pupils that as Catholics, their religion tells them that they must choose Life and that they should never abort. That's completely 100% fine. BUT when schools sanction participation in protests and marches that try to codify your religious teachings into the LAW of the United States of America, where church and state is supposed to be separated and where everyone is supposed to have the freedom to choose what they want to do with their own reproductive health, it is NOT okay. At all.

Ooh I like you. Such good points. Also, is one of the main teachings to judge not as God will judge in the afterlife? Why is it anyone's place on this earth to judge others and control them?

I am not a St. Mary parent; however, I am responding. When you murder a baby, you should be judged.

I've carried two children to term and love them both, however while in the womb they literally meet the definition of a parasite.

100%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it matters to you, be aware that the parent community can be a bit toxic (mean girl behavior among the mothers, for example), and that the politics of many are of the MAGA ilk. Perhaps not a deal-breaker for you (or a positive!) but worth knowing before you sign up.

I take serious offense to this. My daughter spent pre-K to 8th grade at BSM and we couldn't be happier with her experience there. Do you understand that Catholicism stands for LIFE and has no room for people who disagree. It's a Catholic school for goodness sake. Of course most people lean to the right. That's what our religion teaches us. If you don't like it, keep your mouth shut and stay at your secular school.

Tired of the attacks on Catholicism. If people attacked Islam, Hinduism, mainstream Protestant religious and Judaism like the Catholic church has been attacked, there would be massive protests over it.

Well, then Catholics should stop shoving their beliefs down ppl's throats. Period. We don't live in a theocracy as some believe and wish. Signed, a Catholic (who believes in the separation of church and state).