Wayne’s Words

 

            “I have demonstrated effective leadership by articulating an emphasis on teaching and learning as the central focus of the school.  The staff is involved  in an on-going curriculum development process that reviews and revises curriculum based on the needs of the students, the needs of the Church and society, and the essential elements of academic subject areas.  The staff is involved in selecting and implementing new instructional processes and materials.  Through the use of the ‘Churchwerks’ data collection system, we will be embarking on sharing student mastery data with parents in a ‘real time’ situation.  This effort is supported by the continued high expectations for student achievement within our community.”  (Principal’s Summary Report, 2007,  for St. Francis of Assisi School)

 

“By empowering staff  to expand their horizons, we have achieved a great deal through collaboration.”  (Principal’s Summary Report, 2007, for St. Francis of Assisi School)

 

“I attempt to treat all in a manner that respects their individuality and allows them to feel capable, connected, and as a contributor to our community.”  (Principal’s Summary Report, 2007, for St. Francis of Assisi School)

 

“High marks were received in parent and staff surveys in the area of communications.  I attempt to greet each staff member each day by name as well as learning as many names as possible of students and parents.”  (Principal’s Summary Report, 2004, for St. Francis of Assisi School)

 

“My goal as a leader is to develop a team that performs at the highest level.  We must select quality individuals that are driven by a clear value system and a love of children.  In a Catholic school, one’s faith should be that value system.  It is my job to help the staff and community develop a clear direction for the school and find the necessary resources to support our vision.  When the stakeholders have been empowered and energized, I believe that synergy does occur and we become greater than the sum of the whole.”  (2000 Principal Application)

 

“One of the most important components of a successful school  is the way the adults treat each other.  They must reflect the love of Christ and treat their students and parents in kind.  When this happens, the school is not just a school but a family in Christ.”  (2000 Principal Application)

 

A word about Wayne: “Wayne is a man of honor.  He is kind to those students who need an extra dose of kindness and a loving, yet firm, disciplinarian to those who need a guiding hand.  He is respected by parents and teachers.  In my personal contact with Wayne, especially as it has regarded the education and welfare of my children, he has always taken the position centered on the best interest of my children.  His counsel has been helpful and straightforward.”  (School Parent, 2000)

 

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Dear Holy Redeemer School Board, Faculty, and School Parents:

 

After Miss Kirk announced her pending departure from Holy Redeemer, I assembled a search committee composed of representatives from the School Board, PTO, and parent community.  We immediately began the process of selecting a new principal in order to have access to the first choice of candidates.  We were blessed to have many highly qualified applicants available for consideration.

 

Using feedback from the parent surveys, the search committee and I identified the traits you felt were important for a principal at Holy Redeemer School.  We were careful to ensure that the qualities displayed by our candidates were in alignment with your requests.  With this information, we thoroughly examined resumes and records, analyzed work samples, reviewed accomplishments, and conducted detailed interviews of prospective candidates.  We were delighted to recognize a candidate whose qualifications exceeded our criteria. We contacted references and conducted an additional interview with our leading candidate.  At that time, we shared and discussed the parent surveys and our school’s specific needs and expectations before making an offer.

 

I am pleased to announce that our top candidate, Mr. Wayne Schiefelbein, has accepted the position as our principal beginning next school year. Mr. Schiefelbein is a wonderful man, married with four children, strong in his faith, and is highly regarded as a principal.  We are excited about his experience in implementing a successful technology program at St. Francis of Assisi, his ability to update curriculum and teaching methods, and his desire to work with teachers to ensure the best possible learning environment for students.  We are especially impressed with the extraordinary level of respect and love he has for children.  This is clearly evident in his philosophy of Catholic education.

 

I am very happy to have Mr. Schiefelbein serve as our new principal at Holy Redeemer School, and I look forward to introducing him to our parents, faculty, staff, and students!

 

Please keep our school community in your prayers during this time of transition.

