STATE OF SCHOOL
2023-2024
Welcome
On behalf of our Board of Trustees and school leadership, we are proud to share the 2023-2024 State of the School. Throughout this microsite you will see the meaningful work and achievements we have accomplished over the last year. Please take the time to read about: our strategic plan progress, academic enhancements and outstanding test scores, groundbreaking plans for the Design The Future campaign, our financial health, development, alumni, engagement and more.
This school year marks our 30th anniversary. We are so blessed that Father Sillers purposely founded our school to be different. St. Mary’s is unlike any other school around. Father wanted a welcoming and warm community school that would prepare students for a rapidly evolving world. That foresight is pretty incredible when you look at where we are today. There are 2,000 Falcon alumni making a difference in the world. There are 715 Falcons in our nest right now growing their world-sized hearts and world-class minds. We have incredible leadership, faculty and staff preparing the hearts and minds of our future leaders. This is such an exciting and pivotal time for St. Mary’s and I am inspired for what the next 30 years brings.
Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to our school. The 2024-2025 school year will be historic for St. Mary’s and we are blessed to have your family in our community.
Strategic Plan Progress
The following outlines (from Jan. 2023 to Jan. 2024) the substantial progress made toward the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan.
Pillar 1: Transformative Learning Experience for our Students
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Hosted inaugural Design Night spring 2023; hosting second annual event (Design Faire) March 2024.
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Implemented increased math fluency integration via Reflex Math program (Grades 2 – 8).
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Increased available resources and instructional minutes for MS Math. Academic team assessed the current program and introduced new MS Math pathway courses for 2024-2025.
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Implemented robust NoRed Ink reading/writing/grammar program (Grades 4 – 8).
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To create new learning connections, Director of Technology and Innovation introduced and enhanced Tinker Time for LS students.
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Introduced Chromebook program so students are equipped with their own device throughout their Grade 3 – 5 journey.
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To enrich units of study, the academic team: Grade 5 secured educational Minecraft subscription to focus on sustainability throughout their Sharing the Planet unit; EEP is working with robots/coding linking to various units; and EEP and Grade 8 created a mobile regenerative organic garden enhancing service learning and units of inquiry.
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All EEP faculty now have access to Smart Board Projectors and ipads.
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Introduced Grade 8 High School Placement Test program within Tutorial blocks and after school sessions to prepare students.
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Partnered with EdTech recruiting firm and are underway with search for new Director of Design faculty member.
Pillar 2: An Innovative 21st Century Campus that is Flexible and Environmentally Responsible
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Partnered with a third party security consultant to provide detailed security of assessment of campus; feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
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Added outdoor tables to all LS classrooms in the back to better utilize outdoor learning spaces.
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EEP annual Community Care Licensing visit was a complete success with no violations.
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Conducted extensive school-wide drill for faculty and staff to practice emergency procedure plans.
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Extended security presence beyond the school day.
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Installed outdoor lighting to provide safer walkways.
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Implementing steps toward completing the master campus plan with Design The Future launch March 2024.
Pillar 3: Broad Educational Program that Develops the Whole Child
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Planning and preparing for spring 2024 launch of inaugural 2-day Lower School Intersession. Program will be linked to units, include on and off-site field trips, service on and off campus and much more.
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EEP strengthened the Social Emotional curriculum with books, calm down devices, furniture and training.
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Continue to annually grow the Middle School Intersession program by expanding areas of study and trips and study offerings including a trip to London (a school first).
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Increased support for experiential learning by offering a MUN international trip to Singapore spring 2024.
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Introduced two service learning initiatives in Middle School: first-ever local beach clean up and helping hands lunch clean up in the Green Family Commons.
Pillar 4: Premiere IB Programme
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In preparation for IB self study, formulated six committees of faculty and staff to review internal IB policies.
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Conducted extensive interviews and ultimately identified an internal candidate for PYP IB Coordinator position effective 2024-2025 school year.
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Proactively sent 14 faculty from all three divisions to IB trainings and workshops throughout the country including Colorado, Northern Calif., Texas and Florida.
