At Saint Ignatius High School, we aim to provide opportunities and services for students beyond the classroom, including support for mental health, college and career planning, and tutoring and special education services. This wrap-around approach is known as Cura Personalis or care for the whole person. The idea of Cura Personalis is a core value of Jesuit Education. Below are some of the services we offer here at Saint Ignatius High School as part of our Cura Personalis Program.
For more information about the Cura Personalis program, please reach out to the Assistant Principal for Student Support Services, Ms. Emily Samek at esamek@ignatius.edu.
Academic Support Resources: Tutoring Options
If a student is struggling with academic content, we have many options available. Please review the list below. If you have any questions or you are not sure which option is best, please reach out to the student’s school counselor. If you do not know who your student’s school counselor is, please contact Mrs. Elizabeth Emerick, eemerick@ignatius.edu, and she will direct you to the right person.
Teacher Office Hours
If a student is struggling with a class, his first option should be to see his own teacher during office hours. Every teacher offers extra time and help in their course - this is what “office hours” are. Students do not need to sign up, they can just show up. If a student needs support during a time not listed on office hours, they should reach out to that teacher in person or over email.
Here are the office hours listings for all teachers including the two days they have office hours, along with times and locations: OFFICE HOURS LINK
Math Lab
The Mathematics Faculty tutor in addition to their office hours. They are available for any student, even if they do not teach them! Students do not need to sign up. Math teachers are available in the Math Lab during the following times in the Math Lab in Loyola Hall, 2nd floor, room 224:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday Formation Period: 12:13 - 12:52 p.m.
- All lunch periods
Streicher Writing Lab
In addition to their office hours, the English Faculty are available during student free periods to support students with writing in their English classes along with writing needs for any other class. Students do not need to sign up. They can meet with any English teacher - they do not have to see their own teacher. The Streicher Writing Lab is on the 4th floor, Main Building in room 414A.
Teachers are available for the first half of the period and the semester’s schedule is as follows:
| Class A |
Class B |
Class C |
Class D |
Class E |
Class F |
Class G |
| Beach, Thomas |
Colborn, Elizabeth |
Boenker, Samuel |
Gross, Kimberly |
Hruby, Cindy |
Ohlemacher, Molly |
Yappel, Paul |
Language Tutoring
The Languages Department organizes drop in tutoring during lunch and Formation. Any student can drop-in for tutoring for the language noted in the schedule. Students do not need to sign-up. The schedule for the languages teachers is:
| Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
Jose Torres
Spanish
Main Building
Room 316
12:13-12:52 p.m.
|
Elisa Bredendiek
Spanish/French
Main Building
Room 315
12:13-12:52 p.m.
|
|
Raffaella Barnes
Spanish
Main Building
Room 316
12:13-12:52 p.m.
|
Sara Sebring
Spanish
Main Building
Room 313
12:13-12:52 p.m.
|
|
Matt Walcutt
Latin
Main Building
Room 315a
12:13-12:52 p.m.
|
|
|
Chris Laco
Latin/Greek
Main Building
Room 315a
12:13-12:52 p.m.
|
|
Peer Conferencing Center (PCC)
A free service for writing for any class is available all periods of the day through our Peer Conferencing Center, or “The PCC.” The PCC is staffed by the top student writers; writers are selected by invitation. The PCC is located on the 4th floor of the Main Building next to the English office. It is staffed during the formation period, after school, and during most class periods for any student that is free.
PEER CONFERENCING SCHEDULE LINK.
Peer Tutoring
The peer tutoring program matches student tutors with those students in need of support with a specific course. Peer tutoring will be available beginning in early September. Please check back here or in the Daily Announcements. Until then, students should seek support from their teachers during
teacher office hours.
The Walton Center
The Robert M. Walton ’41 Center for Learning offers support to students for a wide range of needs. We recognize intellectual, emotional, psychological, social, and socioeconomic needs impact learning, and aim to offer support that allow all of our students to access academic success. The mission of The Robert M. Walton ‘41 Center is rooted in the Jesuit philosophy of “cura personalis,” or “care for the entire person.” Students of all grade levels and abilities are invited to utilize the Walton Center to strive for academic success in all areas.
