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A Century of Catholic Education
IHM-St. Luke’s School is supported
by two Jesuit-sponsored parishes:
The Church of the Immaculate Heart
of Mary and the Church of St. Luke.
The present school was created in
1991 through the merger of St. Luke’s
School, founded in 1904, and
Immaculate Heart of Mary School,
founded in 1952. Now in its second
century of Catholic education,
IHM-St. Luke’s celebrates its spirited
traditions while it embraces the best
educational practices of today.
Our program develops the spiritual,
social, intellectual, emotional, physical
and moral growth of each student.
Families from a variety of backgrounds
feel at home at IHM-St. Luke’s
School. The student body is racially,
economically and academically
diverse. We are a Catholic School that
welcomes students of all faiths. We
are primarily a neighborhood school,
yet draw students from throughout
the metropolitan area.
If you’re looking for a school that is
dedicated to academic excellence and
Christian service, a school that exudes
community spirit, a school where
every student is seen as a special gift
from God, look into IHM-St. Luke’s.
You’ll like what you find.
Located on St. Paul’s historic Summit Avenue,IHM-St. Luke’s is a Catholic school withapproximately 380 students in kindergartenthrough eighth grade.
The school provides an academically challengingliberal arts curriculum with a strong focus oncommunication skills.
AcademicExcellence
IHM-St. Luke’s students
consistently score well above
national averages on
standardized tests, with a
significant number in the top
five percent in national
comparisons. The top tier test scores
reflect our commitment to helping
every student reach his or her full
academic potential.
Challenging Curriculum
The school’s liberal arts curriculum
prepares students for success in high
school and college. Students study
language arts, mathematics, science,
social studies, religion, Spanish,
physical education, music,
library/media skills and technology.
Art and communication skills are
integrated throughout the
curriculum. Rather than
teaching as if each student
learned in the same way,
teachers design learning
activities that engage and
motivate students no matter
what their learning styles,
interests and abilities.
Christian Service
Each school day begins and
ends with prayer. Students
plan and participate in weekly
Masses or prayer services and
study the Catholic faith and
Christian ideals in religion class.
They put faith into action through
service projects. Here, service is more
than a project, it’s an attitude, an
expression of faith and a way of life.
Community Spirit
Each student is part of an extended
community that offers support,
stability and a sense of purpose and
belonging. As school families,
teachers and staff members work,
play and pray together, they develop
connections that run deep and often
last a lifetime.
EducationalSpecialists
Specialists enhance our
programs and provide
educational support.
• Students learn and practice
library/media skills in the
school’s collection of more than
14,000 books, tapes and magazines.
• Elements of music are taught
through vocal and instrumental
music and movement.
• Students work toward a lifetime of
fitness in physical education. IHM-
St. Luke’s won Minnesota’s 2003
State Championship in the
Presidential Fitness Challenge.
• K-8 Spanish incorporates reading,
speaking, action, humor and singing.
• Students develop computer
literacy in Technology Center
classes.
• Educational resource
teachers assist students with
special needs at both ends of
the spectrum.
Technology
State-of-the-art computer
hardware, an extensive
software library and high-
speed internet access in every
classroom put a world of
information at students’
Our mission is to provide an
academically excellent curriculum,
promote the self-worth of each
child and encourage active and
responsible Christian leadership
and service.
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fingertips. Classrooms are
equipped with multiple
Windows-based computers. In
the Technology Center, a full-
time faculty member provides
hands-on computer training to
all students.
“I’ve been using a computerfor 20 years, but my thirdgrader showed me somegreat short cuts I’d neverknown before. She learnedthem at school, in Tech Lab.”
Before- and After-School Care
Working parents appreciate
Kids’ Kingdom, the
convenient, on-site before- and
after-school program for
students in grades K-8.
Supervised enrichment
activities are available from
7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. school
days, school release days and
during the summer. Contact
the Kids’ Kingdom director at
(651) 224-9316 for details.
Looking Good
Uniforms help build a sense
of community and an
atmosphere of equality and
respect. Our uniform
exchange offers hand-me-
along uniform items for free.
Fast Facts
Total enrollment: approximately 380 students
Maximum class size: K-Grade 5: 22Grade 6-8: 25
Proposed tuition for 2004-2005In-parish: $0000Out of parish: $0000
Students of color: 13 percent
Catholic: About 88 percent
Faculty with advanced degrees: 35 percent
Parent participation inteacher conferences: 98 percent
ExtracurricularActivities
Band
Choir and Cantoring
Drama and Stagecraft
Handbell Choir
Quiz Bowl
Scouting
Speech and Writing Contests
Student Council
Student Service Team
Talent Shows
Yearbook
AthleticsBaseball (boys)
BasketballSkiingSoccer
Softball (girls)Swimming
TrackVolleyball (girls)
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Kindergarten at IHM-St. Luke’s School isan exciting adventure forkinders and their families.
Half- Day and Full-Day Options
Half-day and full-day kindergarten
options allow parents to select the
best program for their family. First-
grade teachers confirm that half-day
kindergarten students arrive with
the skills they need for success.
