January 15, 2008

Re: Recommendation for St. Christopher Academy

To Whom It May Concern

Please accept our highest recommendation for St. Christopher's Academy and its headmaster, Darlene Jevne.  Our daughter attended St. Christopher Academy during academic year 2004-2005.  The Academy provided our daughter with a safe haven within a challenging academic environment.  The mainstream high school experience was maintained and interwoven throughout our daughter's student life, supported by the advocacy of Darlene Jevne.

We knew that her best interests were always represented, whether it was in the choice of teachers or development of curriculum. We felt fortunate and privileged to have the opportunity to make use of Ms. Jevne's experience in shepherding LD Kids through the teenage years -- tough enough to mainstream kids, but desperately challenging for the LD kid.

We were methodical and disciplined in choosing the right high school for our daughter. We had the financial situation to live anywhere. In researching our options, so many roads led to St. Christopher's Academy. The reputation and experience of St. Christopher's placed it in a category of its own. While many learning institutions are beginning to address the learning disabilities that appear to be pervasive in the schools, we took great comfort in the fact that Ms. Jevne had been on the frontlines for several decades. Our research found few institutions at the secondary level with her experience, commitment and success.

As parents of an LD kid, we give our highest recommendation to Ms. Jevne and St. Christopher Academy.  And we would be pleased to discuss with anyone our recommendation.  Please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards,

Robert and Mary Lynn Swayze

Dallas, TX  75230

January 15, 2008

To Whom It May Concern

I am writing you on behalf of St. Christopher Academy where my son has been a student since September 2007.  Although he is relatively new to the school, I had been researching St. Christopher's for three years prior to his enrollment and had the program included younger children, he would have been a student from the 6th grade on.

My son is an extremely bright ADD child who was failing in the public school system, both academically and socially.  By the seventh grade his self esteem was extremely low and we were starting to see behavior problems as well as academic issues.  He was "brutalized" (his special education teacher's words) by his regular classroom teachers as he was viewed as lazy and unresponsive to their instruction.   School did not feel like a safe, inviting place for him as he was often taunted by other kids and misunderstood by his teachers.  He was beginning to make very poor choices about his behaviors in an effort to fit in.

In the short time that my son has been at St. Christopher Academy we have seen his self esteem begin to build. He is making more of an effort academically and his grades have improved.  He has made a few positive friends and is beginning to socialize more and take an interest in school activities.  I have seen him start to develop a sense of pride with his school and more importantly with himself.

Much of my son's recent success can be attributed directly to Darlene Jevne and her staff at St. Christopher Academy.  They have created an environment that is conducive to learning and fostered a philosophy of inclusiveness for all students.  Each child is held responsible for his own actions and consequences and guided in the understanding of the relationship between success and appropriate actions and behaviors.  The educators teach in a way that is understandable for my son without compromising educational requirements. They have made learning fun for him and something that he now sees value in.

I would gladly recommend St. Christopher Academy for other parents looking for an educational alternative for their children.

Respectfully,

Jill M. Reyes

January 14, 2008

To Whom It May Concern

This is a letter of support for St. Christoper Academy and Director Darlene Jevne.  Almost two years ago we met Directory Jevne through an effort in seeking academic assistance for our son.  Our son had struggled in public schools from about the third grade. Through testing we discovered he was learning disabled.  We attempted to work with the public school staff to address his needs over the next several years.  There was some marginal success.  When he reached high school his learning differences became overwhelmingly apparent. he became a failing student with all the associated feelings of anger and self-worthlessness.  Yet we knew he was an intelligent, capable, young man. 

Since the school district was insensitive to the learning needs of our son, we concluded a different environment was necessary.  This is what lead us to St. Christopher's Academy. We had two interviews with Director Jevne.   From the start it was clear that she was very experienced in in addressing kids with learning differences.  More than that, she had proven history of success.  The relief we felt through her confidence gave us encouragement for our son.  In a subsequent interview , we presented Director Jevne with the results of a formal Psycho-Educational Evaluation that had been completed on our son.  The Evaluation consisted of a variety of test to identify his learning strengths and weaknesses.  Director Jevne was familiar with all of these tests, and easily identified a strategy to put our son on a course for success.