 

 

-Fr Mike       

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A Word From The Pastor

        Introduction To Mr. Schiefelbein (A Word From The Pastor)

        Biography

        "Wayne's Words"

        List of Recent Accomplishments

 

    

 

• Upgraded outdated computer labs and technology instruction.  Expanded technology use in the classrooms.  Made student data available to parents online and communicated to the public through their school website www.sfaschool-stlouis.org

• Provided professional development for teachers in Differentiated Instruction, a method of teaching students in a variety of formats to match individual learning styles.

• Replaced the Demerit System with one of Cooperative Discipline, changing the tone of the school to a very positive and effective learning environment.

• Worked with teachers and parents to develop a Curriculum Guide that is revised yearly.  

• Commended for involving parents and staff in the interview process for the selection of new faculty.

• Guaranteed future enrollment by increasing the preschool program from 30 to 60 students in the first year. The current enrollment is at nearly 100.

• Stayed informed by having monthly lunches with small groups of upper grade students and conducting regular daily visits to classrooms.

• Unified church and school by making students available for parish service projects, such as volunteering for parish functions, participating in food drives, and organizing a Christmas charitable outreach.

• Created the largest O.A.S.I.S. program in South County incorporating senior volunteers to assist teachers in the classroom to enhance learning.  As a result, several anonymous donors from the parish have come forward with major grants to improve the school.

• Supported the development of extracurricular activities including a musical production team involving parent volunteers and over 200 students in an annual production.  All are welcome at this year’s “The Wizard of Oz” production, April 18, 19 and 20^th.  Ticket information is available at  www.sfabroadway.com

 

 

 

 

Mr. Schiefelbein is a principal who has shown exceptional leadership.  He engages various members of the school community in designing and implementing plans that serve the best interest of the school.  He is responsive to the concerns of parents and resolves issues in a pragmatic and thoughtful manner.  He has received outstanding marks for his communication with students, parents, and faculty to benefit the efficient operation of the school.  He continually strives to maintain positive relationships within the school and parish community.

 

Mr. Schiefelbein has high standards for both students and teachers.  He believes excellence is attained in a positive atmosphere where children are respected and celebrated.  He is committed to creating an optimal learning environment where students thrive.  He truly cares for his students and honors each child as a gift from God.

 

Mr. Schiefelbein is a man of great integrity and faith.  A Catholic convert, his faith is evident in his parish involvement and his dedication to sending his own four children through Catholic grade school and high school.  He actively participates in building a faith community in accordance with Gospel values.  His motto as principal is “Be it known to all who enter here, that Christ is the reason for this school, the unseen but ever present teacher in its classes, the model of its faculty and the inspiration of its students.” 

 

Mr. Schiefelbein currently lives in South County with his wife of 37 years, Mary, and their Siberian Husky, Kody. They have four children, three of whom attained advanced degrees and one who is a researcher at M.I.T.  Wayne notes, however, that Kody has twice failed obedience school.  They are also blessed with four grandchildren and one on the way in June.

 

We are very pleased that Mr. Schiefelbein will serve as our next Principal at Holy Redeemer School.  He is looking forward to meeting everyone very soon.  We extend our warmest welcome to him for our next school year!

 

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Wayne’s Top 9 List at St. Francis of Assisi School

(Not to be confused with Dave’s Top 10 List)

My six years at St. Francis of Assisi have been incredible in terms of what has been accomplished through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  I was hired by a Franciscan in February of 2002 and began work officially July 1, 2002.  The same day, two Archdiocesan priests replaced the contingent of Franciscans and the friary became a rectory.  We inherited a community in somewhat disarray with the school having lost over 200 students in the previous two years.  I interviewed 25 sets of parents selected randomly along with some of the leadership and all of the teaching staff prior to July 1, 2002.  It was very clear that we needed to restore confidence in the school and improve its image in the community at large.  We empowered parents, students, and staff to make this a reality in a relatively short period of time.  A good part of my list comes from that empowerment.

