Student Wellness

At St. Mary's Academy, we're dedicated to nurturing the complete students. Through our Student Wellness programs, we offer guidance and empower students to cultivate essential social and emotional skills, ensuring they lead joyful, well-rounded, and purposeful lives.

The highest priority at St. Mary's Academy is ensure our students' and communities' safety. Working with nationally recognized experts in school safety and security, we have implemented several initiatives around building access, cameras including around the entire perimeter, cyber security, emergency notification system, monthly drills, Red Bag Toolkit, and more.

We also contract with Cherry Hills Village Police Department to employ a full-time School Resource Officer (SRO), Officer Lenny. The SRO is on campus during school hours, acts an an informal mentor, provides an enforcement presence on campus, and collaborates with first responders as a resource for safety and security issues.

Student Services and Safety at St. Mary's

Through departments and services, like our counselors, learning specialists, Health Hub and school nurse, and our full-time SRO, we ensure their physical and emotional health so they can step into the classroom ready to engage and learn.

Counseling Services

Our Counseling Department offers a comprehensive program catering to the social and emotional needs of our Preschool through Grade 12 students. Our dedicated school counselors provide short-term assistance to navigate personal, social, emotional, and developmental challenges that may affect them. Through individual counseling, small group sessions, community building, and classroom guidance, students receive the support they need.

School counselors can assist students with topics like:

Academic guidance
Managing anger
Coping with anxiety and stress
Addressing behavioral concerns
Dealing with bullying
Resolving conflicts
Intervening during crises
Enhancing decision-making and problem-solving skills
Navigating divorce or family changes
Coping with grief and loss
Improving social skills

While parents and guardians may not be informed about every interaction between students and counselors, we prioritize notifying parents when there are concerns about student safety. For additional information and resources, please reach out to our school counselors.

Learning Specialists

St. Mary’s Academy celebrates the inherent variation and complexity of all children and welcomes students with neurodiverse learning profiles. Our Lower School, Middle School, and High School provide learning services within a structure appropriate for the age and stage of student development. The Learning Specialists team supports students with diagnosed specific learning disabilities, such as reading and math disorders, and a range of other learning differences.

Health Services

Our Health Hub and dedicated full-time school nurse, Nurse Bard, are students' and families' source for health and wellness. From providing immediate care for minor injuries to offering expert advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, our Health Hub ensures that students receive top-notch medical attention and support at SMA. Our full-time nurse is always available to address health concerns, administer medications, and collaborate with families to ensure the well-being of every student. Your child's health is our priority, and our Health Hub is here to provide the care and assistance they need to thrive.

Safety

What is Social and Emotional Learning?

"Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions."

-From the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning