Documents •
WASC Report 2020
← Chapter 4: Self-Study Analysis - Category C2
(Chapter IV: Self-Study Findings)
CATEGORY C: SUPPORT FOR STUDENT PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC GROWTH
C2. Student Connectedness
The school leadership employs a wide range of strategies to ensure that parental and community involvement is integral to the school’s established support system for students.
| Findings | Evidence |
|---|---|
| The PTA is a registered non-profit organization that provides another means to connect the school to outside resources. Individuals, corporations, and businesses are able to claim a tax-deductible refund on a yearly basis for any donation made to the school. IN SY 2016-2017 and SY 2017-2018, the PTA held regularly scheduled meetings to attend to school matters. Committee members were formed to plan and carry out activities to support the school. The PTA Programs Committee addresses programs and events such as Catholic Schools Week, school Masses, and outreach programs. In SY 2017-2018 a Development Officer was hired to organize and hold an Annual Maris Stella Carnival as a means of fundraising for the school. The Development Officer is also responsible for grant writing proposals and creates a yearbook. Low attendance at PTA meetings led to the decision to discontinue quarterly meetings. Individual grade level parents elected class representatives to plan and carry out activities on behalf of their children. These smaller class PTA groups have been more effective with parents’ and guardians’ participation. Each grade level group of parents elects 2 Representatives who contact parents to plan and carry out activities, working with grade-level teachers. |
• List of PTA Officers • Minutes of PTA meetings • Annual School Carnival • Programs Committee • Fundraising Committee • School Yearbook • Class reps organize field trips, Third Graders’ First Holy Communion, Carnival events, CSW events, Thanksgiving Outreach, and Christmas Program |
| The school receives many free services from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Justice targeting schools and students. These are services like Health Screening Immunization and Oral Health Outreach. Bureau of Public Safety Officers direct the traffic on the main road in front of the school in the morning. Another use of community resources comes from the private businesses and elected public servants when solicited for various assistance such as financial support or to give talks at school events. In many instances, people from the community come in as speakers or the students go out to visit them as enrichment or extension on the topic or lesson that the students are learning about in the classroom. For example, people from Bank of Hawaii (BOH) come to 5th graders to talk about the Importance of Saving Money for their future. Also, people from Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) visit all grade levels to talk about the Importance of Coral Reefs to Palau’s Ecosystem. | • Yearly Health Screening Immunization and Oral Health Outreach are in the school calendar • Photos/Videos of Field Trips and Guest Speakers |
| Parents select MSS to be their child’s school because of the school’s purpose and academic standards. The school attempts to remind and involve parents and community members to promote the school’s purpose and academic standards by posting the information at visible locations around the school and including them in discussions during school meetings or gatherings. | • Copy of Mission Statement • Copy of ESLR’s • Minutes of school meetings with class representatives • Photos/videos of school events: Masses, Thanksgiving Outreach, Homebound Visitation, Field Trips, Christmas Program, CSW, Lenten Prayer Day |
| Parents have ready access to school personnel. Teachers provide their personal contact information so that parents or students can reach them outside school hours. The non Palauan teachers stay in campus apartments so they are readily accessible. | • List of personnel contact numbers/e- mail address • Photo of campus apartment |
Achievements
- Regularity of annual events such as Carnival fundraising, Thanksgiving outreach, Advent prayer services, Catholic Schools Week, Lenten Prayer Days
- Means of communication between school and home
Areas for Improvement
- Increasing parent support in school statistics