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U.S. Department of Education2011 - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
A Private School
School Type (Public Schools):
(Check all that apply, if any) /
Charter /
Title 1 /
Magnet /
Choice
Name of Principal: Mrs. Elizabeth M. Hamilton
Official School Name: St. Jane de Chantal School
School Mailing Address: / 9525 Old Georgetown RoadBethesda, MD 20814-1796
County: Montgomery / State School Code Number:
Telephone: (301) 530-1221 / E-mail:
Fax: (301) 530-1688 / Web URL: www.dechantal.org
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge all information is accurate.
______Date ______
(Principal’s Signature)
Name of Superintendent*: Dr. Bert L'Homme Superintendent e-mail:
District Name: Archdiocese of Washington District Phone: (301) 853-4518
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
______Date ______
(Superintendent’s Signature)
Name of School Board President/Chairperson: Mr. Scott Matejik
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
______Date ______
(School Board President’s/Chairperson’s Signature)
*Private Schools: If the information requested is not applicable, write N/A in the space.
The original signed cover sheet only should be converted to a PDF file and emailed to Aba Kumi, Blue Ribbon Schools Project Manager () or mailed by expedited mail or a courier mail service (such as Express Mail, FedEx or UPS) to Aba Kumi, Director, Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Office of Communications and Outreach, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Room 5E103, Washington, DC 20202-8173.
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PART I - ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION / 11PV28The signatures on the first page of this application certify that each of the statements below concerning the school’s eligibility and compliance with U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) requirements is true and correct.
1. The school has some configuration that includes one or more of grades K-12. (Schools on the same campus with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an entire school.)
2. The school has made adequate yearly progress each year for the past two years and has not been identified by the state as "persistently dangerous" within the last two years.
3. To meet final eligibility, the school must meet the state's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirement in the 2010-2011 school year. AYP must be certified by the state and all appeals resolved at least two weeks before the awards ceremony for the school to receive the award.
4. If the school includes grades 7 or higher, the school must have foreign language as a part of its curriculum and a significant number of students in grades 7 and higher must take the course.
5. The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from at least September 2005.
6. The nominated school has not received the Blue Ribbon Schools award in the past five years: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 or 2010.
7. The nominated school or district is not refusing OCR access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a district-wide compliance review.
8. OCR has not issued a violation letter of findings to the school district concluding that the nominated school or the district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes. A violation letter of findings will not be considered outstanding if OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to remedy the violation.
9. The U.S. Department of Justice does not have a pending suit alleging that the nominated school or the school district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes or the Constitution’s equal protection clause.
10. There are no findings of violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in a U.S. Department of Education monitoring report that apply to the school or school district in question; or if there are such findings, the state or district has corrected, or agreed to correct, the findings.
PART II - DEMOGRAPHIC DATA / 11PV28All data are the most recent year available.
DISTRICT
Questions 1 and 2 are for Public Schools only.SCHOOL (To be completed by all schools)
3. / Category that best describes the area where the school is located: / Suburban with characteristics typical of an urban area4. / Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school: / 23
5. / Number of students as of October 1, 2010 enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in applying school:
Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total
PreK / 0 / 0 / 0 / 6 / 25 / 33 / 58
K / 27 / 26 / 53 / 7 / 26 / 28 / 54
1 / 32 / 32 / 64 / 8 / 17 / 31 / 48
2 / 23 / 34 / 57 / 9 / 0 / 0 / 0
3 / 28 / 28 / 56 / 10 / 0 / 0 / 0
4 / 29 / 31 / 60 / 11 / 0 / 0 / 0
5 / 27 / 28 / 55 / 12 / 0 / 0 / 0
Total in Applying School: / 505
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6. / Racial/ethnic composition of the school: / 0 / % American Indian or Alaska Native2 / % Asian
2 / % Black or African American
5 / % Hispanic or Latino
0 / % Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
87 / % White
4 / % Two or more races
100 / % Total
Only the seven standard categories should be used in reporting the racial/ethnic composition of your school. The final Guidance on Maintaining, Collecting, and Reporting Racial and Ethnic data to the U.S. Department of Education published in the October 19, 2007 Federal Register provides definitions for each of the seven categories.
7. / Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the 2009-2010 school year: / 5%This rate is calculated using the grid below. The answer to (6) is the mobility rate.
(1) / Number of students who transferred to the school after October 1, 2009 until the end of the school year. / 2
(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1, 2009 until the end of the school year. / 25
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]. / 27
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1, 2009 / 512
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3)
divided by total students in row (4). / 0.05
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100. / 5
8. / Percent limited English proficient students in the school: / 8%
Total number of limited English proficient students in the school: / 43
Number of languages represented, not including English: / 5
Specify languages:
Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, or Serbian.
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9. / Percent of students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: / 3%Total number of students who qualify: / 13
If this method does not produce an accurate estimate of the percentage of students from low-income families, or the school does not participate in the free and reduced-priced school meals program, supply an accurate estimate and explain how the school calculated this estimate.
