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 Peronalis or care for the whole person. The idea of Cura Peronalis 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 Peronalis Program.
For more about the Cura Peronalis Program, please reach out to the Assistant Principal for Student Support Services, Ms. Emily Samek at esamek@ignatius.edu.
Tutoring Services
When asking “do I need a tutor?” the first question to ask is “have I reached out to my teacher and met with them 1-1, in person?” Our teaching faculty should be your primary contact when you are struggling. They are available during the day to meet with students; students should reach out directly to their teacher to find a mutually available time.
| Math and English |
Saint Ignatius High School offers free math and English tutoring in the Library each day. The tutors are math and English teachers and can support any level of math and English. Look for the sign in the library to find the tutors. The schedule for that tutoring is here. |
| Writing |
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, next to the English Office. The schedule for the PCC is here. |
| Social Studies (History Course, Government) |
Ms. Dolores Bielecki (Ms. B) is available in the Walton Center for drop-in students from 10:00am - 3:15pm each day; if you would like to meet with her at a different time or after school, she is often available by appointment. |
| Science |
A science tutor is available for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics on Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. and on Wednesday 11 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. |
| World Languages |
Please make an appointment with your teacher for extra support in this area or request a peer tutor. |
| Peer Tutoring |
The peer tutoring program matches upperclassmen with those students in need of support with a specific course. Peer tutoring is now available using this link. Look for an update in the daily announcements regarding Peer Tutoring. |
The Walton Center
The Robert M. Walton ’41 Center for Learning primarily serves students with Service Plans (Cura Plans) and is open to assisting any student with schoolwork, test-taking and other academic support. Its mission 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. An intervention specialist, an academic coach, and several associates are available to guide students through their academic tracks. Walton Center staff is primarily focused on working with students on managing their time, developing good study habits, and creating daily plans for accomplishing tasks. They will also focus on academic support in the following areas: English, Math, Theology, and History. Those needing support with World Languages and Science should talk to their teacher.
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, you are welcome to drop-in to the Walton Center. Introduce yourself to any adult in the room and they will talk about how they can best support you.
The Walton Center is open from 8:00 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8:00 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. on Fridays.
To learn more about the Walton Center, please contact Ms. Emily Samek.
Romero Scholars
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.
Service Plans (Cura Plans)
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 “Service Plans;” for many years they were known as “Cura Plans.” We are not able to fully accommodate most IEPs. Saint Ignatius High School does not modify any curriculum based on a student’s need or disability.
All students’ documentation is reviewed by our School Psychologist, Mrs. Melissa Lessick. At that time, it is determined which accommodations are available for that particular student. She then writes the Service 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. Lessick at mlessick@ignatius.edu.
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 one Intervention Specialist that is 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 Service Plans each year, we are proud to serve our students that 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 small group of students at least twice per week. Freshmen have four 20-minute meetings per week during the lunch “formation period” and focus on the high school transition. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors have 20-minute meetings per week during the formation period at lunch.
Each meeting starts with prayer, daily announcements, and a curricular “lesson.” Counselors and college counselors will deliver content in some weeks. School Counseling focuses on freshmen and sophomores and their curricular focus is social-emotional learning and executive function. College Counseling works with juniors and seniors and focuses on college and career readiness. The teacher-advisor will be with their advisor for four years.
The average size for freshmen and sophomore groups is 15 students. Juniors and seniors average 20 students per advisory.