St. Thomas Aquinas: Photo by Danny Fulgencio
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish and School announced today that the school is planning to open a new facility for children with diagnosed learning differences. The specialized school is scheduled to launch for the 2018-2019 school year.
The Academy at St. Thomas Aquinas, a 12,785 square foot building being added to the campus, will serve students between 3rd and 8th grade and feature class sizes of no more than 10 students per classroom, St. Thomas President Patrick Magee announced in a letter to parents.
“Our goal is to cultivate the academic potential of each child through multisensory, differentiated instruction. By teaching specific learning strategies, self-advocacy skills and social competencies, The Academy will prepare students for taking the next steps in their education, while providing the benefits of a Catholic environment at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School. The Academy will be staffed by personnel specializing in LD education,” Magee said.
Magee said the first phase of construction, which will focus on the exterior construction of the two-story building and interior finish out of first floor resource rooms, offices, meeting and tutoring spaces, will be completed by August 2018.
Admissions offices, additional parish and school meeting rooms, and parish storage areas will be located on the second floor of the facility and will be completed during the second phase of construction.
“It will become the first new building on our campus and be placed in the same basic footprint of the current St. Dominic building. Resolving the design and placement of The Academy building will also now allow for the efficient economical construction of the new stand-alone concession stand and restroom and so bring our Home Field Advantage campaign to full completion.”
In the same letter, Magee announced that the new addition would spell the end of the school’s PK3 program, an accredited preschool program for children between the ages of 3 and 4. Expanding specialized student services to include a broader range of diagnoses will better serve the parish, Magee said.
In 2011, St. Thomas acquired the All Saints Episcopal Church after its closing. The space was purchased to expand the school’s athletic facilities.
St. Thomas was one of 18 schools in 2012 to earn National Blue Ribbon status.