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Continuing to grow the Global Conversations program, we have held three events thus far this school year and will host a total of six events by June 2024.
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Refocused and restructured the Middle School Community Project program to ensure students’ passions tied to a community issue were relevant and evident.
Pillar 5: Exceptional Professional Development for our Faculty and Staff
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Conducted CORE Learning teacher literacy training based The Science of Reading for all LS faculty.
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Conducted EXPLO Design Thinking training for all faculty and staff.
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Sent 16 teachers and admin to visit a leading school in the Pacific Palisades. The purpose of the visit was to inspire our team and facilitate collaboration between our teachers and school leaders to understand how design thinking can enhance various subject areas.
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Head of Early Education is now certified as an American Red Cross Trainer (can now certify all employees moving forward).
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In spring 2024, leadership will visit Atlanta International School to learn and experience their design program.
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Weekly, every faculty member has dedicated time for thoughtful Professional Development, ranging from planning to grading to creating new IB unit planners.
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Every faculty member has participated in at least two full days of Professional Development sessions.
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Faculty have participated in external conferences and training, including science, technology, athletics, arts, etc.
Pillar 6: Continued Sense of Community among Students, Families, Facility, Staff and Beyond
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Held the first MS Fest where all Middle School families were invited into classrooms to experience all facets of learning.
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Underway with plans to conduct a community health survey in spring 2024.
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Thus far this school year, we have successfully hosted eight community events all receiving record breaking attendance (e.g., Founder’s Day, Grandparents & Special Friends Day, etc.).
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Grew our Winter Market community event by increasing the number of art performances and vendors.
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To bolster our admissions efforts and communication among our community, launched a new innovative and dynamic school website in July 2023.
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Upgraded and launched a fully integrated web-based information season (student information system and information management system) - Veracross in July 2023.
Academic Updates
Early Education
In the Early Education Program, students explore four of the six IB transdisciplinary themes at each grade level. During these units of inquiry, we focus on social, communication, self-management, critical thinking and research skills. These approaches to learning provide opportunities for our students to reach developmental milestones in an authentic play-based environment. For a detailed overview, click here for the EEP Curriculum Map.
EK continues to prepare our youngest Falcons for Kindergarten and their transition into Lower School: Median Readiness Assessment Score is 77 Percentile.
Lower School
Through the six IB transdisciplinary themes, units are thoughtfully designed using the California state and national standards in engaging and relevant ways. The Lower School curriculum is guided by the IB framework that embeds content specific standards and weaves in skills that transfer into the real world. For a detailed overview, click here for the LS Curriculum Map.
Middle School
For a detailed overview on every subject taught by grade, please click here to review the Middle School Subject Guide Overviews (SGO). Within the overviews we outline: the global context (IB theme), key concepts, approaches to learning and more. New this year, we have created and shared unit letters and updated grading policies.
Benchmark Testing
In Lower and Middle School our students participate in two primary forms of standardized testing. The first is the NWEA™ Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) Growth Math Test and the second is the International Schools' Assessment (ISA). The purpose of these tests are to inform instruction and highlight the strengths and opportunities for growth in our program.
What is the MAP Assessment?
The NWEA™ Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) Growth Math Test is a computerized assessment that measures students' proficiency and knowledge in mathematics. The test is adaptive, meaning the questions' difficulty level changes according to the student's previous answers. This ensures that the test is uniquely tailored for each student to show his or her individual academic progress irrespective of grade level in algebra, geometry, statistics, probability, and complex number systems.
What Does the Data Mean?
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A significant percentage of our St. Mary's students are scoring in the 80th percentile or above.
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A large percentage of our students are scoring in the 60th-80th percentile range.
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These numbers indicate our students are vastly outperforming national norms.
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St. Mary's students are consistently outperforming both California private schools and national norms.
What is the ISA?
