Education for ALL Students

At Bishop Leibold School, our goal has always been to meet students where they are and help them reach the academic success that is specific to their individual needs.

In 2019, we adopted an approach that helps us more accurately identify the needs and strengths of our students in order to better serve them. Utilizing Multi-Tiered Student Support (MTSS), our team of intervention specialists, teachers, counselors, aides, and parents are able to come together and work as a unified team to meet students’ needs. Through differentiated classroom instruction and small group instructional support, individual strengths are fostered and praised while additional needs are addressed.

“MTSS is vital for us to be consistent as an entire staff,” says Dr. Theodore Wallace, principal of Bishop Leibold “in doing so, we are able to work with our students that need the most help, and our highest achievers so that they are being appropriately challenged in the classroom.”

MTSS is just one component of the strides that Bishop Leibold is taking to best meet our student's needs. Bishop Leibold is also an official provider of the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship (JPSN), a K-12 program that provides scholarships to students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) from their local district but prefer to attend a participating private school.

Bishop Leibold is proud of our unique collaboration with specialized community partners. One such partnership is with The Reading Lab, a program that provides dyslexia testing, training & tutoring services to “bright but struggling” readers during the school day. “Our partnership with Bishop Leibold is quite unique since we have the opportunity to serve students during the school day. Families really appreciate this in addition to the impact it is having on helping unlock the full potential of their children.” says Donna Donahue, director of The Reading Lab. “It is also a wonderful opportunity for our tutors, parents, and teachers at Bishop Leibold to work together for these students.” Bishop Leibold also has established a partnership with the University of Dayton’s Empowering Children with Hope and Opportunity (ECHO). In addition to student, staff and parent information sessions, beginning in our 2021-22 school year, an ECHO counselor will be on site at Bishop Leibold part time helping the families and staff to more effectively address the mental health needs of our students.

It is enhancements to our programming through initiatives like those listed above, constant communication and collaboration among our staff, and commitment from our school families that make Bishop Leibold School a wonderful place for every student.

WORDS BY JENNIFER THOMPSON

If you’ve laid in bed with the words public, private, charter, Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia and more swimming through your head — you aren’t alone. For many parents, one of the biggest decisions to make is figuring out where to send their child to school, and with so many options it can feel very overwhelming. If you’re thinking about private school for your child, here are some of the things you should consider, and the unique benefits of a private school education.

Typically, private schools will offer smaller classes, which means more opportunities for one-on-one time with the student and the teacher. In this environment, it may be easier for students to participate in class discussions, and have their questions answered as they arise.

With fewer classmates, the teacher is also able to get to know the students strengths and weaknesses better than they may in a large classroom setting, and help to facilitate growth for the student on a more individual level. Smaller classes also can create more of a sense of community within the classroom and with peers.

Some may choose a private school that aligns with their personal beliefs. There are many religions represented in the private school sector. In these schools, the students will receive excellent academic instruction in a faith-based environment that supports the values that are being taught at home.

Many private schools have a strong emphasis on the arts and offer their students exposure to a wide range of opportunities. With fewer students, there is a potential for more opportunities for the students to participate in the activities they would like to try.

Because of the smaller class sizes and school enrollment, a strong sense of community is developed within the school. There is an emphasis placed on the teacher and parent relationship with many opportunities for parents and teachers to connect throughout the year. This also helps the parents to be involved in their child’s education when they are at home, as they encourage them to learn and foster a relationship that values and encourages their education. In addition, parents are easily able to, and are encouraged to, participate in school activities and events. Many private schools also encourage students and families to serve in the community, extending the community feel outside of the building and into the neighborhood where the school is located. Some schools may even require their students to complete a certain number of community service hours.

Another benefit of private schooling is that many schools will offer classes or courses that are unique to their school, with a focus not only on education, but also on the child as a whole. Character development, personal growth, respect, empathy, self-control and

wellness are just a few of the things that may be emphasized. In high school, they often will offer a wide variety of AP level courses, and encourage students to pursue a degree of choice upon completion of high school. Another plus is that private school students typically do very well on standardized tests and college entrance exams.

Finding the school that is the best fit for your child can feel like a daunting and overwhelming task. Be sure to visit the schools you are considering and ask questions that are pertinent to your family’s unique values, interests and priorities. Talk to friends and join online groups and communities for more personal information. And lastly, take a deep breath and find confidence in the fact that you know what’s best for your child, because nobody knows your child better than you do.

Charter schools are another educational option that many parents consider for their children. Although charter schools and private schools share many similarities, there are also some differences between the two.

Both private schools and charter schools have similar classroom sizes, a goal of developing student-teacher relationships, and an emphasis on academic achievement. Both options offer parents a choice beyond their child's assigned neighborhood public school, allowing a family to choose the school that best aligns with their child's needs or strengths.

However, unlike most private schools, charter schools are tuition-free. Charter schools are public schools, and they don’t require an admission process or entrance exam. These factors can be appealing to some parents who are looking for these options in a school for their child.