Why should I consider a Catholic education for my children?
Nationally, Catholic School students consistantly outperform others on standardized tests in reading, math and science. They also lead the nation in graduation rates, and they are the most likely of all students to go on to colleges and universities for higher learning,
St. Monica Elementary School is no exception to these research statistics. Through the years, St. Monica's has provided an excellent elementary curricular program to its students.
Why should I consider St. Monica Elementary School specifically?
St. Monica Elementary School has the highest accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Western Catholic Education Association. Overall, our students do very well on standardized testing. We test in the fall, and our children score in the upper quartile in Reading and upper third and above in Math. Our graduates are traditionally accepted to the high school of their choice; many go to our parish high school or to Notre Dame Academy, Marymount, Loyola, Immaculate Heart, Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks, or Crespi.
The faculty and staff include qualified and professional administrators and credentialed teachers, a licensed school psychologist, a librarian, instructional and computer lab aides, office personnel, playground and Adeste supervisors, and CYO coaches. Our faculty has a "longevity rating" of over 12 years, our staff even longer. This stability speaks well for our school and is good for our students because it insures continuity of curriculum, consistency of policy and procedure, and establishment and realization of goals.
We recently received the "Spotlight School Award" from KNBC TV and Sylvan Learning Centers, for "continuing to provide excellence in education." Prior to that, we were also included in the research Dr. William Ouchi did out of UCLA on "Schools that Work." We were recommended by the Archdiocesan Department of Catholic Schools for this study. We are also one of the few Catholic elementary schools that has an annual endowment fund.
What is St. Monica Elementary School's Philosophy?
The administration, faculty, and staff of St. Monica Elementary School are committed to providing a safe, caring Catholic learning environment for our students. Together with parents, we support and nurture the spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, and physical growth of our students and prepare them to live moral, responsible, and fulfilling lives. We want to open doors for our kids, teach them to set goals to move forward and grow, help them to juggle priorities, and let them know they can meet and overcome challenges in a positive way.
St. Monica Elementary School emphasizes the integration of a strong academic program with Catholic, Christian values. We are first and foremost a Catholic school; we make no apologies about this. Though we welcome non-Catholics (as we welcome all who come to us) all of our children study religion every day. We pray daily in our classrooms, and our students plan and participate in school Masses throughout the schoolyear. It is very important to us that we educate our children, not only in academics, but in Catholic, Christian values as well, that we model these values, and help our students to know and love God in a personal way. This commitment is reflected in our Schoolwide Learning Expectations and this, really, is what distinguishes us from the local public school down the street.
Helping our students cultivate a sense of personal as well as social responsibility and a sense of inner self-discipline is a priority at St. Monica Elementary School. Our faculty has developed a schoolwide discipline program designed to teach our children responsibility and accountability for their studies and their behavior while, at the same time, fostering self-esteem. We also have an integrated substance abuse prevention program at Grades K - 8 which emphasizes the importance of good decision-making and other life skills to our students.
Click to see a list of our Schoolwide Learning Expectations
How does St. Monica Elementary School address the needs of children in the 21st century?
In 1994, our faculty established as one of our main goals the integration of technology into the curriculum, in order to enhance student learning. Towards that end, we formed planning committees and developed a vision statement, time-lines and objectives. We have a new eMac computer Lab for Grades 4-8, and a Primary Computer Lab for our primary students.
Recently, we replaced older computers for the third time with new iMacs and eMacs for both for our Mac Lab, our Primary Lab, and for our classrooms in Grades K - 8, so that our teachers can also use the computer, the wonderful software programs, educational websites, streaming video, and new video presentation systems for instruction.
Our faculty is continuing to develop a new plan for meeting student needs in technology. We have a T-1 network in our building now, with 3 servers to facilitate access to the internet and other programs. We also have a content filter/security system in place which is the one of the best available for schools.
The Trepp Library for older students (complete with computers accessing the internet and an intranet) assist students in research using current information-gathering techniques.
Additionally, the school runs a very successful advanced math program for those eighth graders ready to study algebra prior to high school.
How are parents involved?
The administration and faculty of St. Monica Elementary School consider themselves to be partners with parents, the primary educators of their children.
Much research suggests that one characteristic of an effective school of strong parent involvement; the stronger the parent involvement, the stronger the school--provided all the other essential elements are in place. The support and assistance of parents, therefore, is essential to the success of the integrated educational program provided by the school.
The Parent Teacher Council (PTC) elects members in May to serve annually on the PTC Executive Board. This board meets monthly with the principal in an advisory and consultative capacity.
We have a Parent Volunteer Program here, and parents are required to contribute 30 hours of personal presence per year being involved at school and in school-related activities. We value the contribution our parents make at SMES, and we consider both a vital part of our fine school, and of our success. Here are a few typical parent volunteer activities:
- room parent
- after school enrichment program
- hot lunch program
- bake sales
- Monday morning parent envelope stuffing
- classroom presentations
- class masses
- field trip chaperoning
- graduation steering committee
- participation in various fund-raising activities: Wine
- Tasting/Silent Auction,
- Las Vegas Night, Jogathon, Book Fair, Octoberfair
What extra-curricular activities are available?
All students are encouraged to participate in a variety of activities which include:
- After School enrichment Program which features lessons in tennis, cooking, Mad Science, karate, Homework Club and music, drama, art, Spanish, gymnastics, ballroom dance and much, much more!
- Elementary School Choir (Grades 3 -8)
- A full range of CYO League Sports, such as football, basketball, vollyball, track (Boys and Girls Grades 4-8)
- Student Council Leadership Program (Grades 7 -8)
- School Families Activities which include Masses, Prayer Services, Lunches and an Annual PlayDay
- Christian Service Projects throughout the year
- Altar Server Program (Grades 5-8)
- Educational Field Trips
Thank You to our Wine Tasting & Silent Auction Donors
