School Advisory Board

The St. Mary's School Advisory Board (SAB) provides advice and assistance to the St. Mary's School Principal and Pastor leadership team in the governance of the school.  If you are interested or know someone who has talents to lend to our great school, please email sab@smsrockville.org to find out how you can help.  The SAB meets once per month.  Committees, which may be comprised of both SAB members and non-SAB members, may meet more frequently as necessary.

600 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852

Phone (301) 762-4179

Fax (301) 762-9550

Website

The Single Most Important Parenting Strategy | Becky Kennedy | TED

Everyone loses their temper from time to time — but the stakes are dizzyingly high when the focus of your fury is your own child. Clinical psychologist and renowned parenting whisperer Becky Kennedy is here to help. Not only does she have practical advice to help parents manage the guilt and shame of their not-so-great moments but she also models the types of conversations you can have to be a better parent. (Hint: this works in all other relationships too.) Bottom line? It's never too late to reconnect.

600 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852

Phone (301) 762-4179

Fax (301) 762-9550

Website

Our Blue Ribbon Award

On November 16, 2011 we celebrated our National Blue Ribbon Award. It was a wonderful day that started with a special Mass of Thanksgiving. We were privileged to have our Pastor, Monsignor Amey, our Assistant Pastor, Fr. Charles, as well as Fr. Val and retired Reverend,  Fr.  Downs. Our guest of honor was Sister Carol Rigali, OSF, former principal of the school and now Provincial of the United States Province of the School Sisters of St. Francis. After Mass, the entire community gathered in the school’s auditorium for a special award presentation from a Department of Education representative. The event also included special remarks from Monsignor Amey, Sister Carol, student representatives from every class, and 6th Grade teacher Mr. DiGiovanni. Our eighth graders performed a special song dedicated to our Blue Ribbon accomplishment. 

Ms. Debby Kennedy, Principal, proudly addressed the school with these words: “we have made history for Catholic Education!  There are 135,000 schools in the United States and only 315 of them were recognized this year as Blue Ribbon Schools.  Of the 10 schools in Maryland, 4 of them were Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools.  That puts St. Mary’s School in the 97th percentile nationwide.  That is amazing!”

We are very proud to announce that St. Mary's has been recognized as a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.  This is such an honor because although there are 33,000 private schools in the nation, only 49 private schools are recognized. 

St. Mary's has reached this accomplishment through their dedicated faculty and staff, their hard-working students and their ever-supportive parent community. Together, we bring academic excellence in a loving, faith-filled community to our children everyday.

600 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852

Phone (301) 762-4179

Fax (301) 762-9550

Website

How to be a creative thinker | Carnegie Mellon University Po-Shen Loh

Have you ever wondered whether you lack creativity? Po-Shen Loh, a social entrepreneur, illuminates issues within the education system while instructing tens of thousands of diverse students. Serving as a U.S. Math Olympiad coach and professor at Carnegie Mellon University, he endeavors to tackle these problems. He has developed a captivating educational system, reminiscent of Twitch game streaming. Explore the significant challenges and their solutions in the video.

600 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852

Phone (301) 762-4179

Fax (301) 762-9550

Website

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!

600 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852

Phone (301) 762-4179

Fax (301) 762-9550

Website

Accreditation

St. Mary's School and all Archdiocese of Washington Schools are AdvancEd Accredited Schools. The Archdiocese of Washington maintains system wide accreditation having met the requirements established by the AdvandEd Accreditation Commission and the Board of Trustees through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement. This distinction is the result of extensive self-study, ongoing evaluation, and continual striving for academic excellence.

600 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852

Phone (301) 762-4179

Fax (301) 762-9550

Website

Academics : Seventh and Eighth Grades

Our curriculum focuses on the development of the whole child. Departmentalization begins in the fourth grade and continues through eighth grade.

Classes are taught in a loving, supportive, Christian environment. There is a strong emphasis on faith development, and Catholic identity is visible throughout the school. Students are encouraged to learn about and practice the Catholic faith and to live this faith through community service and outreach programs.

Teachers use formal and informal assessments at all grade levels. Scantron Performance Standardized Assessment is used from Kindergarten through Eighth grade and is administered in at the beginning of the year, mid year, and at the end of the year..

Writing portfolios are integrated into the language arts curriculum at all grade levels, allowing students to monitor their progress in writing each year.

Seventh and Eighth Grades

Religion:

The religion program is a two-year preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation. It is based on the doctrines of the Catholic Church as found in Scripture and Tradition. There is an emphasis on the Ten Commandments and the Creed. The students are led to understand how to make moral choices based on the Catholic faith and to establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Students attend school Mass one day a week. They participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Advent and Lent.

Language Arts:

The language arts curriculum is an integrated program of literature, grammar, vocabulary, and writing. The students write poems, personal narratives, short stories, and persuasive letters to add to their writing portfolios.

Mathematics:

Math instruction is designed to develop techniques and strategies to integrate math into daily life. The students learn and use formulae and algebraic expressions. They are introduced to the use of graphing calculators and computer spreadsheets. There are grade-level and accelerated classes.

Science:

The science program is designed to teach students to understand the universe around them. They develop problem solving strategies and effective methods of rational thinking. The focus in seventh grade is life science -- biology and human health, and in eighth grade physical science -- chemistry and physics.

Social Studies:

The social studies program focuses on history, civics, current events and geography. The students learn how to write a research paper.

600 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852

Phone (301) 762-4179

Fax (301) 762-9550

Website

DIY | How to Make a Bird Feeder (Easy Kids Craft!)

600 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852

Phone (301) 762-4179

Fax (301) 762-9550

Website

Academics : Fifth and Sixth Grades

Our curriculum focuses on the development of the whole child. Departmentalization begins in the fourth grade and continues through eighth grade.

Classes are taught in a loving, supportive, Christian environment. There is a strong emphasis on faith development, and Catholic identity is visible throughout the school. Students are encouraged to learn about and practice the Catholic faith and to live this faith through community service and outreach programs.

Teachers use formal and informal assessments at all grade levels. Scantron Performance Standardized Assessment is used from Kindergarten through Eighth grade and is administered in at the beginning of the year, mid year, and at the end of the year..

Writing portfolios are integrated into the language arts curriculum at all grade levels, allowing students to monitor their progress in writing each year.

Fifth and Sixth Grades

Religion: In the middle grades, the religion curriculum emphasizes Catholic teaching through a foundation in the Mass and Old and New Testaments with support from The Catechism of the Catholic Church. Students attend mass weekly with the parish community. They participate in school-wide masses and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Students continue to memorize Catholic prayers. The Family Life program is introduced at this level.

Language Arts: The language arts program is a literature-based program with a focus on vocabulary development and reading comprehension. Grammar, spelling, and mechanics are an integral part of the writing program. The students continue to maintain the portfolio begun in kindergarten.

Mathematics: The math curriculum stresses operations with fractions and decimals. As students progress they learn pre-algebraic concepts.

Science: Science instruction builds on concepts and techniques introduced in the earlier grades. The scientific process is used for student hands-on investigations. The students are taught critical reading strategies which apply to more technical material.

Social Studies: Social studies programs include topics of history, civics, current events and geography with a strong emphasis on appreciation and respect for the various cultures that comprise the world population.

600 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852

Phone (301) 762-4179

Fax (301) 762-9550

Website