10. / Percent of students receiving special education services: / 8%
Total number of students served: / 45
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Do not add additional categories.
1 / Autism / 0 / Orthopedic Impairment
0 / Deafness / 1 / Other Health Impaired
0 / Deaf-Blindness / 42 / Specific Learning Disability
0 / Emotional Disturbance / 11 / Speech or Language Impairment
1 / Hearing Impairment / 0 / Traumatic Brain Injury
0 / Mental Retardation / 0 / Visual Impairment Including Blindness
0 / Multiple Disabilities / 0 / Developmentally Delayed
11. / Indicate number of full-time and part-time staff members in each of the categories below:
Number of Staff
Full-Time / Part-Time
Administrator(s) / 1 / 0
Classroom teachers / 18 / 0
Special resource teachers/specialists / 4 / 3
Paraprofessionals / 0 / 8
Support staff / 2 / 1
Total number / 25 / 12
12. / Average school student-classroom teacher ratio, that is, the number of students in the school divided by the Full Time Equivalent of classroom teachers, e.g., 22:1: / 22:1
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13. / Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a percentage. Only high schools need to supply graduation rates. Briefly explain in the Notes section any student or teacher attendance rates under 95% and teacher turnover rates over 12% and fluctuations in graduation rates.2009-2010 / 2008-2009 / 2007-2008 / 2006-2007 / 2005-2006
Daily student attendance / 95% / 96% / 96% / 96% / 97%
Daily teacher attendance / 98% / 99% / 98% / 98% / 99%
Teacher turnover rate / 16% / 0% / 16% / 8% / 8%
High school graduation rate / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0%
If these data are not available, explain and provide reasonable estimates.
The teacher turnover rate was 16% in 2007-2008. This year four teachers left the school. Two got married, one moved, and one took a new job as a principal in another Catholic School.
The teacher turnover rate was 16% in 2009-2010. This year four teachers left: One to pursue a post-graduate education full-time, two retired, and one left to teach at the high school level.
14. / For schools ending in grade 12 (high schools): Show what the students who graduated in Spring 2010 are doing as of Fall 2010.
Graduating class size:
Enrolled in a 4-year college or university / %
Enrolled in a community college / %
Enrolled in vocational training / %
Found employment / %
Military service / %
Other / %
Total / 0 / %
PART III - SUMMARY / 11PV28
St. Jane de Chantal School began in a hundred year old white, stucco farmhouse in 1953 in the rustic town of Bethesda under the ministry of Monsignor James Caulfield and the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Monsignor led his new school and community with the sensibilities often associated with the bucolic life of a rural community. The farmhouse, known as The White House, remains a symbol of those pastoral values: Unity through Faith and Service. The Sisters of Charity were examples of the philosophy of the foundress, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. The sisters, trained educators, pledged themselves to a life of service and believed themselves to be guardian angels of their students’ spiritual, emotional and educational development. The sisters shared their tiny home with forty-nine five and six year olds. Within eight years, the enrollment had grown past 1,190 students and the new school consisted of over twenty-one classrooms.
Fifty-six years later, the beautiful Tudor-style school is surrounded by gardens in the midst of a busy suburban community. It is a co-educational K-8 parish school in suburban Maryland. The mission is to spread the message of Jesus by providing high quality, well-rounded education within this Christ-centered community. This mission is accomplished with the same rural values of Unity through Faith and Service. All of the students are encouraged to manifest the presence of God. St. Jane de Chantal has a tradition of academic excellence balanced with a strong Catholic identity. St. Jane de Chantal was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School in 1988. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association three times since 1974.
The instructional program is based on the Archdiocese of Washington’s academic standards. Differentiated instruction and an integrated curriculum enhance the learning environment. The school is committed to technology and preparing the students to navigate in the modern world. The school is equipped with a teaching lab and classroom computers. Every classroom has a SMART Board which interacts with software supplied by textbook publishers and Discovery Education. The Resource Room supports over one hundred students with learning needs and individual academic plans. Simultaneously, the Sky Box Program has been set up to offer challenging experiences for students who have mastered the educational goals of their grade.
The faculty creates a strong sense of God’s presence in which each child can reach his/her potential. The faculty celebrates each child’s individual talents by providing a safe, consistent and nurturing atmosphere in which intellectual development follows a sequential continuum of instruction. Critical thinking skills are emphasized across the curriculum. Students are encouraged to develop individual learning styles by being given opportunities to work independently and in cooperative groups, using collaborative skills, and exploring different problem solving strategies.
St. Jane de Chantal School teaches and encourages leadership development and dedication to community service. Students participate in service projects: Hoops for Hearts, Walk for Diabetes, Walk for the Homeless, food drives, Christmas families, Operation Smile, and emergency projects as needs arise. Students are taught that giving is a part of living and that, as Catholics, they have a responsibility to give to others.