MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Dear St. Catherine’s Community,

It has been a remarkable year for St. Catherine's Montessori. As you turn the pages of this year's Annual Report, you will see countless hallmarks of a truly special school community. It takes many people with a diverse collection of skills, passions, and commitments to create a vibrant community. This is certainly true of St. Catherine's.

Our faculty's passion for observing and guiding our students’ journeys is the keystone of our culture. Their dedication to our students and mission has always been what attracts families to St. Catherine's. As I reflect on my first year with this beautiful community, I see our continuous commitment to living our mission to awaken in our students the awareness of their gifts and responsibilities as individuals in relationship with Jesus Christ and as stewards of the global community. We are blessed to have been entrusted with our students’ education. Each day our faculty, staff, and administration labor with full effort to follow the curriculum and traditions established by Dr. Maria Montessori more than one hundred years ago, fostering the development of the whole child - intellectually, physically, socially, morally, and spiritually.

This year we had our consultation visit with Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), and it was a fantastic professional development opportunity that provided personalized feedback to Lower School guides and administrators. This benefits our school by providing a standard of excellence and serves as a vehicle for continuing education for faculty and administrators. Consultation is pedagogical in nature: it safeguards and enhances compliance with AMI standards and gives additional assurance to families that we are providing an authentic Montessori education for their children. The guiding directive for consultation is to give support and assistance to the adults who work within the sphere of the child. The consultants absolutely loved our school and gave us great feedback.

I want to thank the entire community for supporting our goals through volunteerism and generous philanthropy this school year. Together we achieved record-breaking Annual Fund giving and returned to in-person galas with the successful Raise the Roof for Japhet. Your giving impacts every member of our community, strengthens our educational programs and campus culture, and allows us to embark on our school’s next steps. Thank you for giving to our current students and to those who one day will attend St. Catherine's. Your generosity will continue to make a difference for years to come.

As I look ahead to next year, I am excited for what is to come. The trajectory is set with rising enrollment, the enhancement of campus facilities, a mission-driven faculty and staff, and an excellent ethos because of the great community supporting us. St. Catherine's people and culture make it remarkable, and this is why I am so excited to reflect on our past, see our present, and celebrate our continual accomplishments.

I am immensely honored to serve in this fantastic community and wish you all a great summer!

Lina Delgado Head of School