The International Schools' Assessment (ISA) is designed for students in Grades 3–10 in international schools and schools with an international focus. The ISA assesses how well students can apply skills to situations relating to real life in the 21st century. The ISA extends beyond multiple-choice; it includes open-ended questions and writing tasks which provide a better insight into students’ thinking processes. The questions often require students to construct a response, explain their reasoning, find evidence, or justify their opinion.
What is the PISA?
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and is considered the gold standard for evaluating education systems. In PISA, a nationally representative sample of Grade 10 equivalent students is assessed in three core areas: mathematical literacy, reading literacy and scientific literacy. In 2018, a total of around 600,000 students from 79 countries participated in the PISA data collection.
The ISA Mathematical Literacy, Reading and Scientific Literacy data are calibrated onto the PISA scales for mathematical literacy, reading and scientific literacy. This means ISA Scale scores are directly comparable with PISA country data for these three domains and provide a stable point of reference for ISA schools. Here is an example of how St. Mary's students scored in Scientific Literacy.
Finance
Our Board of Trustees and leadership team work diligently to ensure the long term health of St. Mary’s. The following metrics indicate our fiscal health and strength.
Capital Campaign
Design The Future
We are excited to share that the Board of Trustees has approved for St. Mary’s to break ground on the Design The Future Project in June 2024. This project has been in development since the inception of the Imagine More Campaign and will complete the campus Master Plan.
Design The Future encompasses the removal of the existing four 30-year-old modular units on the campus, making way for a cutting-edge, state-of-the-art building. This new facility will house a Design Center tailored to all Falcons and a new space for our Early Education Program. The project also envisions the creation of park-like community spaces, contributing to an enriched campus environment.
As we embark on this transformative journey, we are committed to keeping our community informed about the construction process. Rest assured, we do not foresee construction plans disrupting our school program. For the 2024-2025 school year, our Early Education division will temporarily relocate to the EEP Village at the front of the school. This exciting project marks a significant milestone in the realization of our long-term vision for St. Mary's and we appreciate the continued support of our dedicated community.
The Campaign
As our campus has evolved over the years, it has become evident that we need facilities that enable us to fully execute Design Thinking and refresh our Early Education Program spaces. This is where the Design The Future campaign steps in. The Design The Future campaign perfectly encapsulates our beliefs and values. It harmonizes our vision for a remarkable facility with our mission to cultivate world-sized hearts and world-class minds.
Our Vision: Creating World-Sized Hearts and World-Class Minds.
Design Thinking is a potent tool for shaping a brighter future. It instills confidence in our students, empowering them to be agents of positive change, irrespective of the challenge's magnitude. We believe that education needs the optimism and problem-solving capabilities that Design Thinking imparts, enabling our students to address complex problems and create a better world. By fostering an integrated, collaborative approach to problem-solving, we equip them with the skills and mindset necessary to effect meaningful change.
The Power of Design Thinking: Shaping a Brighter Future
At St. Mary's, we envision a world where every child is prepared to be a courageous, caring, global citizen and a leader of tomorrow with a world-sized heart and world-class mind. As Orange County's exclusive International Baccalaureate and Design Thinking institution, EEP through Grade 8, we have set ourselves apart with a distinctive educational model grounded in a culture of care, support, and innovation.
Project Details
A new two-story, 28,000-square-foot building (will house Design Center & Early Education Center) and outdoor community spaces will complete the master plan.
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Design Center
The second floor will host state-of-the-art labs for science, technology, and fine arts for all students, encouraging collaboration, hands-on learning and creative problem-solving. Specialized labs, including the Empathy Lab, Idea Lab, Garage, Falcon Workshop, Tool Shed, and Studio, will facilitate research, collaboration, and prototyping. Additionally, a gallery space will be available for students to showcase their work and inspire others.
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Early Education Center
A new learning space on the first floor will nurture creativity and intellectual growth for our youngest Falcons. Area will feature flexible classrooms and a Learning Hub for gathering and eating. The rooms will be configured to allow teachers to meet the various needs of each student while maximizing imagination, play, wonder and reflection.
