Welcome to the 2024-25 school year!  I hope you enjoyed a summer vacation filled with fun and exciting memories with your loved ones and friends.  We are so excited to welcome all of you back to a new year of learning and growing.

Personally, I am grateful to continue this journey with you as your principal. Over the last several years, I have had a chance to meet many of you.  I look forward to being able to continue building strong relationships with all of you this year.  Back to school days are my favorite time of the year!

Faculty and staff here at the middle school would like to convey that we are dedicated to our students and their families.  We hope that we can be a support to you as your student navigates through this time in their life.  These middle years of growing up can be very challenging.  Please reach out to someone here if you or your student is struggling.  St. James Middle School is once again a National Showcase School for Capturing Kids Hearts for the 8th year in a row.  The CKH process, of capturing the hearts of those we serve, is one of the most important parts of our jobs.  In recent years, students and families have dealt with many more social emotional needs.  We are here to help and provide support.  

We have noticed students are struggling more academically and emotionally since Covid.  Here are some ways we are trying to combat that.  Teachers have gone through RtI (Response to Intervention) training with a company that is the expert on that kind of support called Solution Tree.  Along with ICU, RtI will target specific student needs and provide data for teachers to find the best solution/instructional practice to support individual students.  We also have teachers that are very willing to tutor before and after school.  Please let us know how we can help your child.  

Our goal is for each student going through this stage of their education to feel supported, cared for, and confident in what they can accomplish.  This is the time in their educational career that they will need the greatest amount of support in those skills that will build their resilience and positivity.  Please contact us if you have any questions, concerns, or needs. 

Kaaren Lepper
Middle School Principal
573-261-3441
kslepper@stjschools.org

Kaaren Lepper
Principal
kslepper@stjschools.org

Becky Daniels
Assistant Principal
rebecca.daniels@stjschools.org

Chrissy Adams
Counselor
chrissy.adams@stjschools.org

Jillian Doddema
Counselor
jillian.doddema@stjschools.org

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