Committed to Quality Education
Superintendent
A Message from the Superintendent
Hello!
I have spent my whole career pursuing and supporting education. I have been a teacher, an elementary and secondary principal, and a director of curriculum and instruction—and I am really pleased to join your district as the superintendent. I believe education is the best gift we can give students, families, the community, and even society.
As superintendent, my goal is to be a resource for the staff, parents, and students of St. Maries School District. I support St. Maries’ current aims of improving students' academic levels, supporting vocational programs, and hiring/retaining qualified people in all necessary positions, including transportation, teaching, and food service. These are all familiar challenges that I care a lot about.
I look forward to working with board members, staff members, and community members to make sure our families and students have what they need to thrive.
Dr. Teresa Rensch, Superintendent
Phone: 208-245-2579
Fax: 208-245-3970
Email: Teresa Rensch
Dr. Rensch's video introduction:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/q0230t13elzadlf/Dr%20Rensch.mp4?dl=0
St. Maries Vision, Mission, and Strategic Plan.
The vision and mission of St. Maries is to be committed to quality instruction and collaboration, teaching skills, developing knowledge, and fostering both responsibility and confidence so that all students become successful and productive citizens.
During the 2024-2025 school year, staff, students, and families worked together. As a result, we brought our students closer to realizing the vision, and our student’s showed growth and achievement. Read below.
District Goal 1. Performance Targets were the following: 60% or more of our students reach grade-level or above in ELA and 45% or more at grade-level or above in Math.
Results. Preliminary results indicate that we are on track to achieve 55% of students reaching grade level or above in ELA for the 2023-24 results. Every cohort from grades 3 to 8 in ELA showed noticeable gains. It appears that we have met the Math target, with 45% of our students at or above grade level. We have also met our IRI target, with 70% of our students in K-3 proficient in their reading skills.
District Goal 2. Over 90% of the students graduated from high school, meeting our performance target.
District Goal 3. The performance target was set so that 65% or more of our students felt welcomed and respected. 75% of the elementary students felt welcomed and respected. 51% of the secondary students felt welcomed and respected.
Important Values in the Strategic Plan
1. We believe in a safe and secure environment for our students.
2. We want students and staff to be held accountable to and for our work and actions.
3. Staff and students value constitutional freedoms, and civic responsibility.
4. Staff and students believe in integrity, matching our actions with our words. (doing the right thing even when no one is watching us).
5. Staff and students necessitate respect towards all individuals (authority figures and peers)
6. Staff will make data-driven and informed decisions on behalf of the students.
A Call of Action.
The vision is to see every student walk across the stage with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be a productive and successful citizen requires every player on the SMSD team. We are not alone, and we cannot do "it" alone. Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi stated, "Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, an organization work, a society work, a civilization work."
As we begin the 2025-26 school year, SMSD remains committed, together, to doing the work necessary to see all of our students realize the SMSD 41 Vision.