Our Walton Center Team includes a School Psychologist, two Intervention Specialists, an Academic Coach, and several tutors (many of them former Ignatius graduates and teachers) supporting students through their academic tracks. We are primarily focused on meeting the differentiated learning needs of students, while collaborating with teachers and partnering with families as students build skills and meet the rigor of academia at Saint Ignatius High School and beyond. This can include teaching students skills to assist with work completion, self-advocacy, time-management, teacher/student communication, use of accommodations, planning, and the development of study strategies that are evidenced based and informed by neuroscience and adolescent development.
If you are in need of academic support and are not already familiar with the Walton Center, please email your teacher first and meet with your teacher in person. If you need additional support, reach out to your School Counselor to navigate if the Walton Center is the right fit. If you do not know who your student’s school counselor is, please contact Mrs. Elizabeth Emerick: eemerick@ignatius.edu and she will direct you to the right person.
To learn more about the Walton Center, please reach out to the Assistant Principal for Student Support Services: Emily Samek: esamek@ignatius.edu.
The Romero Scholars Program was designed to provide an innovative academic support program established by the school in order to help selected students thrive in the challenging academic environment at Saint Ignatius. This program seeks to provide opportunities for students beyond what is offered in the classroom.
The benefits of being a Romero Scholar include daily/weekly sessions as assigned in the Walton Center for Learning as well as individualized attention from tutors.
The summer before their freshman year, all Romero Scholars are required to attend the Summer Bridge Program. The Summer Bridge Program takes place on the campus of Saint Ignatius High School and is conducted by our faculty and staff. This program provides students the best chance to become oriented with our campus and class structure, learn organization and study habits, and build relationships with their peers, faculty and staff.
Accommodation Plans (Cura Plans) and Jon Peterson Information
At Saint Ignatius High School, we recognize that all students learn differently and aim to give them what they need to find success. We are able to offer a limited number of accommodations to those students who currently have an IEP, SEGO plan, 504 plan, or service plan. We call these plans “Accommodation Plans;” for many years they were known as “Cura Plans.” We are not able to fully implement IEPs but can offer accommodations. Saint Ignatius High School does not modify any curriculum based on a student’s need or disability.
As of August 2024, Saint Ignatius is a Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program provider. We serve students with mild to moderate disabilities as identified in their Evaluation Team Report (ETR); we are not able to accommodate all Jon Peterson eligible students. Students must meet all admission requirements of Saint Ignatius High School.
All students’ documentation is reviewed by our School Psychologist, Mrs. Bethany Baker. At that time, it is determined which accommodations are available for that particular student. She then writes the Accommodation Plan and distributes it to the teachers. If a family is curious about whether or not a potential student’s needs can be accommodated at Saint Ignatius High School, they can contact Mrs. Baker at bbaker@ignatius.edu prior to the application season in January. We cannot guarantee that we can make accommodations for any student who does not disclose his IEP or service plan prior to admission at SIHS.
Saint Ignatius aims to be an inclusive environment, meeting students where they are. We have current students diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia, specific learning disorders, and other diagnosed learning disabilities. Students may receive accommodations including extended time, preferential seating, distraction-free testing space, and support from teachers to break assignments into smaller segments. We have two Intervention Specialists and an Academic Coach who are able to serve a limited number of students in a small group setting during students’ free periods or before or after school. We do not offer extended time on homework assignments or in-class assignments. We also do not offer specialized instruction for students with disabilities. With over 100 students on Accommodation Plans each year, we are proud to serve our students who may need accommodations to access the rigorous Saint Ignatius curriculum.
Advisory Program
Advisory is the call to Cura Personalis, or the care of the whole person. It provides students the opportunity to explore ways to explore the grad-at-grad qualities open to growth and loving across a series of lessons and opportunities to be in community with a teacher and their peers.
What is Advisory? It is homeroom + community time for all students. All faculty members are assigned as advisors, and meet with a group of students once a week. Freshmen and Sophomores meet on Thursdays during the “formation period” and focus on the high school transition. Juniors and Seniors meet on Tuesdays during the formation period.
Each meeting starts with prayer, daily announcements, and a curricular “lesson.” College counselors will deliver content during some weeks for juniors and seniors. Some of the faith formation experiences happen during Advisory; each class has one class Mass per semester, along with Eucharistic Adoration. Some lesson topics include internet safety and academic integrity.