Open House Oct. 30

Exciting Preview of St. John's School

Roseville – St. John’s School students, teachers, and administrators will have yet another chance to shine when the school hosts an open house at 6:30 p.m. on October 30th at its Barbara Chilton campus, 4501 Bob Doyle Drive in Roseville.

More information about the open house or the exciting programs offered at St. John’s School can be obtained by calling (616) 786-5400 or by visiting the school on the Web at http://www.sjsroseville.org/.

During the event current and prospective families will have the chance to

† meet with the headmaster and the faculty,
† observe exciting classroom demonstrations,
† learn about the school through conversations with students and parents,
† tour the school, sign up for sports programs,
† see and hear about the school’s exciting new campus,
† learn about current classroom vacancies and the 2009-2010 admission process.

St. John’s School is a college preparatory school that educates students in preschool through the 12th grade. The school was founded on a motto of “Educating the Whole Child; Mind, Body, and Spirit.”

“My sons have greatly benefitted, not only from the education at St. John's School, but from the morals and values that are imparted from the teachers, staff, and from other students,” said Robin Parker, a parent with two sons at St. John’s School.

Programs offered at St. John’s include reading comprehension and fluency, comprehensive language arts (writing mechanics, writing concepts and skills), mathematical computation and reasoning, scientific theory and applications, social studies, religious studies, physical education, visual and performing arts (choir, theater, dance, mixed media), technology, student government, football, volleyball, and several afterschool clubs.”

“The best things about St. John’s School are the faculty and staff, the small class size, and the family atmosphere,” added Parker. “The breadth of subjects at St. John's including art, science, Spanish, and music, are fun for the kids, yet educational.”

Prospective students are invited to shadow a St. John's School class for a day. Appointments can be made through the admissions office or by sending an e-mail to admin@sjsroseville.org.

More information about the open house or the exciting programs offered at St. John’s School can be obtained by calling (616) 786-5400 or by visiting the school on the Web at http://www.sjsroseville.org/.

Driving Directions

St. John’s School is located on the Barbara Chilton Campus in the WestParkcommunity of Roseville. The WestPark community is west of Fiddyment Road and north of Baseline Road, at the western edge of Roseville. WestPark is located approximately 5.5 miles west of Highway 65.

From 65 South:
Take the Blue Oaks exit. Head west on Blue Oaks until you reach Fiddyment Road.Head south on Fiddyment to Village Green Drive, at the entrance to WestPark. Turn right on Village Green. Continue on Village Green until it ends at Bob Doyle Road. Turn right onto Bob Doyle Road. After a short drive, you will see the Barbara Chilton Campus on the left.

From Foothills Blvd or 65 North:
Turn west/exit onto Pleasant Grove Blvd. Continue on Pleasant Grove across Fiddyment into the WestPark development. Follow Pleasant Grove to the stoplight at Market Street. Turn right onto Market and proceed to the stop sign at Bob Doyle Road. Turn left onto Bob Doyle Road. The Barbara Chilton Campus will be on the left.

Eagles tie at home

Roseville - St. John's Eagles Flag Footballers ended their first home game with a tie. The 12-to-12 game, played against the Brookfield Eagles marked a turning point in the team's history.

"The Eagles played some tough defense and ran a good offense," said Coach Pontarolo. "I am really proud of the job that they did."

Eagles Timmy Gollmyer and Adam Lugo both ran for successive touchdowns while Rico Soto kept Brookfield's quarterback busy with a constant rush.

The next home game will be played from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. on Oct. 20 at St. John's School.

For more information, send an e-mail to coach Pontarolo at kpontarolo@sjsroseville.org.

SJS student wins at the fair

Roseville - St. John's School sixth-grader Timothy Gollmyer and his barrow, or pig, “Pork” placed second in the Market Class 7 livestock competition Sept. 4 at the Gold Country Fair in Auburn. The competition, which featured members of the Dry Creek 4-H Club, including former Eagle Kaleb Oliver (placing fourth in his barrow’s weight class,) was held to pick the Grand Champion Market Hog.

According to his mother Monica Gollmyer, Timothy’s second-place win was a mixed blessing for the young 4-Her.

“Timmy was understandably disappointed, but will place well in the sell order for Saturday’s Livestock Auction,” said Mrs. Gollmyer, “probably within the top five.”

Following the competition Timothy’s barrow, along with barrows of others in Dry Creek 4-H’s Swine Group will go to auction. Aside from recovering the cost of the barrow and of feed, profits earned at auction are often put toward college savings and other investments.The auction marks the end of a several month relationship between Swine Group members and their barrows. The process, which begins by purchasing and taking responsibility for two young pigs, teaches 4-Hrs responsibility and stewardship. Not only do they gain animal husbandry skills such as stock selection, record keeping, development of feed programs, grooming, and weight management, they gain leadership skills by contacting buyers, by serving as ‘hosts’ in the barn to buyers and fairgoers, and through volunteering at the Auction by handing out water and refreshments.

