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Publication Date: Friday, August 27, 2004 Private schools open their doors
Private schools open their doors
(August 27, 2004) Economy a concern for administrators
By Julie O'Shea
A few of the city's private schools -- including St. Francis High School and Mountain View Academy -- started the new year nearly a week before public schools opened their doors.
Others, however, such as St. Stephen Lutheran School and The Girls' Middle School, will begin class a week or two later.
All in all, school for Mountain View children should be in full swing come Sept. 7, the Tuesday following the long Labor Day weekend.
Although not dependent on the state for funding, many private school administrators said they have felt the sting of the dour economy and are moving into 2004-2005 with cautious optimism.
While the public school system is facing cuts from the state, private schools must grapple with families moving away or asking for more financial aid to get them through these tough times.
Still, schools are pushing forward.
The German International School of Silicon Valley, the only officially recognized German School in California, started the new school year off last week with new principal Maja Oelschlaegel, who taught German in Australia and has administered high school exit exams in the German language in Hong Kong.
St. Joseph Catholic School, which began classes on Wednesday, has not had any teacher layoffs or retirements in three years, according to Principal Stephanie Knight. The Catholic school recently was accredited for another five years.
And at 21 pupils, St. Stephen Lutheran School may be tiny, but teachers there said this is what makes the school a unique and close-knit community.
Here is a look at the city's private schools, including important dates, programs and a list of new teachers.
German International School of Silicon Valley
310 Easy Street
Phone: 254-0748
Maja Oelschlaegel, principal
Tuition: $730-$1,260 per month, sibling discounts are available
Grades: K-10 (and preschool, from age 2)
Enrollment. 90
First day of school. Aug. 18
Daily schedule. 8 a.m. to 1:25 p.m. There are afternoon activities until 4 p.m. The school also offers an extended care option for preschoolers and kindergarteners from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.
New facilities. There's a new science lab for physics and a new teacher workroom.
New staff. Principal Maja Oelschlaegel is new this year and will also teach German class in grades six, nine and 10; second-grade homeroom teacher Susanna Jackson; French and homework supervisor Liliana Kreienbuehl will start Oct. 1
Extracurriculars. Homework supervision is provided until 4 p.m.. There's also choir and theater in German, musical theater in English, English language development instruction, Spanish, pottery, swimming and tennis.
Events. Back-to-school nights for preschoolers and kindergarteners are Aug. 30 and 31 at 7 p.m. Back-to-school nights for grades one through 10 is Sept. 1 and 2 at 7 p.m.
The Girls' Middle School
180 N. Rengstorff Ave.
Phone: 968-8338
Margaret Scott, head of school
Tuition: $16,000 per year
Grades: 6-8
Enrollment. 128
First day of school. Sept. 7
Daily schedule. 8 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. with an eight-period day
New staff. New on staff this year are assistant head of school Debbie Piccoli, athletic director, teacher and coach Matthew Cole, office administrator Beatriz Rodriguez-Jraous, executive assistant Judy Stikeleather and admissions associate Megan Miller.
Extracurriculars. Sports offered are volleyball, basketball and soccer. After-school program includes fencing, chess and music. Intersession offers one week to pursue topics not usually offered during the school year. Other events to look forward to are Dia de los Muertos, the sixth-grade camping trip, the seventh-grade Washington, D.C. trip and the eighth-grade Mexico trip.
Events. New Parent Info Night is Sept. 21 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The back-to-school night is Oct. 7 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Admissions Open House is Nov. 13 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Mountain View Academy
360 S. Shoreline Blvd.
Phone: 967-2324
Stanley Baldwin, principal
Tuition: $8,250 per year
Grades: 9-12
Enrollment. 150
First day of school. Aug. 16
Daily schedule. 8 a.m. to 3:40 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 2:57 p.m., Friday.
New staff. New employees are English teacher Seth Joiner, keyboard and computer application teacher Linda Mackey and administrative secretary Marisol Gastelum.
Extracurriculars. Varsity and junior varsity basketball, soccer and volleyball, music, backpacking club.
Events. A new student orientation was held Aug. 16.
St. Francis High School
1885 Miramonte Ave.
Phone: 968-1213
Patricia Tennant, principal
Tuition: $9,150 a year. The school provides financial assistance to qualifying families. For the 2004-2005 year, St. Francis will award $700,000.
Grades: 9-12
Enrollment. 1,495
First day of school. Aug. 19
Daily schedule. The school uses a "rotating block schedule," which means that days alternate between four-class and three-class days. Classes are 85-minutes long.
New staff. World Literature and American Issues teacher Charles Fear is on a Fulbright Exchange from England this year. New permanent instructors include American government and Spanish 2 teacher Joe Wiltberger; English 2 and British literature and field hockey coach Kate Deal; physical science, biology and P.E. teacher and basketball and baseball coach Matt Maguire; freshman and sophomore religion teacher Brigetta Schmuck; American literature and British literature teacher and tennis coach David Sorrell; and physics, computer literacy and P.E. teacher and volleyball coach Mike Rubin. Other new staffers include library assistant Martha Weber, assistant alumni director Kelly Lang and attendance secretary and soccer coach Natalie Bostrom.
Extracurriculars. Activities offered include drama, forensics, radio, band, intramural sports, newspaper, yearbook, science and engineering, service, student council, filmmaking and many others. The St. Francis athletics program has gained a reputation as one of the finest in the state, earning more Central Coast Section Championships than any other school in the section and fielding more than 50 teams.
Events. Open House will be Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
School year theme. Respect
St. Joseph Catholic School
1120 Miramonte Ave.
Phone: 967-1839
Stephanie Knight, principal
Tuition: $5,180 per year for parish supporters, $5,800 for non-parish supporters
Grades: K-8
Enrollment. 255
First day of school. Aug. 25
Daily schedule. First through eighth grade, 7:55 a.m. to 3 p.m.; kindergarten students are released at 2 p.m. unless they are participating in small group activities. Daycare runs from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
New staff. The school has not had any teacher turnover in three years. The school is run by 30 staff members.
Extracurriculars. St. Joseph provides an after-school sports program run by parent volunteers for children in the fourth grade and up. Students in these grades may also participate in the band program that takes place during the school day. Students in all grades are given weekly music lessons and 30 art classes a year. Art from St. Joseph is currently being displayed at the Mountain View Public Library.
Events. Back-to-school night for second through eighth grade is Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. Back to School night for kindergarteners and first graders was held Aug. 24. A schoolwide walk-a-thon and spaghetti dinner will be held Sept. 10.
St. Stephen Lutheran School
320 Moorpark Way
Phone: 961-2071
Sara Pfeiffer, principal
Tuition: $385 a month
Grades: K-8
Enrollment. 21
First day of school. Aug. 30
Daily schedule. Students in grades one through eight go to school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kindergarteners attend school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Students schoolwide are dismissed Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m.
Extracurriculars. Fifth through eighth graders can participate in basketball.
Events. Back-to-school night is set for Sept. 16 at 7 p.m.
Yew Chung International School Silicon Valley
310 Easy St.
Phone: 903-0986
Shirley Mead, principal
Tuition: $9,200 per year
Grades: Pre-K- 4
Enrollment. 100+
First day of school. Sept. 7
Daily schedule. 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
New staff. New employees include third- and fourth-grade teacher Joseph Chan and head of admissions Sylvia Chau.
Extracurriculars. Students can learn violin, piano, Chinese dance, kung-fu and tennis.
Events. Back-to-school night is Sept. 21 for the preschool and Sept. 22 for the elementary school. Parent Orientation is Sept. 1.
E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com
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