AOSJ Viewbook
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ACADEMY OF ST. JOSEPH WELCOME TO OUR VIBRANT COMMUNITY Our children are blessed to “ be able to attend such a fantastic school. We appreciate everyone’s efforts to make the school year such a terrific experience for them. - Current parent ” We educate individuals A balanced education With a 9:1 student-teacher ratio, Our teachers understand the com- provides the essential extras small classes allow teachers to plex needs of young people and While academic challenge is at the work closely with each child. Out- help them to discover and devel- core of our program, faith, sports, side the classroom, teachers are op their individual talents, while activities, and community service also coaches, club facilitators, and providing academic challenge to opportunities are considered an advisors, which creates a sup- promote intellectual growth. essential part of each student’s life portive and friendly relationship at the Academy. between faculty and students. Coming here you can feel the enthusiasm for “learning. Whether your child is academic or creative, you can find a place.” – Current parent The Academy of St. Joseph in Greenwich Village is an indepen- dent school refreshing the Catholic tradition of service, compassion and academic excellence by inspiring and guiding students through a contemporary and comprehensive humanities-based curriculum. Welcoming students of all faiths in grades Pre -Kindergarten to Eighth, the Academy fosters the intellectu- al, spiritual, social, emotional and physical development, while instill- ing in them the highest standards of character, competence and compassion. CORE BELIEFS WE BELIEVE THAT: The Academy of St. Joseph is committed to The nurturing of the whole child is essential to the formation of a set of core beliefs which define and bind what it means to be a person of character, of competence, and of the community together to create an compassion. enriched, vibrant and balanced education- al experience for all students. We believe Children thrive in learning environments that meet their develop- that by working together we can develop mental needs and that provide a respectful and nurturing students who will embody our mission environment. as people of character, competence, and compassion. Early learning experiences establish the foundation for the acqui- sition of knowledge, skills and values that will affect later learning Our learning environment is one that fos- and behavior. ters this mission in every student. Students who uphold this motto can analyze, synthe- Teaching is about inspiration. It is oriented to the future and all size and access new information. Students that is possible. Our teachers are passionate about learning, driven who are able to articulate their ideas with by the privilege to make a difference in the lives of their students. confidence. Students who are able to think They are patient, encouraging, respectful and enthusiastic. outside of the box, have a clear under- standing of what they value, discern their Respect will always be the foundation of all interactions. Our individual interests and talents, and have students will live out our school pledge by showing respect to all the discipline and commitment to pursue people, by being responsible for one’s actions, by showing them. reverence, and by making right choices. A strong family-school partnership is directly correlated with student success. SCHOOL PLEDGE The Academy of St. Joseph is a community growing in character, competence and compassion. We live this out by showing respect to all people, by being responsible for our actions, by showing reverence, and by making right choices. We begin this today. THE AOSJ DIFFERENCE Character. Competence. Compassion. Our Approach The Academy of St. Joseph challenges students through a rigorous and enriched cur- riculum. Students are asked to become critical thinkers, collaborative problem-solvers, and globally minded leaders through a deep understanding of mathematics, science, and the humanities. In addition to the core academic program, daily instruction is offered in Spanish to all students giving them early exposure to another language. By the end of Eighth Grade Spanish students have mastered beginning conversational, writing, and reading, skills. All students participate in weekly classes in Art and Music, and biweekly Physical Education classes. Students in Lower School receive weekly instruction in Library Science. Students in Kindergarten to Second Grade receive a semester of Chess. Upper School students participate in Breakout Block each Thursday, allowing them to engage in a variety of extended experiential learning opportunities. Upper School Upper School is a singular place where students refine the things they have learned in Lower School, and prepare themselves for the transition to high school. Students in grades five to eight have needs that are unique to this important time in their life. The Upper School addresses all their academic and social-emotional needs. Students learn to advocate for them- selves, accept responsibility for their choices and to challenge themselves to go beyond what is expect- ed. When the time comes for high school students are prepared to persevere and excel. The Upper School Program At a Glance • Learning environments that are engaging, caring, cross-curricular and challenging. • Opportunities for critical thinking, research, investigation, analysis and discussion. • Teaching that recognizes that students develop and learn at different paces. • Departmentalized instruction in the Humanities, Math, Science, Spanish and Religion. • Elective instruction in Music, Art, Technology and Physical Education. • House/Advisory structure and curriculum that addresses the unique social emotional needs of this age group. • Four-Six week experiential and thematic based units that take advantage of the vast resources of New York City producing a culminating portfolio. Each theme includes relevant field trips and work with experts in the respective fields. Themes include immigration, engineering and design, urban green spaces, sustainability, the history of music in New York, finances and banking, law and the judicial system, infrastructure of New York City. Lower School Early learning has a profound, lifelong effect on social, emotional, moral and academic development, as well as self-esteem. At the Academy of St. Joseph, we give young children the strongest foundation possible, with a program built upon the following philosophies and educational principles: • Individual children develop at different paces and in different ways. • Children thrive in learning environments that are engaging, caring, developmentally appropriate, integrated, and challenging. • An effective curriculum is interdisciplinary with an emphasis on hands-on learning, providing continual opportunities for children to question, research and analyze. This supports a healthy balance among the social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of the individual child. • The learning environment must provide opportunities for children to explore, to play, to investigate, and to communicate their ideas and findings. • Observation and documentation of how each child plans, executes, and completes a task is core to the assessment and future curriculum planning for each child. • Social-emotional intelligence is essential for future life success, thus children have fun developing character, competence and compassion, as well as learning the ins-and-outs of good manners, social grace, etiquette and respect of self and others. The Academy of Saint Joseph HIGHLIGHTS It is because of the guidance of our Board of Trustees, the Greenwich Village dedication of our faculty, the enthusiasm and commitment of The Academy of St. Joseph is located at 111 our parents and volunteers, that the Academy now celebrates Washington Place in Greenwich Village. It is its eleventh year as a school. In this time frame, we have housed in a newly restored and renovated gained provisional membership to the New York State Asso- building. The building is adjacent to the ciation of Independent Schools and to the Parents League of designated New York City Landmark Uni- New York. versity Parish of St. Joseph on Sixth Avenue between Washington and Waverly Place, one We have placed our first graduates in some of the finest high block from Washington Square Park. schools in New York City, including: Berkley Carroll School, Bronx High School of Science, Brooklyn Friends School, Getting to School Brooklyn Latin School, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Domin- The school is accessible by the A, C, E, B, D, ican Academy, Fordham Preparatory School, Horace Mann F, M and 1 trains. School, Leman School, Loyola School, Marymount School of New York, Manhattan/Hunter Science High School, Millennium Affiliations & Partnerships Brooklyn High School, Notre Dame High School, St. Vincent The Academy is affiliated with National Ferrer High School, St. John’s Preparatory School, Trevor Elementary Honor Society, Johns Hopkins Day School, United Nations International School, Xavier High University Center for Talented Youth, Chelsea School, York Preparatory School. Piers, Princeton Blairstown Center, and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preser- vation. Enrollment The Academy is accepting applications for half day and full day Learn More Pre-Kindergarten for three and four year olds, as well as Kinder- A warm welcome is extended to you to visit garten through Eighth Grade. There are currently 90 students our website