We believe the best way for kinders
to learn is through play, discovery
and creativity. Hands-on activities,
songs, stories, rhymes, actions, finger
plays and art projects make learning
new skills and concepts fun.
Small class sizes allow teachers to
give students individual attention.
Learning stations throughout the
classrooms include materials that
appeal to various learning styles
and abilities.
Reading and Writing!
A literature-based language arts
program builds kindergarteners’
listening, speaking, writing and
reading skills. The focus is on
improvement for all students, from
pre-readers to those reading far
above grade level.
Buddies
Kinders are paired with upper
grade buddies who sit with them at
Mass, read to them and work on
special art projects. These
mentoring relationships help
kinders feel cherished.
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Kindergarten
Kindergarten students
not only acquire new
academic skills, they
develop social skills
fundamental to success
throughout life:
• Getting along with
others
• Taking turns
• Listening and
following directions
• Working as a group
Learning blossoms in IHM-St. Luke’s primary andintermediate grades.
These years are a time for students
to develop strong social skills,
organizational abilities and work
habits; a time to nurture creativity
and explore new concepts; a time to
learn more about God as they
practice Christian service.
Interdisciplinary instruction puts
information in a real-world context.
A unit on the 50 states, for
example, affords experience in
library and computer research,
mathematics (measuring distances
and graphing population statistics),
and scientific concepts (weather
and natural resources). Student
research is presented through art
projects, skits, written reports and
oral presentations.
Students learn to communicate
effectively by mastering the steps
of the writing process: prewriting,
drafting, revising, proofreading and
publishing a completed product.
Service activities include creating
birthday boxes for needy families,
organizing food and clothing drives,
mentoring younger students and
corresponding with senior citizens.
Throughout these years, teachers
coach students to grow in
responsibility and independence.
They challenge students to work to
their full potential and to strive for
academic excellence.
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Grades1-5
Assessment: Beyond Grading
Teachers continually assess student progress,learning styles and social needs while students:
• Self-assess learning and behavior
• Set goals for improvement
• Lead parent /teacher / student conferences
Sample InterdisciplinaryThemes: Grades 1-5
First: Garage Sale
Second: Community
Third: Pioneers
Fourth: Countries
Fifth: American History andCitizenship
IHM-St. Luke’s recognizes theunique academic, social andemotional needs of junior highstudents. We set highexpectations, offer a strongacademic program and providethe encouragement and supportneeded for success.
We launch students into young
adulthood from a safe, caring
environment, grounded in Christian
values.
To ease the transition to junior high,
sixth-graders take a year-long study
skills class and stay with their
homeroom classmates as they move
from one classroom to another.
Small class sizes allow students to
get to know their teachers.
Recognition programs reward
academic success and positive
behavior. Churchwerks, an internet-
based grading system, lets students
and parents check grades and
assignments on line.
Junior High Students:
• Hone their critical thinking and
communication skills.
• Build a solid foundation of math
concepts then move into pre-algebra
and algebra I.
• Learn and apply the scientific
method in the newly updated
science lab.
• Draw connections across time
periods and understand how the
past has shaped today’s world.
• Study the Bible, Catholic social
teachings, morality and world
religions.
• Spend several hours a
month on individual or
small group service projects.
• Speak, write and think in
Spanish and study Spanish
culture.
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Off Campus Learning Sixth: An overnight educationaladventure at the Minnesota Zoo
Seventh: A week of environmental studiesat Wolf Ridge Environmental LearningCenter in Northern Minnesota
Eighth: A week-long study trip toWashington, D.C.
Junior High
SuccessfulGraduatesOur graduates areregularly accepted at academicallychallenging privateand public highschools. Many earnadvanced placementin English, math,Spanish and othersubjects.
Choose IHM-St. Luke’s
❏ Christian values
❏ Small class sizes
❏ Academic excellence
❏ High test scores
❏ Liberal arts curriculum
❏ K-8 Spanish
❏ State-of-the-art computertechnology
❏ Half- and full-daykindergarten options
❏ Extracurricular activities
❏ Extended day program
❏ Central location
❏ Heart-healthy hot lunchprogram
❏ Active parent participation
Our programs will:
❏ Inspire life-long learning
❏ Develop social skills
❏ Encourage constructive risk-taking
❏ Motivate work for peace and justice
❏ Nurture an active faith
“The strongest, most resilient
traditions manage to find the
dynamic energy to carry on
and re-make themselves for
new generations. That’s how
it is at IHM-St. Luke’s.”
–Patricia Hampl, class of 1960, author
1065 Summit AvenueSaint Paul, Minnesota 55105
651 224-4836 • FAX 651 224-0097www.ihm-stlukes.org
Mary Mitzuk, Principal
Erin O’Leary,Assistant Principal andReligion Teacher
Joseph Weiss, SJ,Canonical Administrator
Spirited Traditions in Catholic Education Since 1904 and 1952