T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Marshalltown Christian School Head of School Bethany Wirin prepares for the beginning of the school year in the chapel. The students will gather in the chapel every Wednesday for services and a message from a local pastor.

Students of Marshalltown Community School District are not the only youth preparing for the first day of school next week. The private schools are both preparing for the return of eager, young minds, as well. While St. Francis School starts Monday, Marshalltown Christian School (MCS) will begin Aug. 27.

MCS Head of School Bethany Wirin said at the beginning of the week, Christian School Management representatives will be present for a teacher retreat.

“It is a time of encouragement and refreshment before the school year begins, and also some planning,” she said. “They want to get in the classrooms and help the teachers with the space, and how important it is for the students as a teaching aid. That pushed off our start.”

The teacher retreat is a point a lot of private schools try to get to, Wirin said. Students will also be dismissed early one day per week to give teachers more time to collaborate with one another, improve their performance and develop solutions to problems.

“[That way] teachers aren’t working in silos, and some of our teachers are so used to working together, it’s like a second nature,” she said. “But we’ve hired some new teachers to split out our grades, and they need mentoring and they don’t know how we do things around here. It’s part of the process, and improving us as a whole.”

New to MCS this year is the hiring of an English language learning teacher. Wirin said they have roughly 40 students who have English as a second language.

“Or third, or fourth in some cases,” she said. “That will be huge and great for all the students and children, because I’m planning to also do some teaching of the teachers. So in the classroom they can adopt some of those tools she will have.”

Even though the English instructor is new, Wirin said they are still looking for a physical education teacher for the 123 students. Last year ended with 125 students. Wirin said it was decided through the strategic plan to keep enrollment the same, so no more students are being accepted. She said before the voucher program was implemented in 2023, MCS had a student population of roughly 50 and a projected growth to 70.

“Once the education savings accounts passed, the interest changed to 90,” Wirin said. “Ninety students was our goal for growth in our last strategic plan. Last year we grew again. Overall it’s been great, but you can imagine adding 30 students one year and 35 the next. Those are big jumps, and we want to settle into this number.”

The size of classrooms is generally a concern for parents, as they want children to have the opportunity of one-on-one mentoring with teachers. Wirin said their class size goal is 18 to 24, and this year their biggest is 17.

“We’re pacing it,” she said.

Wirin said they are looking at possible expansion and are getting to the point of finalizing. One of the reasons for the expansion is to bring the seventh and eighth-grade students into the facility. Currently, MCS rents two classrooms for the two older grades in the basement of Journey Church, which is next door. She added MCS has nine acres, so there is room to expand. Phase 1 of the plan includes moving the athletic field into the northeast corner.

“We haven’t priced it and you have to look at the whole engineering plan,” she said. “[We are looking] at a four classroom expansion on the end. That would give us space for seventh and eighth grade.”

The MCS 2025-26 year will end at the same time as MCSD – June 4.

St. Francis

St. Francis Principal Julie Graber said the school gained 17 new students this year, and will have a class size ranging from 13 to 30 for the 48 staff members during the 2025-26 school year which ends June 4.

“What I am looking forward to the most is welcoming our students and families back into the building and seeing the joy and energy they bring,” she said. “Each new school year is a fresh start filled with opportunities for growth–not just academically, but also spiritually and socially.”

Graber also looks forward to seeing students deepen their love of learning, strengthen their friendships, live out their faith and see them work with staff to create a faith-filled community.

“I’m excited to see our teachers begin using the new literacy curriculum and to watch how it helps students grow as readers, writers, and thinkers,” she said. “I’m also excited to continue building strong relationships with our staff and supporting them so they can be their very best for our students.”

Something new at the Catholic school is the implementation of the Catechists of the Good Shepherd (CGS). It is a hands-on, Montessori-based approach to faith formation for children. Instead of a traditional classroom model, children work in a special space called the atrium that’s designed just for them.

According to Graber, benefits to the students include encountering scripture and liturgy with child-sized materials, working with the materials to help them understand the Bible and Mass, growth in their relationship with God and discovering their capacity for wonder and prayer.

“It fosters reverence, silence and deep reflection, even among very young children,” she said. “The heart of CGS is helping children come to know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who knows them by name, loves them deeply, and calls them to follow Him.”

The future of St. Francis is bright, according to Graber. They are focusing on strengthening academic programs and the formation of the entire child – academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.

“We want our students to leave St. Francis not only well-prepared for the next level of their education, but also confident, faith-filled leaders who will make a positive impact in our community,” she said. “With the dedication of our staff, the support of our families, and God’s guidance, the future holds so much promise.”

Looking toward the future, Graber said they are addressing space needs, which is a priority. Staff members are gathering information and exploring possibilities. They reviewed a space audit from the Archdiocese and toured areas in which there are challenges.

“From there, we’ve been brainstorming different ideas to solve some of these issues,” she said.

The parish has needs of its own, Graber added, so they are looking at ways to partner together to find solutions.

“It’s an exciting process because it gives us the opportunity to dream about what’s possible for the future of St. Francis,” she said.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.