Testimonies
“It seems like divine providence that we were brought into the gates of St. Mary’s Academy of Iloilo City (SMAIC). True enough, the staff were very accommodating and welcoming, guiding us through the whole process of evaluation, interviews and enrollment. Our grandson was enrolled in SPED (Special Education) with a program specially tailored for his needs along with proper interventions and therapy. And that was 10 years ago, he’s now a teenager, graduated from SPED and into PREVOC Intermediate 3, hopefully into regular Grade 9. Since then, he has found a home, his niche, a place where he belongs and can be himself and progress with his teacher’s loving guidance and care.”
– Luis Buenaflor Jr.
Prevoc Guardian
“I enrolled Lashah to SPED one-one-one. I started seeing huge improvement in her. Able to follow commands; can drink on a cup without using straw; can take off her clothes and shoes; stopped wearing diapers in the morning; can identify letters, numbers, things, animals; and started playing with her brother and cousin. These are some of the numerous developments that Lashah showed since she started going to this school (St. Mary’s Academy of Iloilo City Inc.).”
– Mrs. Luzerne A. Laurista
SPED 1-on-1 Parent
“…Over the past nine years at SMAIC, I have witnessed Jyles’ remarkable Progress. I extend my sincere appreciation to the school for nurturing my son. A special acknowledgment to the dedicated teachers for molding Jyles into the individual he is today. Helen Keller’s words resonate, emphasizing the importance of recognizing each child’s strengths. I am grateful for the remarkable strides Jyles has taken under your guidance.”
-Mrs. Janeth B. Castañeda
Grade 6 Parent
I also appreciated what St. Mary’s did during the pandemic. Despite all the challenges during that time, they were still hands on and active in giving actual class lectures. To cope up with the difficulty of traveling that time, they conducted online classes and adopted various approach in giving out lessons and instructions for the students. With that strategy, they still managed to maintain the student-teacher interaction. For me, it was very important and highly effective to a student’s development considering the implementation of travel restrictions for 2 years. As a testament to that, my 2 daughters, Sofia and Alexia, who are now in high school, are still honor students in their respective schools. Suffice it to say that I only have St. Mary’s to thank for this – for laying out a good foundation in their education. So, for now, please join me in giving a round of applause to St. Mary’s Academy of Iloilo and to all the people behind it, for a job well done.
-Atty Jaybee John Noblezada
Grade 10 Parent
As delighted parents, we would like to thank St. Mary’s Academy administration, for your vision of providing inclusive quality education, giving our children especially children with special needs an equal opportunity to develop to their utmost potential at their own pace and securing for them a safe space and nurturing environment where they are free to express themselves and their unique individuality. I also appreciate the varied and well- thought learning experiences and co-curricular activities that they expose their learners into. More power to all of you.
We are also grateful to the skilled, talented and hardworking teachers who made a difference in our children’s lives. We see your dedication,patience and love in every progress of our children and in how they enthusiastically share their learning experiences to us every single day. Thank you and may God richly bless you with knowledge and wisdom and sustain you as you fulfill your life mission, vocation and profession as teachers.
-Mrs. Janice Perucho
Grade 6 & 7 Parent
As delighted parents, we would like to thank St. Mary’s Academy administration, for your vision of providing inclusive quality education, giving our children especially children with special needs an equal opportunity to develop to their utmost potential at their own pace and securing for them a safe space and nurturing environment where they are free to express themselves and their unique individuality. I also appreciate the varied and well- thought learning experiences and co-curricular activities that they expose their learners into. More power to all of you.
We are also grateful to the skilled, talented and hardworking teachers who made a difference in our children’s lives. We see your dedication,patience and love in every progress of our children and in how they enthusiastically share their learning experiences to us every single day. Thank you and may God richly bless you with knowledge and wisdom and sustain you as you fulfill your life mission, vocation and profession as teachers.
-Mrs. Janice Perucho
Grade 6 & 7 Parent
“… We want the kids to learn life skills and be able to communicate well. We started seeing so much improvements with the boys. Keane, who was impatient can now wait and listen. He wears socks, brief, long sleeves and uniform now. He wears shoes too. Imagine my joy when I first saw him wearing a complete uniform without taking it off. He used to run around the school premises wearing nothing. Although he is still nonverbal, he follows instructions and complies. He’s been potty trained now so he can pee and poop on his own. He gives me kisses every day. I am sure that one day I will hear him say “Mommy” Grey had so much improvement. From a kid who barely speaks to straight sentences and responses. From being shy to dancing. From barely touching a pencil to writing, spelling, reading and understanding. Whenever he has exams, I would review him and get amazed that he can memorize so easily. Whenever his test papers come back for signing, we are awed by his scores. Just the fact that he can answer an exam is a big win for us. Every activity at school, we always attended. It doesn’t matter if I haven’t slept, or eaten or taken a bath. Every time a see them both on the stage, I am very emotional. The first time they both received awards, I nearly cried. And I still am emotional every time I see them on stage. We celebrated every wins big or small. A lot of people are asking how we do it.. One kid with autism is a handful so how do we manage two? The answer is simple. It was LOVE. We raised them with love…”
-Mrs. Maritess Jane Bilbao
SPED One-on-One Parent