St . Mary School
St . Mary School Crossroads Christian Elementary School
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY VARIOUS SCHOOLS INCLUDED IN ARTICLE garlic and onions they grew in the garden . The Kindergarteners grew oats , ground them into flour , and made pancakes for their entire class .
“ They can appreciate what goes into producing their food ,” Esparza said . “ It gives them a much bigger picture . Plus , it ’ s a great laboratory for science … all of those ideas are important for kids to understand .”
One of Esparza ’ s favorite memories of her time at St . Catherine School happened during the garden ’ s construction phase . When it was time to add the topsoil , the delivery truck had no direct access to the garden , so thousands of pounds of dirt were deposited 15 feet away from the garden plot . It fell to Esparza to deliver the soil where it needed to be . As she began the arduous task , the recess bell rang . Students immediately rushed over to her , asking if they could help .
“ So pretty soon , you ’ ve got eighty or ninety kids helping you move dirt … we moved all of it ,” Esparza said . “ Those kids went home with dirty socks , and dirty shoes , but they contributed .”
Although the Catholic Diocese of San José does not participate in national school rankings , students at St . Catherine take part in STAR testing . According to Esparza , “ Forty-nine percent of our students score in the top quartile for reading , and sixty-three percent are in the top quartile for math .”
Private schools like St . Catherine depend on tuition and donations to fund their operations . Esparza noted that the
Pacific Point Christian School school ’ s tuition , which is approximately $ 7400 per year , is the fifth lowest among San José diocese elementary schools .
“ We can do that because we have a full school , we run a tight ship , we have excellent fundraisers , and it all comes together ,” Esparza said .
For parents who want their children to be educated in a forward-thinking school grounded in Catholic values , St . Catherine of Alexandria School may be a good fit .
St . Catherine of Alexandria School is accredited by WASC ( Western Association of Schools and Colleges ) and WCEA ( Western Catholic Education Association ) and follows the Diocese of San Jose and State of California education directives .
St . Mary School
St . Mary School was founded in 1871 . Pamela Greteman joined the school as its principal in 2015 . She knew she ’ d found her place the first day she walked on campus .
“ I had students politely walk up to me , want to meet me , reach out their hands , introduce themselves ,” Greteman said . She found it “ astounding ” to see such respectful behavior on campus .
St . Mary School serves students in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade . The school established 4- and 5-year-old Kinder programs in response to parents ’ requests . Current enrollment is 265 . Middle school classes are “ maxed out ” with an average of 36 students per class , while Kindergarten and lower grades average 28 to 30 students per class .
“ Our motto is we ’ re building active learners , responsible citizens , and we achieve that goal on a daily basis with the students ,” Greteman said .
St . Mary School has implemented next-generation science standards . Greteman credits Science Teacher Georgia Stern with the success of that effort .
“ It ’ s always hands on , every time I walk into her room ,” Greteman said of Stern ’ s classroom teaching style , noting that students learn to conduct their own science lab experiments . “ They ’ ve extracted DNA from strawberries ,” Greteman added .
Rigorous academics are balanced with year-round
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN JULY / AUGUST 2017 gmhtoday . com
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