High School Forum

St. John’s School
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Our New High School

What is the plan for developing the High School?

Starting with a freshman class in the fall of 2008, St. John’s will add one grade a year until the full high school is enrolled. The first graduating class will be the class of 2012.

How big will your High School be?

Eventually we will serve an enrollment of 90 students at each grade level for a total of 360 students. This will mean that the school will be big enough to support the full range of high school activities including rich course offerings, a variety of varsity sports and performing arts. On the other hand, the school will be small enough to ensure that there are close relationships and the feel of a family. We have also chosen a class size of 90 students with the expectation that our teachers will teach five sections of students a day and the maximum section size will be 18.

What will be the central focus of your High School?

We will focus on an academic program that prepares students for admission to 4 year colleges and universities. Our expectation is that 100% of our graduates will attend such institutions. We also have a commitment to the education of the “whole child” and our extracurricular programs will be of the highest quality. Our graduation requirements will match or exceed the course requirements for admission to the University of California system. We will require 4 years of English, 3 years of Math taken at the high school level including Algebra 1 and 2 and Geometry but with the recommendation that students take four years, 3 years of Foreign Language, 3 years of History/Social Studies, 3 years of Lab Science, 1 years of Visual or Performing Arts, 1 year of Religious Studies of which one semester will take the form of a supervised community service project. Additionally students will be expected to demonstrate competency with the full range of programs in the Microsoft Office Suite.

Which sports will you offer?

This is a question that will be addressed once students are enrolled. Our goal will be to engage in competition as soon as possible and so we will focus on developing a few sports at first with others added later as enrollment grows. Soccer, basketball, volleyball, track and cross country will probably be the first.

Which performing arts will you offer?

Here again we will address this once students are enrolled and will focus on quality rather than variety until our student body grows. Certainly we will be offering drama and music very early in the development of the High School

How will you handle discipline?

There will be clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior and consequences for infractions. In the early years we will be working hard to establish a school culture which reinforces our standards. We will expect parents to support the school’s expectations for student behavior. If it becomes clear that a student does not meet our standards, they will be asked to leave.

What provisions will you make for technology?

The school’s campus is fully wired for internet access and we have a computer lab for instruction. High School students will be expected to own their own lap-top computer and to use it regularly. Teachers will be trained to embed the use of technology in their lesson design and instruction if they do not already do so.

Where will the school be located?

Initially the school will share St. John’s School’s campus at Barbara Chilton Middle School in WestPark. When St. John’s moves to its own new campus in the summer of 2010, then High School is expected to move with it. Until the enrollment in the elementary grades grows to full capacity there will be room for the High school. The school’s Board of Trustees and administration is already looking for a new campus which will become the long term facility for the upper grades.

How is the school financed?

St. John’s is an independent, non-profit school supported by tuition, gifts and a variety of fund-raising activities. The school is not supported financially by the church or the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California and does not receive public funds.

How much will you charge for high school tuition?

For 2008-2009 the high school tuition will be $7500. There are additional fees for books and registration as well as a building use fee of $250 per year. Fees may be billed monthly. Families should expect to see some increase in tuition each year as we adjust our teachers’ salaries. We also ask parents to support our fund-raising activities and to consider a gift to our Annual Fund Campaign.

What is the admission process?

We would like to have a personal interview with each student and their family. This can be arranged by calling the school’s admissions Office at 916 786 5400. Before admitting a student we will arrange for them to take math and verbal sections of the Educational Records Bureau Test which is the standardized test that we administer to our lower grades. Students will also be asked to present academic records from their previous school.

www.sjsroseville.org

Barbara Chilton Campus
4501 Bob Doyle Drive Roseville, California 95747
(916) 786 5400 FAX (916) 789-2064