Our son is in his second year at St. Christopher's Academy.  He has progressed substantially.  He is currently a better than 3.0 GPA student.  More importantly, he has developed a desire to be at school.  He has learned that he is capable, and does have the responsibility of meeting the academic expectations set forth by Director Jevne.  His self-esteem and self-confidence have returned.  We have never heard him say "I can't do it" since he has been at St. Christopher's Academy. It is just the opposite.  He speaks of becoming an A student, and talks of going on to college.  Such a positive change is something we had hoped for.  It is a direct result of Director Jevne and her staff.

We sincerely recommend St. Christopher Academy to any family.  They truly work miracles in young peoples lives.  They did so for our son and we are forever indebted. 

Sincerely

Rodger and Dona Kellams

October 20, 2009                                                                                  

Dear Parents of potential St. Christopher Academy students:          

I am the mother of a student who is a senior at St. Christopher Academy at Seattle Lutheran High School.  I am writing this letter to share a little of my experience with you, and to offer a strong personal endorsement of St. Christopher Academy.  As the parent of a learning disabled son, I am aware of the challenges you face in attaining an appropriate educational setting for your child.  It is my hope that this letter will assist you in discerning between the educational options you may be considering at this time.

My son was diagnosed with a learning disability in the middle of his freshman year of high school, even though his academic struggles began much earlier.  His teachers throughout elementary school were concerned with his school performance, but they felt he simply needed to work harder.  By the eighth grade, it seemed clear that he needed a different learning environment, so we moved him from the private school he had been attending to a public school so that he could more easily be observed and evaluated for services.  Having been a special education teacher prior to having my children, I felt certain that he would qualify for help, but he did not.  He went on to the public high school as we continued to push for services.  He spent the first half of that year in a downward academic spiral.  As his grades dropped, so did his self-esteem.  He seemed to be struggling with everything. 

I began to research the various options available for struggling students, and kept returning to the web site for St. Christopher Academy.  I eventually made an appointment with the director of the school, Mrs. Darlene Jevne.  We discussed the difficulties that were unfolding with my son’s education, and she reviewed his test results, which fell exactly in the margin that separates the learning disabled in the public system from everyone else.  My son did just well enough to be classified in the “everyone else” category in the public schools.  Mrs. Jevne explained how the SCA environment would be different from what we had experienced up to that point.  It would be suited to meet his specific learning style and needs, and would provide the structure and close instruction that would help rebuild his confidence and ensure success.  After sending him to visit the school for a day, we enrolled him at SCA beginning in the second half of his freshman year.

From the start, St. Christopher Academy provided a high quality of direct instruction and individual attention, as well as an effective safety net for my son in the larger school environment.  While he takes most of his classes with the SCA teachers, he regularly has a few Seattle Lutheran courses.  These are typically more challenging for him, with larger class sizes and less structure.  Mrs. Jevne and her team are highly responsive to the needs of their students in these classes, assisting them in keeping current with assignments, and advocating for additional assistance when it is needed.  Project Access is a crucial element in this area, and in helping students to improve work quality.  Mrs. Jevne provides additional support by consulting regularly with teachers, assisting them with adaptations and strategies appropriate to individual needs.  She and her staff are always available to parents.  Recently, my husband and I met with her to plan for our son’s post-high school education.  She provided a host of options suitable to his interests, aspirations, and learning needs.

         
Of the many aspects of St. Christopher Academy that I am grateful for, it is the unfailingly positive approach of the SCA staff that truly distinguishes it from other schools we have experienced.  Prior to SCA, I had learned to dread my frequent communications with teachers; every conversation seemed to be a critique of my son’s school performance.  This was painful for me to hear over and over again, but certainly it was worse for my son.  In contrast, the SCA teachers have always recognized and commented on the positive:  his efforts and successes.  They look for what is best in him.  Their continued attention to him, his personal growth, and his educational needs has been a major key to his success.

In June, my son will receive his high school diploma; an important accomplishment of which our family will be very proud.  The challenges he has faced in high school may be different than many of his Seattle Lutheran classmates, but his accomplishments have been no less significant.  His ability to succeed in school has been greatly enhanced under the careful guidance of Mrs. Jevne and the staff at St. Christopher Academy, and the positive learning environment at Seattle Lutheran High School. 

I am pleased to be able to assist you in knowing more about the excellent opportunity that is available to you at St. Christopher Academy.  I hope you will take a close look, and consider seriously the opportunity for academic success that it offers.

Sincerely,

Jane Wraith
Parent of a St. Christopher Academy student