St. Mary prepares for 2015-16 school year

Leonard Armato will begin his first school year as St. Mary superintendent when the 2015-16 school year begins Thursday.
The school board selected Armato as St. Mary Parish schools superintendent in June after former Superintendent Donald Aguillard accepted the same position with the Lafayette Parish school system.
Armato’s appointment was just the first of many significant parish leadership changes for the 2015-16 school year, according to a St. Mary Parish school system news release. As superintendent, Armato has been working with departmental staff and school leaders to prepare for the new school year, the release said.
New leadership appointments for the 2015-16 school year included Kristi Estay, Centerville High principal; Shantell Toups, Shannon Elementary principal; Donald Sanders, Raintree Elementary principal; Kiante Gunner, Lagrange Elementary principal; and J Ina, Franklin Junior High principal.
Within the assistant principal ranks the following appointments were made: Brianna Comeaux, Berwick Elementary; Paul Broussard, Berwick High; Tammilee Kelly and Jared Ross, Centerville High; Kristian Barbay, Hattie Watts Elementary; Kent Landry, Patterson Junior High; Elizabeth Douzart, Raintree Elementary; and Angela Steward, Franklin Junior High.
Other new school system appointments were made including Debra McClarity, supervisor of special services; Barbara Lancelin, coordinator of discipline; and Bridget Guillot, Title I and special education liaison. Correspondingly, an extension of sick leave was granted to Kenneth Lockett, supervisor of child welfare and transportation. These appointments necessitated the appointments in acting positions, which included O.W. Griffin, acting supervisor of child welfare; Mike Ortiz, acting hearing officer and transportation; Joseph Stadalis, acting compliance officer; and Andrea Barras, Aucoin Elementary acting principal.
District instructional staff members have worked with St. Mary teachers throughout the summer to create new elementary calendars in both math and English to ensure succinct alignment to state standards. Reading and English will be merged in second-grade through fifth-grade to facilitate a more direct standards aligned instructional approach within reading and writing, the release stated.
All students will receive the St. Mary Parish Newsletter on the first day of school, which outlines important school policies and procedures. Parents and guardians are strongly encouraged to read the newsletter carefully and save it for future reference, the release said.
The school board’s annual budget session included an analysis of funding priorities in light of dwindling sales taxes, decreased student enrollment, and reductions in state funding, the news release stated. Although the budget was reduced in many areas, board members voted to continue to provide the annual allotment for school supplies and science materials enacted over the past eight years. The allocation of $22.50 per student to each school provides parents with a means of offsetting the cost of supplies, fees and science materials. This annual disbursement defrays a portion of the typical back-to-school expenses while ensuring that all students have needed materials on the first day of school, the release stated.
Instructional calendars and frameworks have also been revised in secondary courses to better equip teachers with guidance and resources needed to adequately prepare students for state testing. Additional materials have been purchased, including new social studies textbooks for seventh, ninth and 11th-grades, elementary math resources, and high school vocabulary workbooks. Principal and teacher workshops were held throughout the month of July to introduce the instructional calendars, highlight newly obtained teaching materials, and demonstrate various technological resources that will be incorporated into classrooms when school opens Thursday, according to the news release.
Area parochial and private schools are also approaching the start of classes.
Holy Cross Elementary in Morgan City starts school Thursday for first grade through sixth grade. On Friday, the school will hold orientation for the parents of pre-K and kindergarten students. Small group orientation sessions will be held for pre-K and kindergarten students Aug. 10 through Aug. 14 with the first day of school set for Aug. 17.
Central Catholic High will start school Aug. 10. “We made the decision not to have a fall break. I wanted to extend the vacation,” Principal Vic Bonnaffee said.
During the summer, Central Catholic received a complete upgrade of the school’s administrative software. Central Catholic will begin using Portals, software that allows parents to follow their students’ progress more closely.
“The teachers will be able to put in more information about their performance. (Parents) can access a student’s records in each class daily if they want,” Bonnaffee said.
Parents can also access students’ attendance and discipline records through the new software.
Immanuel Christian School in Morgan City will start Aug. 12 with a half-day followed by a full-day Aug. 13.