Letter from the Principal

Welcome to the website of St. Matthew the Evangelist School, a PreK-8 Catholic school! I know that the strong Catholic faith environment and value system present at this school combined with a quality education has produced strong students for many years. Please look through the website to learn about the rich history of this school, review the Parent Handbook, and find out about the tuition costs.

St. Matthew students have had above average test scores for many years in all of the curricular areas. Our curriculum is strong because we use the Archdiocese curriculum objectives for the five core curricular areas (language arts, math, religion, science, and social studies). Our K-8 language arts curriculum is on our website and includes instruction in and experiences with reading, writing, literature, grammar, phonics, spelling/word study, and handwriting. Technology is integrated into our curriculum and taught by classroom teachers and the library/media specialist. Spanish, music, and physical education are taught by specialists to K-8 students. Our preschool and prekindergarten classes are taught by a certified teacher, and there is a written curriculum for each level. Promethean interactive whiteboards are in each K-8 classroom to enrich the education of our students.

St. Matthew School is just one of a few Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Schools that are NCA (AdvancED) accredited which means that our school meets a high standard that is recognized by the United States Department of Education. Nebraska NCA schools must meet Nebraska Rule 10 requirements, have a school improvement plan, and have Quality Assurance Reviews. A Review Teams looks at a school improvement plan, but they also look at the systems in a school to see if they meet the seven standards for accreditation. Their reviews are given feedback by nationally trained readers before they are sent back to schools. Our Review Team was here in February, 2010, and we are now accredited until 2015.
St. Matthew teachers and I have a strong belief in building strong and positive relationships between the school, home, and parish. I want all parents to feel welcome to visit and help at school. All of us value parents’ input on their children’s educational and spiritual growth so that we have partnerships that support our students.

If you are reviewing our website as a prospective St. Matthew parent, I would enjoy talking with you by phone, corresponding with you by e-mail, and/or giving you a tour of the school facilities. I know that you will be impressed by the academic, spiritual, and family programs that are available for your children at St. Matthew School.

Blessings,
Janet Wilson, Principal

For more information about accreditation and AdvancEd go to www.advanc-ed.org