St Irene Catholic School

I am a parent of a current student at WSD and also a WSD graduate who was so well prepared for high school that my oldest will be the third WSD alum to graduate from the high school in our town with an Associate of Arts degree from the local community college at the same time as receiving a high school diploma. (Thank you to the previous two alumni for showing us the possibility of Dual Credit.)My family's experience of WSD is that school is enjoyable, interesting, and engaging. Two weeks into summer break, my oldest would ask, "when do we get to go back to school?" WSD feels like a second home to my children. A place where they feel cared for and seen, and also an environment they get to contribute to and take care of. A place where they play an important part and make a difference. As a parent, I see a vibrant, caring, kind, enthusiastic, interested student community. My oldest experienced several different academic settings before thriving at WSD. We continually choose this school year after year. I marked Special Education as a 4 of 5 instead of a 5 only because as a small, private school, WSD does not have the capacity for supporting the range of needs that a public school can. That said, my experience is that WSD teachers are well educated to recognize and support diverse education needs in many different directions, including both accelerated math and supporting students with dyscalculia. Each student is challenged and supported to do their best. One of my favorite parts of the academics as a parent is the thorough and multiple-paged semiannual "report card" that we receive. The student's report contains a skills/performance evaluation matrix by each teacher they have, and also a paragraph or two by each teacher about how the student is performing in that subject and developing in the classroom community. Through these mid- and end-of-year reports, it is clear to me that my children are seen and known for who they are and are becoming. WSD faculty and staff are top notch. I recommend this school to anyone, especially if you are interested in fostering a lifelong love of learning and in nurturing the whole child.