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