From the Principal
Dear St. John Vianney School Families,
What a joyful privilege it will be to work alongside you – parents, faculty, staff, clergy, parishioners – as we educate the mind and inspire the spirit of each of our students. I look forward to partnering with you to deliver an academic and culturally rich learning environment infused with Catholic values and traditions.
God promised that when two or more are gathered in His name, there He also will be. It is in our togetherness that we are best able to make Him known to others and carry out the great mission of the Church.
Just as our students work toward mastery of California Common Core State Standards, we too use standards to direct our continual path of reflection, planning, and improvement. Our guided path will allow St. John Vianney School, in collaboration with parents and guardians as the primary educators, seek to educate the whole child by providing an excellent education rooted in Gospel values. Since the founding of the first Catholic school, the United States Catholic Bishops speaking in conference have supported Catholic schools as foundational to the mission of the Church.
The work we endeavor to do is not for the faint-hearted. It will only be accomplished when we work together. I invite you to come and share in the great traditions and mission of SJV School by participating in enrichment, faith formation, and community outreach opportunities. Together, with our Loving Father, we will foster a lifelong love of learning in a nurturing and challenging faith-based educational environment.
The standards we use to direct our path are the National Standards for Effective Catholic Elementary Schools. Because they are integral to everything we do, I would like to share them with you.
The standards are divided into four groups:
- An excellent Catholic school is guided and driven by a clearly communicated mission that embraces a Catholic identity rooted in Gospel values, centered on the Eucharist, and committed to faith formation, academic excellence and service.
- An excellent Catholic school adhering to mission provides a rigorous academic program for religious studies and catechesis in the Catholic faith, set within a total academic curriculum that integrates faith, culture, and life.
- An excellent Catholic school adhering to mission provides opportunities outside the classroom for student faith formation, participation in liturgical and communal prayer, and action in service of social justice.
- An excellent Catholic school adhering to mission provides opportunities for adult faith formation and action in service of social justice.
- An excellent Catholic school has a governing body which recognizes and respects the role(s) of the appropriate and legitimate authorities, and exercises responsible decision making (advisory) in collaboration with the leadership team for development and oversight of the school’s fidelity to mission, academic excellence, and operational vitality.
- An excellent Catholic school has a qualified leader/leadership team empowered by the governing body to realize and implement the school’s mission.
- An excellent Catholic school has a clearly articulated, rigorous curriculum aligned with relevant standards, 21st century skills, and Gospel values, implemented through effective instruction.
- An excellent Catholic school uses school-wide assessment methods and practices to document student learning and program effectiveness, to make student performances transparent, and to inform the continuous review of curriculum and the improvement of instructional practices.
- An excellent Catholic school provides programs and services aligned with the mission to enrich the academic program and support the development of student and family life.
- An excellent Catholic school operates in accordance with published human resources/personnel policies, developed in compliance with diocesan policies to provide clarity for responsibilities, expectations and accountability.
May all we do be an offering to God. St. John Vianney, pray for us!
In Christ’s Love,
Mrs. Amy Hale, Principal
