A Peek Inside Saint James School
Name: Katie Leigh Smith
Number of Years at STJ: six
School Involvement: cheer, tennis, pep club, FCA, yearbook, chess club, IPRYL, peer leader, student ambassadors
College plans: University of Alabama majoring in biology
Favorite memory of STJ: Trojan Day (school-wide field day)
#WeAreSaintJamesSchool
Our kindergartners are learning about the life cycle of caterpillars. These creatures have quite a journey before they transform into beautiful butterflies! Using their devices, students drew and described the metamorphosis and then uploaded their videos to SeeSaw. #WeAreSaintJamesSchool
#WeAreSaintJamesSchool
I teach: Elementary Science Lab
I've Taught for: 18 years (this is my first at STJ)
Hometown: Gaithersburg, Maryland
High school: Gaithersburg High School
College/Degree: I graduated from Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio). I have a B.S. in Elementary and Special Education and an M.Ed. in Special Education with a focus in Gifted Education.
STJ Extracurricular: advisor for the 5th grade Junior Master Gardener Club
Favorite Book: This is hard to answer. I love to read! Some of my favorite works are from Toni Morrison. I’ve read Pride and Prejudice and Rebecca more times than I can count! In recent years, I really enjoyed Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. As for children’s literature, I love Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech and the graphic novel El Deafo by Cece Bell.
Favorite Movie: I don’t watch a ton of movies, but over the years Hitchcock’s Rebecca has remained one of my favorites.
Favorite Food: Maryland crab cakes
Married to: Stephen Shaffer
Children: Kelsey Shaffer (9th grade); Bridget Shaffer (6th grade); and a 10 year old GSP dog named Cody
Fun Fact: I am a HUGE hockey fan. I grew up watching NHL hockey and going to (Washington) Caps games. My dad is rom Philly, so my team then and now is the Philadelphia Flyers.
Even with all of our wonderful remote learning initiatives in place, nothing can substitute the face-to-face interactions that we receive at school. Although we can’t replace the interactions we are missing, we can still get a bit of (distanced) face time! Some of our high school faculty, including school counselor Jamie Payne, English teacher Dr. Catherine Winn, and high school principal’s assistant Bethany Shalayda, visited high school students’ homes to show their support on behalf of STJ. A wave through the window, a smile from the end of the driveway, or a “hey” from the front door was just what we needed to show we are in this together. #WeAreSaintJamesSchool
Did you know all elementary students participate in weekly enrichment classes? Saint James School is proud to offer seven enrichments: art, music, library, technology, science lab, Spanish, and counselor time. Each class, grades Pre-K3 through fifth, visits a different enrichment each day. Our enrichment teachers work closely with each classroom teacher to integrate what is being taught in the classroom into the enrichment lesson. We are so lucky to have dedicated, full-time enrichment faculty at STJ. Even during our remote learning, students receive an enrichment video each day to supplement their daily remote learning schedules.
Pre-K Virtual Library Time with Mr. Martin
We have officially kicked off remote school! Day one was a huge success. Students logged in to participate in online lessons, discussions, and assignments. Even our Preschoolers joined in on online learning. Our faculty has been working tirelessly to provide quality content for our students while keeping the high standards STJ students are accustomed to. We had a wonderful “first day” of remote school!
#WeAreSaintJamesSchool
Our teachers have been hard at work preparing for our transition to online learning. Many spent their spring break (last week) gathering materials for virtual lessons. Monday and Tuesday of this week was spent deploying devices to elementary students (students grades 4-12 already participate in a 1:1 device program), handing out home learning materials, and distributing workbooks, worksheets, and various assignments. Making a supply “drive-thru,” our teachers were able to quickly and safely hand out the appropriate material to families through their car windows. Everyone is working so hard to make the transition to virtual learning as seamless as possible. What a blessing to have such dedicated faculty!
#WeAreSaintJamesSchool
“As concern over the coronavirus spreads, I could not be more proud of the school where I teach. We are planning ahead, calmly addressing concerns of students, parents, and teachers, and ready to make the best decisions to keep everyone safe and still continue educating our students. Much remains undetermined, as it does everywhere, but what’s certain is that we are professionally preparing to handle this issue as we handle everything—intentionally, with flexibility, determination, creativity, and care.”
We may not physically be on campus, but we are here for you! Admissions never sleeps, so call or email us to learn more about our wonderful school. We can’t wait to share the Saint James story with you.
Miles Tafelski, K5
Emily Park, K5
Andrew Jenkins, K5
Our Kindergarteners are studying constellations in their astronomy and astrology unit. The children learned about space, stars and constellations. Using mini marshmallows and pretzel sticks, student created their very own constellations. This activity helped develop their understanding of the solar system and allowed for fun (and tasty) application engineering and mathematics skills!
#WeAreSaintJamesSchool
During the month of February, third grade students worked together collaboratively using Sketches School, Google Sheets and Google Slides to create a slideshow for first and second grade about sharing love with others. They enjoyed it so much they wanted to share it with the preschoolers but realized that the preschoolers can't read! They then decided to create a video with the same images and words. Using the green room and an app called Green Screen by Do Ink, each child created a video clip and we put them all together adding title slides, images, and sound to create this movie! There are so many ways to show love to our family, friends, and community. #WeAreSaintJamesSchool
