St. Stephen’s Episcopal Admissions Information 2008-2009
GRADES Half-day preschool age 3 and 4 programs and full day kindergarten through eighth grade
ACCEPTANCE St. Stephen’s considers several factors in accepting students to our program:
Shared philosophical beliefs about children and learning between the family and the school
Academic preparedness and potential
Developmental readiness and maturity
The ability of the school to meet the needs of the child
APPLICATION PROCESS
See admissions process checklist
AGE REQUIREMENTS
Preschool children must be appropriate age on or before October 1 and fully toilet-trained. Kindergarten students must be 5 on or before October.
CLASS TIMES AND SCHEDULE
3 year old (8:30-11:45 AM - T and TH, or M, W, F, or M, T,W, TH, F ) 4 year old (8:30 -11:45 AM – M, W, F or M, T, W, TH, F)
Kindergarten through Fifth (8:15 AM-3:00 PM)
Sixth through Eighth (8:15 AM –3:15 PM)
Classrooms are open to students ten minutes prior to the start of class
EXTENDED DAY CARE
The St. Stephen’s Extended Day Program is an optional service and is available from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Care is provided in a safe, structured environment that supports our overall mission and philosophy. Staffing is provided to divide the program into two age appropriate groups in separate but adjoining rooms. Different billing options exist from hourly charges to prepaid plans for various unlimited service.
TUITION ASSISTANCE
Central to the mission of St. Stephen’s School is a commitment to provide a quality education to qualified students regardless of their economic circumstances. Please contact the office for more information. Application to the school and application for flexible tuition are separate processes, but should be made in a timely fashion.
SIZE OF SCHOOL The intent of the school is to maintain an intimate community that knows and relates well within itself. In most cases, class size is limited to 20 in the pre-school and 18 in K through 8th grades.
LUNCH The school contracts with vendors and serves a daily hot lunch. Parents select and pay for hot lunches on a monthly schedule.
UNIFORMS Uniforms as described in the Student Handbook are required from Kindergarten through 8th grade. Uniforms can be obtained from a variety of vendors.
HEAD OF SCHOOL Patrick Brown became Head of School in July 2006. He leads this school family toward its goals of quality preparation for elementary age students. In his 24 years of school experience primarily at independent schools, he has worked in all facets of school life- history teacher, coach, activity advisor, Athletic Director, Dean of Students, and Head of School. Prior to joining St. Stephen's he served as Head of School for eleven years at an Episcopal Elementary School in Tucson, AZ.Mr. Brown is native Californian graduating locally from St. Francis High School. He has BA from Stanford University and a MA from the University of Arizona.
GOVERNANCE St. Stephen’s is a non-profit organization led by a Board of Trustees. The Board hires the Head, who leads the school through hiring staff, supervising the delivery of curriculum, and coordinating all programs.
The school is a member of the National Association of Episcopal Schools.
FINANCIAL St. Stephen’s yearly budget is about $1.3 million a year. The school’s financial goals include the establishment of an endowment that supports staff development and flexible tuition, and ownership of its own facility. While not mandatory, the expectation is that parents support the school’s future through operational budget and tax deductible donations beyond tuition.
PARENTS’ ORGANIZATION
There is a very active network of parents that support programs presented at the school through volunteer work, financial support and leadership. Parents are also a regular feature of classroom presentations, field trips and daily activities. Parents are welcome participants in the daily life of the school.
GRADUATES St. Stephen’s graduates typically attend, and are successful at, local public high schools and quality independent high schools including Bellarmine, Harker, Presentation and Valley Christian.