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Outdoor & Community Spaces
The addition of new outdoor spaces creates lush, park-like areas for gathering, learning and serene reflection. This includes the establishment of a Community Hub featuring a coffee cafe, student store and lobby entrance. At St. Mary's, community is paramount and these spaces offer opportunities for families to connect during those seemingly simple moments when we come together.
...More to Come
Look for more information about the campaign, how to support it and groundbreaking timelines in late March 2024. If you want to be a part of this transformative initiative contact Sharon Taylor.
Development
St. Mary's is financially healthy and we are grateful for the generous support of our community. From the St. Mary’s Fund to our Scholar Program - we are achieving our fundraising goals and couldn’t be prouder. Thank you for your support!
We are especially grateful to our community for whole-heartedly embracing the St. Mary's Scholar Program. Last year alone, we raised $236,000 and six scholar students have been impacted by this initiative. Our goal is to increase our scholars to six students per school year.
The 2023-2024 St. Mary's Fund is only-half way through the campaign. Scan this to donate or pledge now.
371
donors supported THE
St. mary's fund
53%
St. Mary's Families donated to the fund
$835,000
raised
THUS far...
$236,000 raised for scholar program 22-23
6 scholars impacted by program
5 scholar students enrolled
1 scholar AlumnA
Admission
St. Mary’s Admission team is busy! From leading campus tours to assisting with shadow days, St. Mary's is receiving record-breaking interest and applications. The highlight of the St. Mary's admission season are the on-campus Information Session events held throughout the fall with the goal of introducing perspective families to our school first-hand. Every Information Session held this season has sold-out within hours. Each event introduces perspective families to our school with: a welcome from our student ambassadors, lunch provided by FLIK, presentation by school leadership, Middle School speakers and an interactive campus tour. Our balanced curriculum of strong academics and IB programme, beautiful campus, outstanding faculty and staff and engaged community are highly sought after. We are thrilled with our amazing new students and families.
Curious what an Information Session looks like at St. Mary's? Check out this brief video.
715
Currently enrolled Students
703
inquiries
356 applications submitted
Max capacity
every info session
PTF & Engagement
Gala 2023 - We Rocked the Boat!
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300 Attendees; 25 Volunteers & 19 Event Sponsors
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Raised $525,000
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Silent Auction Raised Record-Breaking $194,000
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Fund-a-Need Raised $220,000
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Save the Date: 2024 Gala, Saturday, March 9 at 6 PM at Balboa Bay Club
Golf Classic 2023 - Swingin' Success!
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100 Golfers
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21 Volunteers
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23 Event Sponsors
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Save the Date: 2024 Golf Classic, Monday, Nov. 4 at Aliso Viejo Country Club
Events This School Year - Record Breaking Attendance!
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PTF Pickleball Mixer - 75 Players
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New Family BBQ - 150 guests
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PTF Welcome Back Coffee - Over 200 guests
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PTF Parent Speaker Series - 50 - 75 guests per presentation
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PTF Founder’s Day - Over 500 guests
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New Family Roundtables - 70% of new families attended
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Inside the Nest Meetings - 50 guests
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Leadership Reception - 115 leadership donors
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Grandparents and Special Friends Day - Over 500 guests
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Winter Market - Over 800 guests
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Community Candy Canes - Over 600 participants
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Alumni Holiday Party - 64 alumni attended
Volunteers - We are Engaged!
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Over 500 volunteers
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100 Volunteers for the Green Family Commons
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100 Community Event Volunteers
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150 Classroom Volunteers & 60 Art Classroom Volunteers
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40 Leadership Volunteers
Alumni
Our entire faculty and staff are committed to cultivating our students' world-sized hearts and world-class minds throughout their journey at St. Mary's. We are inspired by our Portrait of a Graduate. We want our students to think different, make an impact in their world and transcend the ordinary. With nearly 2,000 alumni in the world; our Falcons leave the nest prepared and inspired. The following is a snap shot of where the Class of 2023 attends high school and a sampling of the colleges the Class of 2019 is enrolled at this academic year.
Thank you for reading the 2023-2024 State of School.
We appreciate our community's ongoing support. Go Falcons!