Eagles Summit Mt. Judah

Soda Springs - On Tuesday August 26th approximately 30 middle school students at St. John's School summited 8,245-foot Mt. Judah in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The students, less than a week into their new school year, participated in the hike as part of a team-building and goal-setting workshop.

According to Ben Wayne, academic dean, "The hike gives students a chance to develop bonds between each other and with their instructors. It is also a wonderful modeling exercise that shows students what they can accomplish through determination, effort and teamwork."

The hike, a little less than 5 miles in length, is part of the Pacific Crest Trail. While on the hike students had a chance to study botany, geology and geography first-hand, as well as see historically significant landmarks such as the Overland Emigrant Trial.

High School Forum

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

High School Added

Dear Parents,

On the Wednesday before we broke for Christmas the school’s board met to consider a report from an ad hoc committee that had been formed in the fall to consider whether St. John’s should add high school grades. The work of this committee had been accelerated upon the news that the Barbara Chilton Middle School would be available to us for the next two years. Essentially the availability of that campus provided us with a unique opportunity to add the ninth and tenth grades over the next two years without having to look for a new campus. Also, our own new school will have available classrooms that could be occupied by the high school while our enrollment fills in the lower grades – a process that we predict will take three years after we move.

For a number of reasons the Board chose to accept the recommendation of the committee that this was the time to proceed. First, as I have stated, the opportunity is there without having to find new space. Second, the experience of independent schools all over the nation is that the pre-school through twelfth grade model is one that makes sense for families who do not have to face the prospect of children needing to be carpooled to different campuses. Third, it is a model that makes sense academically because sequential planning of curriculum can take place in a single institution. Fourth, there is clearly a need in South Placer County for a first rate, independent, college preparatory high school. We hear constantly from families that the prospect of commuting into Sacramento for the established Catholic high schools is a daunting thought. Fifth, adding the high school grades will enable us to add programs and services at the lower grades that are beyond the reach of a school that is limited to serving grades PS-8.

In deciding to add the high school, the Board also accepted recommendations from the committee regarding the mission of the school. First, it will definitely have a strong academic focus and will exist to prepare students for admission to four year degree programs. The academic requirements for graduation will be the course requirements for admission to the U.C. system. Second, the school will deliberately enroll students who have a range of abilities so long as they are able to handle college preparatory work. Third, the school will exist to develop the whole child and therefore will develop strong athletic and fine arts programs to complement the academic focus. Fourth, the school will have a spiritual foundation that is reflective of the inclusive character of the Episcopal Church. It will also reflect the prevailing academic culture of Episcopal schools which insists on freedom of enquiry, the development of critical thinking and commitment to “sound learning, new discovery and the pursuit of wisdom”. Above all the school’s mission will be to be a place which has “heart” and which nurtures close relationships and sensitivity to others.

Specifically, the plan is to add a ninth grade in the fall of 2008 and then grades 10, 11 and 12 in the subsequent years, with the first graduating class being that of 2012.

This is an exciting prospect. It will take a lot of work and commitment but my belief is that it signals a real turning point in the direction of St. John’s maturing into a first rate institution. Please keep the Board and all who plan for our future in your prayers.

I wish you all a very happy New Year.

The Revd. Paul B. Hancock
Headmaster

St. John's School is Moving

Dear Current and Prospective Parents,

I am thrilled to be able to announce that St. John’s School is going to start its move to WestPark and far earlier than we ever dreamed.
At its meeting last night the Board voted to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Roseville City Schools whereby we will occupy the new Barbara Chilton Middle School in WestPark which is just down the street from the property which has been donated to us. The agreement starts March 1, 2008 and carries us through to June 2010, by which time our new campus will be completed. In terms of size and facilities Barbara Chilton is comparable to our plan for our new school, though the campuses are configured very differently. The facilities available to us include:

23 Classrooms
6 Science Laboratories
3 Computer Laboratories
2 Art Rooms
Library and Research Center
Performing Arts Center/Chapel
Multipurpose Room/Dining Hall
Expanded Gymnasium
Nursery/Child Care Room
Administrative Building with Faculty Lounge and Workroom
Outside Covered Picnic Areas and Assembly Spaces
Playing Fields which will be Planted in the Spring

As I told the Board last night our goals must always be to have the best teachers, the best program and the best facilities. We are moving forward on all fronts. These are exciting days for St. John’s School. Please keep the school in your prayers.

Best wishes,

The Rev. Paul B. Hancock