At St. Joan of Arc, we’ve been educating young minds for over 50 years by staying on top of the most effective trends in education, incorporating the latest technologies, and providing experiences where our students can flourish outside the classroom. This is the second year we’re supplementing our award-winning curriculum with additional access to technology by distributing 1:1 take home iPads to all middle school students, and we have over 180 iPads available for elementary students to use during instructional activities. These tablets give students access to online textbooks and integrated learning apps that support classroom learning. One of the new programs we incorporated this year, in addition to regular Spanish, is called Spanish for Heritage Speakers (level 3). This program allows for students to be grouped and be challenged by proficiency level. Being a St. Joan of Arc student isn’t defined by the classroom

experience alone. We believe that in order for students to truly thrive, they should have access to opportunities to grow their community, their talent, and their interests. We incorporate a host of new activities that get students moving and thinking outside the box. A few examples include French & Italian Clubs, Lego Robotics, Traditional Garden/Hydroponics/Aeroponics, STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, Math), ballet and choreography hip hop classes, cooking instruction in our Creative Culinary Clubs, and Youth Toastmasters public speaking. St. Joan of Arc is located adjacent to our beautiful church in Boca Raton, and we have an impressive indoor “Sports Arena”. We are also proud of our 2015 softball and baseball champions. As we continue to grow and welcome new students into our tradition, we encourage interested parents to come by for a tour and a conversation about our approach to learning.

E D U C A T I O N P R O F I L E

“

ST. JOAN OF ARC CATHOLIC SCHOOL501 SW 3rd AvenueBoca Raton, FL 33432561-392-7974info_school@stjoan.orgwww.stjoan.org

GRADES » Pre-K3-Grade 8

SPECIALTIES » Fine Arts Program including: » Drama, Band, Violin, Choir, Bells,

Ballet, Choreography Hip Hop » Clubs: French, Italian, Spanish,

S.T.R.E.A.M., Hydroponics/Aeroponics Plant Growth Technology, Creative Culinary Cooking Class, Sewing Fashion Design, Book Club & Book Club for Spanish Heritage Speakers, Robotics, Chess, Video Production

» Middle School Enrichment Cycle: Computer Coding, Debate, Youth Toastmasters Public Speaking, Student e-Newsletters, Graphic Design.

ACCREDITATIONS » Florida Catholic Conference » U.S. Department of Education

Blue Ribbon School of Academic Excellence

OPEN HOUSE » Tuesday, February 2, 2016

8:15am – 10:30am

At St. Joan we’re staying on top of the most effective trends in education, incorporating the latest technologies...”

1015 StJoan.indd 1 9/3/15 12:10 PM

OCTOBER 2015

It is common knowledge that Catholiceducation provides a solid base for theelementary and middle school years ofa child. The traditional values, faith formation, the individualized attentiongiven to each child, and the rigorousdiscipline code, are all aspects and features that help parents make theproper decision of selecting a CatholicSchool for their young children.

Graduation and achievement statisticsamongst elementary school studentshave shown repeatedly that thesecharacteristics of Catholic educationtruly reinforce the foundational forma-tion the children receive at home. Wecan attribute these great features tothe majority of Catholic Schools inSouth Florida.

Specifically, there is a successful schoollocated in downtown Boca Raton, St. Joan of Arc Catholic School, a predominant ministry of the Parish.The school was established in 1960when four Religious Sisters of Mercyfrom Cork, Ireland, along with a groupof parish parents decided that it wasvital to have a Catholic elementaryschool in Boca Raton. The school hasgrown since then to its present size ofapproximately 550 students in Pre-Kindergarten 3 to Grade 8.

St. Joan of Arc’s curriculum certainlyincludes the traditional elementaryschool subjects of education placing anemphasis on technology, language andmath. Students are able to progress to

taking high school level courses inSpanish and Algebra. The studentshave opportunities to utilize cutting-edge programs in technology everyday, and the school’s academic program is so impressive that, in fact,St. Joan was named a Blue RibbonSchool of Academic Excellence by theU.S. Department of Education.

Another characteristic of this schoolstarted to emerge: year after yearSt. Joan of Arc Catholic School alumnigraduate as Valedictorians or Saluta-torians from local high schools. Withthe many public, private and Catholichigh schools in this area who graduatean average of sixty students per year,this is no small feat.

In 2007, Steven Miller was namedValedictorian at Pope John Paul IIHigh School, and Steven went on tocontinue his studies at Duke University.In 2008, Terrance McGrath was theValedictorian at Pope John Paul IIHigh School before heading to Harvard University. That same year,Catherine Bocksel was the Salutato-rian at Cardinal Gibbons Catholic HighSchool and then was accepted at theUniversity of Miami.

In 2011 Cardinal Gibbons chose KieraMoran as the Valedictorian. She isnow at the University of Florida.Samantha Lewis received the Valedic-torian honor at Pope John Paul II HighSchool and is also at the University ofFlorida. John Doyle was honored asValedictorian at Boca Raton CommunityHigh School in 2011 and then continued his studies at the Universityof Pennsylvania. Michelle Kilgallonwas John’s co-Valedictorian beforeshe began her college work at NotreDame University

In addition, at the 2012 Pope JohnPaul II High School Graduation, DavidAlan Builes was named Valedictorianand was accepted at Duke University.Nicole Giaquinto was elected Salutato-rian at Cardinal Gibbons High Schooland then continued to the Universityof Florida. These achievements arecertainly a point of pride for the entirecommunity of St. Joan of Arc.

For the current 2012-2013 schoolyear, some local schools have alreadyannounced their top students, and theoutstanding academic trend for St. Joan of Arc continues. AlexandriaOrrizzi is the Valedictorian for Cardinal

Gibbons High School and is planning toattend the University of Florida. PeterGiaquinto is the Salutatorian at thesame school and is also planning to attend the University of Florida. AtPope John Paul II, Christine Sullivan isthe Salutatorian, and she will be attending the University of Miami whileJohn Thomas Homrich is the Salutatorianat Boca Raton Community High Schooland has been accepted at the Massa-chusetts Institute of Technology.

With all these honors throughout thelast few years, it cannot be mere coincidence that so many St. Joan ofArc Catholic School graduates go on toreceive these top high school honors.So what is happening at St. Joan of Arcthat gives their students such a headstart over other elementary school children? It is a direct result of thehard-working, goal-oriented membersof the St. Joan community, all dedicatedto help students succeed to the best oftheir abilities. By instilling in students astrong work ethic, a confidence to develop their talents, and a love oflearning, St. Joan of Arc alumni can always be counted on to stand tallabove other elementary school graduates.And of course, this excellent academicand personal formation is all accom-plished within an environment dedi-cated to the teachings of Jesus and theCatholic Church where the uniqueness,and the dignity of each student, as achild of God, is respected and nurtured.

Catholic Based Education in Boca Raton, Proves Success in the Future

St. Joan of Arc CatholicSchool Alumni Consistently Named asValedictorians andSalutatorians.

south florida >> school news

Vale-Salut Advertorial8_Layout 1 6/19/13 4:14 PM Page 1

AS SEEN IN