We Encourage You to Choose Catholic Education

Catholic Education is a choice! When I arrive each morning to start my day at St. Joseph Mission School, I am amazed by the commitment each parent has made to drive their child(ren) to and from our school. Each and every school day a parent begins their day early, prepares their child(ren) and they, sometimes with the help of a family member, head down the road to travel anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes to drop off their child at our school gate. This daily commitment is truly inspiring. This commitment continues in their sacrifice for their children in tuition cost, parent meetings, homework help, and school involvement so that their children will receive a quality education that has been part of our communities for the past 100 years.

We at St. Joseph’s are humbled that these parents have chosen our school when other local public schools have more resources to expend on the children of our communities. As a school we have asked parents through various surveys and personal meetings why they choose Catholic education. The most common answer is the reassurance that their child is safe and happy. They know this because when their children return home from school they are often singing a newly learned song, are helping out with chores at home or just reminding other family members to pray before meals.

The second most common answer is when visiting their child’s classroom parents see the children are actively engaged in learning, whether it is through an interactive math game or during times of quiet reading, all children are engaged throughout the day. They are amazed at the confidence children have in expressing themselves when asked a question. Students are not only taught basic skills of math and reading, but those skills are enlivened through projects and learning showcases. Parents appreciate the small class sizes that guarantee individual attention for each student. There are quarterly parent/teacher conferences where parents look at the progress of their child through assessments, work portfolios, behavior observations, and the report card itself. At the end of these visits, parents speak of the joy and spirit they sense in the school itself.

Parents appreciate that their children are able to pray and connect to the Creator both in the Catholic and Traditional ways. Each morning begins with prayer where the students gather together as a school to pray the Morning Blessing in Keres, followed by their classmate reading the Gospel with reflection, prayers for the community and then closing with our school prayer to St Joseph. This sets the tone for the rest of the day. We also have children that come from other faith traditions who pray with us but are not required to be Catholic. This connection to faith, both in the Catholic way and the Traditional way ensures that students feel confidence in all of themselves, as they grow to become servant leaders within our respective communities. Our connection to the Creator is what drives our reason for education and inspires our way of teaching.

Parents have also shared observations from folks who do not have children at the school. Recently, educators from the National Assessment of Educational Progress were giving assessments to our Eighth Graders. After touring the school, they were impressed by the engagement of our students with them. Two years ago, a visitor from New York toured our school and was so impressed that he brought it to the attention of Fr. Timothy Scully, Director of Alliance of Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame. Through this encounter, St. Joseph Mission School is now affiliated with the American Indian Catholic School Network of Notre Dame. And most notably, a recent alumni Yvette Pino from Laguna Pueblo is set to graduate from University of Notre Dame this year. Our Middle School will be traveling to Notre Dame in May on a field trip to visit the campus as an option for their choice of higher education.

Our school also offers opportunities for scholarships as well as free tuition for our PreK students which is an added opportunity.

These are only a few reasons why many people have chosen St. Joseph Mission School for their child’s education for the past 100 years. As parents and families reflect about their child’s education for the next school year, we hope that you will consider St. Joseph’s as a choice. We invite you to our Open House on Friday, February 3rd from noon to 5:00 pm. Please call our school office at 505-552-6362 for more information or go to our website at stjosephmissionschool. com.