Why St. Mary's

Because we are a small school, we are family.

The Mission of St. Mary’s School is to gather as a faith-filled community in union with parents to form students through the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Catholic tradition and to provide an excellent education.

St. Mary's School is a small, family focused institution in the Niles community. We are lucky to have members of our Parish and School who have sent their children and grandchildren here for generations; we hope you join us!

Q: Do you have to be Catholic to attend?

A: No! Catholics and non-Catholics alike share a deep sense of community here. We have religious education in the curriculum for all of our classes, and attend a weekly Mass together as a school on Fridays.

Q: What type of curriculum is taught? How is it accredited/how do we compare to public school? 

A: We follow the Michigan State Core Curriculum in addition to our Diocesan standards related to Religion. For Social Emotional Learning (SEL), we use a program called FRIENDZY which our staff and students love. Our students routinely participate in STEM lessons. Our school is accredited by the National Catholic Education Association and Michigan Nonpublic School Accrediting Association. Our Kindergarten through sixth grade students take the NWEA standardized test three times per year. The data collected from this testing is used to inform instruction. Our students also have access to a software program called IXL which interprets NWEA results. IXL uses the NWEA data to pinpoint areas of need and provide a tailor-made program for each student. We are also a licensed Child Care Center (which is relevant for our preschool classrooms) and we offer affordable licensed after school childcare.

Q: How does the school meet individual students’ academic needs (Like when above or behind grade level)?

A: Due to our split level classes and small class sizes, teachers have time to work individually or in small groups with students who need extra help. Students that are above grade level are able to become leaders by teaching others. We are fortunate to receive Federal Title funding which can be used to hire experienced Reading Specialists to work with students who need additional instruction in a small group setting. 

Q: What are the student to staff ratios?

A: We take pride in our small classroom sizes, which are very beneficial for our students.  Our licensing requires us to cap preschool classrooms at the ratios below:

Q: How much homework is there? 

A: Homework is given at the teacher’s discretion and is given as a means to practice skills taught in the classroom. Homework is sent home most nights of each week. K/ 1 students will have approximately 10-15 minutes of work, 2/ 3 students may spend 20 to 30 minutes, and 4/ 5/ 6 students may spend 30-45 minutes.

Q: Are parents allowed in the classroom?

A: Our parent volunteers are one of the powerhouses of our school. Parents often volunteer in the classroom with projects, reading, holiday parties, and to help out with field trips. We require that all visitors complete a background check and sign in and out. We ask parents to pre-schedule with teachers when wanting to participate in particular lessons during a regular school day.

Q: What is the discipline policy?

A: At St. Mary’s we practice kindness. All students and staff strive to treat each other with kindness and respect. We also focus on integrity. All students understand that integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is looking. If a student presents with disruptive or disrespectful behavior, we work with the student to get their behavior under control. This may be through positive teacher/administration/student intervention, parent and school interaction, or a more formal Positive Behavior Intervention Plan. If negative behavior continues or we become concerned that other students may be in harm’s way, the offending student will be asked to leave. 

Q: What is the Parent/Teacher relationship like? How is communication handled?

A: Our parents and teachers have a very positive relationship. We are a small school with a family feel and our parents are very involved and supportive. Our teachers welcome input and interaction from our parents. Our teachers communicate through newsletters, school folders that are sent home almost every Friday, email, text messaging, telephone calls, and private social media pages. 

Q: What electives are offered?

A: Spanish, Physical Education, Art, and Music & Movement classes are provided for Preschool through 6th grade. Technology is a special class that our grade school students (K-6th) receive. Specials classes are a half an hour for preschoolers and 45 minutes for grade school.

Q: How do you safeguard children? 

A: We conduct background checks 3x/yr for all employees and volunteers. All staff and volunteers complete Virtus training, which helps our adults recognize various potential signs of abuse. Staff read monthly bulletins from Virtus keeping them up to date with different issues. Our doors are always locked and our camera system provides us the ability to monitor the building and visitors. All visitors must sign in and out. We conduct scheduled fire, tornado and lock down drills as required by the state of Michigan. We work closely with our Niles City School Resource Officer who monitors our lockdown drills and makes suggestions for adaptations that will help us better provide security for our students. 

Q: What is required for students to go on a field trip? 

A: Parents must sign a permission slip and all parents/volunteers who attend field trips must be background checked. We use personal vehicles to travel to field trips and typically carpool with parents who register as volunteer drivers (clear driving record and vehicle insurance required). A parent/guardian must accompany all preschoolers. Staff are required to have First Aid training and we carry a First Aid kit on all field trips.

Q: What is the procedure for lunchtime and recess?

A: We do not offer food service. All of our students bring lunch from home. Students are allowed to bring a healthy snack for morning (and afternoon for preschool) and are strongly encouraged to eat their protein first. Preschoolers go out for recess at 11:00 and come in about 11:30. They eat lunch in their classroom when they come in. Our Kindergarten through 6th grade students go to the gym to eat lunch at 11:20. After they finish eating, they play outside until noon. If they are unable to go out due to weather, they play in their classrooms or gym. 

Q: Do you offer any special services? (Reading intervention, speech…)

A: We are able to provide reading intervention for students that need additional small group instruction and/or remediation. When a child is found to be eligible for Speech and Language services, they are provided by Berrien RESA. If a student comes to us with an IEP or a 504 plan, we work hard to provide the recommended accommodations, which we are usually able to provide due to our small class sizes. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide one-on-one assistance for severe academic or behavior challenges.

Q: Do you offer tuition assistance?

A: We strive to work with families to afford our tuition. We attempt to make tuition manageable with families who are dedicated to being an active part of our school community. Our Tuition Assistance information and application is available on our website under ‘Tuition and Fees’. Unfortunately, we cannot offer full scholarships at this time. 

Q: What type of payment plans are offered?

A: Families may pay on 10 month payment plans, 12 month payment plans, or pay quarterly or in full. When paying in full at the beginning of the school year, parents receive a 5% tuition discount.  We accept electronic payments through our website, cash/check/money order payments in our school office, or can initiate ACH Automatic Withdrawal payments with an authorization form.