1. The first thing was to make a visible change in the aging facility.  The hallways were dark and the floors were crumbling under foot. This was remedied during my first year.  Since then, we have hired a new cleaning company, installed new security hardware, new exterior entrance doors, and painting in main areas yearly with the entire school being painted last summer.  Air-conditioning was installed a year ago as part of a Parish Capital Campaign.
2. Staff Development was an important part of all of the needed change. We attempted to bring the staff together on important projects.  The handbooks were rewritten by the stake holders to reflect desired practices.  A Parent Curriculum Guide was developed. It is revised yearly and distributed to parents during fall conferences.  We no longer use a “Demerit System” for discipline.  It took a while to convince some of the more experienced  teachers to abandon this practice but it was worth the effort.  Our students behave in a responsible manner and are responding to a positive atmosphere.  Six teachers have received extensive training in “Differentiated Instruction” and three more are scheduled for this summer. 
3. Our merger with St. Matthias School had a big impact on our community in terms of numbers and involvement.   We were chosen by the leadership at St. Matthias to receive their students. I was deeply involved in the selection process and the implementation of the actual agreement.  We received 80 students that represented 54 families.  This gave us the obvious financial boost but, what we didn’t plan on is the wonderful involvement of the families.  This merger serves as a model for other schools considering a merger.
4. When I arrived the parish had a small preschool of 30 students.  Many of those students did not attend St. Francis of Assisi School.  My pastor asked me to take control of the preschool after my first year.  With most schools struggling to keep a stable enrollment, we took on the preschool with that notion in mind.  The first year we grew it to 60 students. Since then we have expanded to 98 slots which are almost full for next year.  We are considering another expansion for the fall.   Currently 75% of our kindergarten enrollment comes from our preschool.
5. One of the things that was evident when we arrived was the distinct separation of the Church and School.  There was little participation from parishioners or concern for the school.  Today there is a much greater acceptance.  We have made our students available to help with various service projects.  Some of our students help with the Fish Fry, and the entire school supports the St. Vincent DePaul chapter with a large food drive in November and a Christmas giving project in December.  We now have the largest O.A.S.I.S. program in South County with 18 senior volunteers that come in on a weekly basis to work with individual students.  There are others that volunteer to help teachers in the classroom and some provide extra financial support to our families.  This year alone, we have had anonymous donors come forward to pay for a new sound system for our musical productions, a new dishwasher for the cafeteria, and a new ($72,000) playground for our younger students.
6. A big source of pride for our community is our musical productions. Two parents approached me with a proposal five years ago to establish a modest musical program that would appeal to students that needed that outlet.  They agreed to become the “producers” and gather community support.  Our first production was the “Music Man”, and they put on three performances.  The next year they produced “The King and I” and added a dinner theater venue.  This was followed by “Annie” and last year's “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”  This year we are performing “The Wizard of Oz.”  There are 100 students in the cast and 60 more in the wings do scenery and other related tasks.  This takes a great deal of commitment from students, staff, and parents, as this is all done outside of school hours. 
7. Technology was in a sad state in our school six years ago.  They had two outdated labs and a computer teacher that knew little about the actual workings of the lab.  We consolidated labs and purchased new equipment for the lab and began to expand into the classrooms. A group of parents and a few teachers formed our committee and prepared a plan that helped clarify our vision.  A grandparent that was happy with the education that her granddaughter was receiving wrote the school a check for $5000 with the instruction to use it to benefit all of our students.  At about the same time, another grandparent came forward to offer his services.  He was retired from A.T.T. and knew a little bit about wiring.  Over the summer he used that $5000 and wired our entire building for the internet.  This led us to the next phase of data collection and communication with parents.  A great deal of effort has gone into making student data available to parents on line as well as general communication to the public through our web site.  All of it was made possible by these grandparents. 
8. With all of these things occurring, it was necessary to re-focus the community as to our purpose.  On all of our exterior doors and in many communications going home is a portion or in its entirety the following:  “Be it known to all who enter here, that Christ is the reason for this school, the unseen but ever present teacher in its classes.  The model of its faculty and the inspiration of its students.”
9. Finally, I have not had the opportunity often since I have been at St. Francis to hire new staff but I have chosen wisely. Some key classroom positions have been filled along with specialist and support staff through a thoughtful and Holy Spirit driven process. Hiring the best people possible is my most important job.  I involve community and staff in the selection process and spend approximately 40 clock hours for each position.

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