Dear Parents and Guardians,
Our second semester is off to a great start. The month of January is very important in schools as it is a time of planning not just for the end of the school year, but for next school year. Providing support to our students is one of our main priorities. I am excited to share one of our new initiatives we have started with the formation of our Student Assistance Team (SAT).
The Student Assistance Team (SAT) is a collaborative, problem-solving team designed to help teachers support students who are struggling academically, behaviorally, or socially. The primary goal of the SAT is to strengthen classroom support by providing teachers with strategies, resources, and interventions that address student needs early and effectively. The SAT brings together educators and support staff—including administrators, counselors, special education staff, school psychologists, and intervention specialists—to review concerns referred by teachers. Using available data (academic performance, attendance, behavior, and observations), the team works with teachers to identify barriers to success and recommend targeted, research-based strategies that can be implemented in the classroom.
Rather than serving as a placement or referral committee, the SAT focuses on teacher support and capacity-building. Teachers remain central to the process, receiving guidance, tools, and follow-up support to help students improve before concerns escalate. The team also monitors progress and adjusts strategies as needed to ensure students are responding to interventions.
Through collaboration, shared responsibility, and proactive intervention, the Student Assistance Team helps create a supportive school environment where teachers are equipped to meet diverse student needs, and students are given multiple opportunities to succeed both academically and behaviorally.
Our Student Assistance Team is comprised of Mrs. Julie Badovick, Mr. Darren Conley, Mrs. Kylie Dowdell, Mr. Matt Fair, Mrs. Amie Swope and myself. I am excited about the formation of this team as it will bring needed collaboration to our intervention strategies and help us build on our already strong student support systems. The team is already hard at work and am looking forward to our collaborative energy approach benefiting our students.
On that topic of collaborations, Catholic Schools Week begins January 25. Our campuses are working together to plan a great celebration of not just our school but our mission of guiding our students to cultivate a personal relationship with Christ. I will be sharing more details next week. It is my hope that I will be able to share many more exciting updates to our curriculum and education plans in the coming weeks.
Being back on campus with our students and teachers has been a real blessing. I am proud of how students have responded these first two weeks of the semester. Each day I have been reminded that I am exactly where I am supposed to be and I truly love what I do! It’s great to be a St. Paul Flyer!
St. Paul High School
