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Frequently Asked Questions

   

What is the current enrollment?

There are 498 students enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grades.

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Does St. Mary’s limit classroom size?

Yes. There are three kindergarten through eighth grade homeroom classrooms with a preferred maximum of 20 students each. Each kindergarten and first grade classroom has one teacher and one assistant. Second and third grades have a shared, part-time assistant.  

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How does St. Mary's maintain its Catholic identity?

St. Mary’s sets a priority of hiring practicing Catholics as classroom teachers.  All classroom religion teachers participate in ongoing Catechist training to maintain their Catechist Certification. Religion is taught to all students daily.  Each school day is started and ended by student/faculty-led, school-wide prayer. Students attend daily Mass at least once per week with their class, monthly all-school Mass, and Holy Day of Obligation Masses.

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Who accredits St. Mary’s?

St. Mary's is accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancED) and continues to meet the requirements to be fully accredited.

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What curriculum standards does St. Mary’s follow?

St. Mary’s follows the Diocese of Savannah Catholic Schools Curriculum Standards. The standards describe the expectations of skills to be taught and mastered at each grade level in each subject area. We believe our teachers are the most important part of our curriculum. They create a caring and supportive environment and have the flexibility (i.e. freedom) to use their expertise and ingenuity to enhance learning in the classroom.

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What role does technology play in the curriculum?

St. Mary's embraces educational technology and incorporates its use into virtually every aspect of school life. Technology is used in all grade levels from kindergarten through eighth grade. Our campus is fully networked with classroom computers, smart boards, iPads, Chromebooks, and laptops. St. Mary's Tech Lab provides a hands-on environment for students to learn coding, cybersecurity skills, keyboarding, multimedia production, robotics, and software applications.

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How do parents and teachers communicate?

Many opportunities are available for communication between parents and teachers.  These  include: FACTS-RenWeb student information system (SIS), e-mail, phone calls, book bag mail, classroom newsletters, new parent orientations, back-to-school open house, parent-teacher conferences, and progress reports.

Our SIS, FACTS-RenWeb, allows parents to see their students’ grades, homework assignments, project due dates, and progress reports as well as additional information from the teachers.  It also allows teachers and administration to quickly send e-mail messages to all parents. This is especially helpful in case of unscheduled school closings, changes in athletic events, important information for parents, etc.

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Does St. Mary’s have a resource specialist on staff?

St. Mary’s has two reading interventionists who work with students one-on-one or in small groups to provide extra assistance.

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Is there a lunch program?

St. Mary's has a full-service cafeteria with a hot lunch available daily. Lunches are $3.75 per day or $18.75 per week and parents may send money in an envelope marked lunch account with their child's name and homeroom on it. Parents may also make payments online. This money will be credited to the family's account. As their child purchases lunch or milk, this account will be debited. Students who bring their lunch may purchase milk ($0.50) with cash.

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Is there an extracurricular program?

Extracurricular opportunities include Academic Team, Band, Boythovens, Chess Club, Chorus, CyberSaints, Drama-Christmas Musical, Junior Beta Club, Math Club, Prayer Group, Safety Patrol, and more.

St. Mary’s is active in and has earned recognition for outstanding performance in local, regional, and national academic competitions.  These include the CyberPatriot Competition, literary/writing competitions, MATHCOUNTS, Model UN, National Geographic Bee, PAGE Academic Bowl, Perennial Math Tournament, Scripps National Spelling Bee, and more.  We are proud of our students' award-winning accomplishments.

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts are available through St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church.

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Is there a sports program?

St. Mary’s is a member of the Augusta-Aiken Middle School League.  Students in grades 6-8, who maintain passing grades in all subjects and demonstrate good conduct, can participate in a variety of competitive sports. The sports program includes baseball, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, and volleyball.  

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Are there before-school and after-school care programs?

Before-school and after-school programs are provided for students on regularly scheduled school days. The before-school program is an adult-supervised program that begins at 7:00 am and ends at 7:45 am. The students then proceed to their classrooms to start their school day. The fee is $3 per day for one child or $4 for two or more children.

The after-school program is an adult-supervised program that begins at dismissal and ends at 6:00 pm. After-school personnel escort the students from their classrooms to the after-school location. The students have supervised play on the playground (weather permitting), a snack, supervised homework time, STEM activities, and free time. There are at least two adult supervisors on duty at all times. The after-school program is available on a weekly or drop in basis. Students who have not been picked up 10 minutes after school dismissal are taken to the after-school area. Students must be signed out with one of the after-school teachers by the person picking them up. Only persons authorized by the parent in writing will be allowed to pick up a student.

The after-school program cost is $55 per student per week or a maximum of $110 per family for regular attendees. For students who attend on a drop-in basis, there is a $6 fee for the first 45 minutes and a $12 fee for over 45 minutes.

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What is the current state of St. Mary’s campus?

In August of 2002 a five million dollar renovation and building project was completed.  All classrooms received new windows, lights, ceilings, carpet, HVAC systems, and paint.  A new media center and after school program area was created in the previous St. Joseph’s Convent.  Also, a new gymnasium and cafeteria were constructed.  An excellent maintenance staff beautifully maintains the facility. 

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What is VIRTUS training for school volunteers?

VIRTUS is a Diocesan program that is required for volunteers.  In addition to VIRTUS, all school volunteers are required to have a background check and sign a Diocesan Code of Conduct.  VIRTUS training, Code of Conduct, and background checks are also required for all school staff and faculty.

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What security measures are in place to protect students?

All doors and exterior gates are locked during the school day.  All visitors must enter the school through the main entrance.  The main entrance is automatic and can only be opened by our receptionist or by school administration.  Monitored security cameras are also in place.

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Is there an emergency/disaster plan in place for the school?

St. Mary’s does have plans in place in the event of an emergency.  These plans cover a variety of scenarios such as fire, weather, civil disturbance, bomb threat, and hazardous materials release.  The school has a monitored fire alarm notification system in place that automatically notifies the fire department in case of a fire.  Fire drills are held on a monthly basis. Other drills are also practiced during the school year.