We offer full-day kindergarten, core subjects in first through eighth grade, a technology program including eighty laptop computers shared by the students, a Spanish language program, music, art and a variety of extracurricular activities, including student council, after-school sports, and a homework assistance program.
Our faculty and staff are caring, compassionate, qualified and willing to share their many talents with students and the community at large. Curriculum requirements in each grade follow the standards of the Diocese of San Jose and the State of California. In addition to math, language arts, science, PE, and social studies, religion class occurs daily at all levels.
A major focus of the curriculum is the use of differentiated instruction to teach each individual child at their current level. Diversity of learning is understood and appreciated by the teachers, who structure lessons and activities to meet the needs of all students. Reading and math instruction is leveled to accommodate the individual needs of each student. All students are provided opportunities to learn and grow at their own pace, while being expected to work to their potential.
The curriculum of St. Clare School is driven by the standards of the state of California and the Diocese of San Jose. These standards contain guidelines for each curricular subject, including topics of study, skills and other learning opportunities. For specific information about state standards, please see the Content Standards Web Site of the California Department of Education (www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/index.asp).
Religion instruction at St. Clare School is in alignment with the Religion Outcomes of the Diocese of San Jose. Christ is the reason for our school. St. Clare students are taught to understand that religion is a way of life and not just a subject. The student Learning Expectations of Worshipping, Learning, Caring and Growing are incorporated across the curriculum into all subject areas.
Living out the practices of our Catholic faith and Christian service is evident in the life of the school community. We start each day with scripture reflection, prayer, and the affirmation of student's Silver Box behaviors. Moral decision making is a significant component in the Religion Program at St. Clare School. Students at all levels support our wider community through our parrticipation in many outreach activities.
The Religion curriculum assists students in acquiring knowledge of our faith and challenges them to implement the understanding of their faith through Christian service and worship. Students provide Christian service to the parish and school by leading serving at school and parish liturgies.
Parish priests visit our classrooms to teach a particular lesson or to simply share their own faith experiences with the children. During school liturgies, the clergy include our Silver Box and yearly virtue themes in their homilies.
St. Clare School utilizes the Reading A - Z Program in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. This program is tailored to the individualized learning of each student as they acquire new skills and competencies in reading. Student progress from the most basic fluency level, A, to the most advanced level, Z. Instruction is catered to the level of the individual student in the classroom and their progress is regularly monitored by the teacher. Assessments occur in small groups and in individual conferences with the teacher and student.
Step Up To Writing is a Kindergarten through Eighth Grade expository writing program. Building on skills that begin in Kindergarten, students use consistent terminology, methods and planning materials to create clear, concise written pieces. In addition to consistent terminology throughout the grades, the program utilizes color-coded types of sentences (green, yellow, and red) that are also reinforced from year to year. The sentence variation and vocabulary choices become more complex as the students grow from grade to grade, yet the basic foundation remains from the primary grades.
Mathletics is an online math program used by over 5,000 schools, and over a million students world-wide. Students work at their own pace with step-by-step animated support. Mathletics has received wonderful reviews as an extremely motivating program.