Teacher turnover at St Barts

[Anonymous]

St. Bart’s has literally been a godsend for our DC, who was struggling in their previous school. We have watched them transform from an anxious and insecure child into a confident and self-aware one in no small part due to the strong and loving leadership of the teachers. Some of the teachers are literal angels on earth. The school’s joyful approach to faith and learning has in turn strengthened our family’s faith and desire to learn more about our religion. The community is warm and welcoming. Is it perfect? No. But it’s as close to perfect as it can get for our child and family.

[Anonymous]

Hey! Another happy St. Bart’s parent here… I want to address the original poster and subsequent naysayers.
If you’re devastated and seriously concerned you should take it up with the ADW. St. Bart’s can’t make any moves without permission from the governing body of the ADW. Hirings, firings, and improvements literally can’t be made in a vacuum.
Speaking to the HSA comments I strongly urge more parents to show up and get involved whether volunteering or just attending the social engagements.
It takes a village and my child has greatly benefited from the teachers, the resources team, the extracurricular activities and the catholic education.
Finally, de Chantal (an ADW school) just put in a turf field last year so I don’t understand the point about this being a non-ADW thing.

[Anonymous]

Looks like the HSA just sent an email to the committee with a link to this thread. 😆

[Anonymous]

Nope. Just a small close knit community that talks to each other and feels strongly about how great of a place their children’s school is and will continue to be. Once again, if you feel differently, there are plenty of other parochial schools in the area.

[Anonymous]

Is this a joke? Saint Bart’s is an amazing school with great teachers, great students, and amazing school spirit. The new principal is outstanding and his vision for the school is incredible. Yes, I’m sure that a link to this pathetic conversation was sent to the school community- if you are gonna play, you are going to hear from others who disagree with all of the angry comments. Also, before you judge someone for a mistake that they might have made YEARS ago, please make sure that you are perfect. Perhaps you shouldn’t be looking at a Catholic school (or working at one) if you can’t forgive and refrain from being so judgmental. Anyone who knows anything about the way that parochial schools work, also knows that the ADW calls all of the shots. Next time do your research before you post something that shows your ignorance and lack of real information. Shame on you.

[Anonymous]

Another happy St. Bart's family here that is concerned. The school seems to be heading in the wrong direction sadly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not that much turnover compared to other schools this day and age. 3 teachers is honestly not even close to “a lot of turnover.” Also, two of the spots are being filled by wonderful teachers, who are already there and our beloved. The vice principal, although wonderful, is older and retiring and it’s not always a bad thing to bring in some new people with good ideas. The school and its community are still amazing. I don’t think any of these changes are bad and are in-fact going to lead to positive results.

The VP did not say she was retiring. The leadership is not well suited for a school. Why they choose the nepotism hire principal famous for bar fights rather than an experienced principal I'll never know.

[Anonymous]

The VP has been there so long and draws a large salary for a small Catholic school which drains the budget for raises etc. As far as the turf field- it is actually a good investment as that is prime real estate on River Road and the field will pay for itself over time as it can be rented out for club teams. Stone Ridge, The heights, prep, Landon and many MCPS schools do it and it works out well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The VP has been there so long and draws a large salary for a small Catholic school which drains the budget for raises etc. As far as the turf field- it is actually a good investment as that is prime real estate on River Road and the field will pay for itself over time as it can be rented out for club teams. Stone Ridge, The heights, prep, Landon and many MCPS schools do it and it works out well.

No. This is backwards thinking. Anyone with any sense knows that in this type of environment you invest in humans not stuff. Draining the scholl of experienced staff is plain stupid when competing with excellent public schools. Pushing out the VP, and as far as the kids believe, the math teacher to cut costs for the field is just plain stupid. It's a favor to the principals lax buddies. Watch, some bro will be brought in a a replacement vp. Good luck to the families with special needs and require pull outs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:St. Bart’s has literally been a godsend for our DC, who was struggling in their previous school. We have watched them transform from an anxious and insecure child into a confident and self-aware one in no small part due to the strong and loving leadership of the teachers. Some of the teachers are literal angels on earth. The school’s joyful approach to faith and learning has in turn strengthened our family’s faith and desire to learn more about our religion. The community is warm and welcoming. Is it perfect? No. But it’s as close to perfect as it can get for our child and family.

Then you should be fighting the hardest because your kid will be effected by this shift the most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey! Another happy St. Bart’s parent here… I want to address the original poster and subsequent naysayers.
If you’re devastated and seriously concerned you should take it up with the ADW. St. Bart’s can’t make any moves without permission from the governing body of the ADW. Hirings, firings, and improvements literally can’t be made in a vacuum.
Speaking to the HSA comments I strongly urge more parents to show up and get involved whether volunteering or just attending the social engagements.
It takes a village and my child has greatly benefited from the teachers, the resources team, the extracurricular activities and the catholic education.
Finally, de Chantal (an ADW school) just put in a turf field last year so I don’t understand the point about this being a non-ADW thing.

What is your plan given the dismantling of the the resource team?

[Anonymous]

It does not look like there isany intention to replace the rescource teachers. https://recruiting.ultipro.com/ARC1012ARCHW/JobBoard/a6c08282-64df-408a-a35b-24830a852469/?q=&o=postedDateDesc

[Anonymous]

The rumor is that the vp and resource teachers have been cut to fund the field. The parents seem to know that the the vp will not be replaced. They have not been informed about the resource teachers. There will only be one to service an entire inclusive school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The rumor is that the vp and resource teachers have been cut to fund the field. The parents seem to know that the the vp will not be replaced. They have not been informed about the resource teachers. There will only be one to service an entire inclusive school.

That's it: a rumor. Most other schools in the ADW that have VPs also carry other heavier weight positions, like teaching. There are over 60 schools in the ADW, go check them out!

Resource and inclusion are two different groups entirely. My child has benefitted from the resource team at St. Barts as a supplement to what we do privately. If any parent is assuming a parochial school should be 100% on the hook for special education, then they need to be heading over to MCPS. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The rumor is that the vp and resource teachers have been cut to fund the field. The parents seem to know that the the vp will not be replaced. They have not been informed about the resource teachers. There will only be one to service an entire inclusive school.

That's it: a rumor. Most other schools in the ADW that have VPs also carry other heavier weight positions, like teaching. There are over 60 schools in the ADW, go check them out!

Resource and inclusion are two different groups entirely. My child has benefitted from the resource team at St. Barts as a supplement to what we do privately. If any parent is assuming a parochial school should be 100% on the hook for special education, then they need to be heading over to MCPS. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

You are aware that the families were recruited specifically in the promise of pull outs and resources team members designated to work with their individual learning profiles. If this has changed, the parents should have been notified prior to the new contract for next year. It is morally corrupt to think otherwise. At the very least, they should be notified immediately so they can make suitable arrangements.