D. Student Support
Summary
Rosary Academy prioritizes the physical and emotional safety as well as the academic well-being of all students. In an effort to provide a secure environment for students to grow as faith-filled individuals and scholars, the faculty and staff consistently work to review the efficiency of student services.
All survey participants indicated that Rosary Academy students, parents, and teachers overwhelmingly feel the campus is secure; in fact, roughly 95% of all participants agree Rosary Academy provides a supportive physical and academic environment. While all school personnel are trained yearly in First Aid/CPR and participate in scheduled and unscheduled campus-wide emergency operations drills, in recent years, we have increased security measures. For example, we added an additional security post at the campus’ front entrance; we required all students and campus personnel to wear photo identification; and we added a dean of students position in the 2016-2017 school year to maintain high standards of student conduct and streamline student supervision.
Rosary Academy also offers an effective and supportive academic environment for all learners. The survey reflects that students feel both engaged in their academics and encouraged to participate in class. All stakeholders overwhelmingly agree that the academic support services, specifically the LEC and C4L, provide ample assistance to teachers and students including creating accommodations for students with ILP’s. The LEC also fosters camaraderie as students study together in the open spaces during breaks or write on the erasable walls in the study rooms.
Our teachers are recognized for their dedication to their students and are often seen offering extra help to students before school, during lunch, and after school. Some teachers even offer mock-AP exams on Saturdays, facilitate the evening ACT/SAT review courses in both fall and spring semesters, and teach zero period mathematics to students from partnering elementary schools. All teachers communicate their office hours and preferred contact type in their syllabi and in class. In addition, teachers frequently utilize email to conference with students and use the Remind app for questions and class announcements. Through the teacher-facilitated National Honor Society, students also have access to qualified peer tutors during select lunch periods.
One of the most exciting areas of opportunity at Rosary Academy is in its co-curricular offerings. The school offers over 200 leadership positions; from Red and Gold--the ultimate project based learning experience-- to the Royal Ambassador program, students are encouraged to embrace their leadership potential. The surveys overwhelmingly reflect that students and their parents feel satisfied with the school’s co-curricular offerings, including the Tri-School partnership. This program offers students the chance to gain skills through school and athletic events and develop and showcase performance and technical theater skills, which the surveyed students indicated are missing from electives. Rosary Academy personnel remain committed to emboldening students with the skills and experience necessary for success beyond Rosary Academy. In fact, in the 2017-2018 school year, Rosary added a Science Technology Religion Engineering Art Mathematics (S.T.R.E.A.M.) curriculum framework to motivate and support qualified students and Royal Advantage, a career program uniting current Royals with professional experts.
The athletics program provides an additional outlet for student growth. With over half the student body participating on a team sport, Rosary Academy encourages its young women to compete, excel, and demonstrate the sportsmanship inherent in our Catholic values. The surveys indicate over 60% of stakeholders feel satisfied with the quality of Rosary Academy athletics, and games and results are frequently reported via our school newspaper, e-news, and social media. The "Rowdy Royals," Rosary Academy's spirited student section, also helps support our athletics teams by wearing their famous red and gold decor as they cheer on their classmates.
Overall, Rosary Academy shines in its co-curricular offerings, so much so, in fact, that some support staff and teachers have entered into conversations during faculty and department meetings about whether our students are possibly overextending themselves. A recent survey shows 39% of students participate in over six co-curricular activities. Nearly 57% of students also reported spending five or more hours per week engaged in these activities. Most alarmingly, 83% of students reported a high stress level, indicating the need for mindfulness as we strive to help our students maintain balance. More than anything, we want our students to understand the importance of mental health and feel empowered with the resilience and coping strategies necessary for optimal wellness.
Rosary Academy’s counseling program provides comprehensive, developmental student-centered guidance based on the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) and California state standards. Inspired by our mission statement, the counseling department seeks to develop students’ academic, college/career, and personal/social knowledge so our young women can reach their fullest potential and become positive, contributing members of society.
The counseling department holds annual individual meetings at the freshman and senior level and offers informative classroom presentations at each grade level, but students and parents have expressed a growing desire to have an individual meeting at every grade level. Our counselors are equipped to refer students to personal counseling through Outreach Concern. In an effort to continue the 100% college attendance rate, the counseling department arranges lunchtime college representative visits, college fairs, financial aid information sessions, and parent information nights at the junior and senior levels. Counselors, teachers, and staff utilize Naviance, a web-based college and career planning tool, to simplify the college application process. The survey indicates the community is mostly satisfied with the school’s counseling services.