Almaden Country School (San Jose, California)
Encyclopedia
Almaden Country School is an independent, nonsectarian
, coeducational private
day school
founded in 1982 by Mrs. Nan Hunter. The school is situated on a 9-acre campus in the Almaden Valley neighborhood of San Jose, California
.
classes limited to a maximum of 16 students, elementary
classes to 20-22, and middle school
courses ranging from 6-24 children. Specialist teachers provide instruction to all students preschool through eighth grade in drama, science, art, music, French, and P.E. In the middle school, electives include Spanish, Speech and Debate, videography, Web site design, social justice
, and others. ACS aims to provide a range of learning opportunities embedded in a liberal arts
curriculum.
Signature instructional programs at the school include drama (all elementary students participate each year in one of 13 musical theater
performances), character education, and inquiry-based science. The school offers field trip
opportunities for students at every grade level, and children in grades 4-8 participate in overnight excursions such as a mining camp re-enactment at Malakoff Diggins, science camp in Yosemite, environmental camp on Catalina Island
, and a visit to Washington, D.C.
in eighth grade.
Parental involvement is another feature of Almaden Country School. ACS parents participate in their children's education and volunteer in support of many school-wide events, activities, excursions, and service projects. About 70 percent of ACS parents and 100 percent of its faculty and Board of Trustees contribute to the annual fund-raising
campaign to support the school's operating costs.
The ACS technology program features a Macintosh computer
lab, a 1:1 laptop program for middle school students, Promethean
classroom Activboards
, and wireless Internet access
campus-wide.
Nonsectarian
Nonsectarian, in its most literal sense, refers to a lack of sectarianism. The term is also more narrowly used to describe secular private educational institutions or other organizations either not affiliated with or not restricted to a particular religious denomination though the organization...
, coeducational private
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
day school
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
founded in 1982 by Mrs. Nan Hunter. The school is situated on a 9-acre campus in the Almaden Valley neighborhood of San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
.
Curriculum, Instruction, and Signature Programs
ACS maintains a student/teacher ratio of 9:1, with kindergartenKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
classes limited to a maximum of 16 students, elementary
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
classes to 20-22, and middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
courses ranging from 6-24 children. Specialist teachers provide instruction to all students preschool through eighth grade in drama, science, art, music, French, and P.E. In the middle school, electives include Spanish, Speech and Debate, videography, Web site design, social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
, and others. ACS aims to provide a range of learning opportunities embedded in a liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
curriculum.
Signature instructional programs at the school include drama (all elementary students participate each year in one of 13 musical theater
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
performances), character education, and inquiry-based science. The school offers field trip
Field trip
A field trip or excursion, known as school trip in the UK and school tour in Ireland, is a journey by a group of people to a place away from their normal environment...
opportunities for students at every grade level, and children in grades 4-8 participate in overnight excursions such as a mining camp re-enactment at Malakoff Diggins, science camp in Yosemite, environmental camp on Catalina Island
Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is long and across at its greatest width. The island is located about south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is...
, and a visit to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in eighth grade.
Parental involvement is another feature of Almaden Country School. ACS parents participate in their children's education and volunteer in support of many school-wide events, activities, excursions, and service projects. About 70 percent of ACS parents and 100 percent of its faculty and Board of Trustees contribute to the annual fund-raising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
campaign to support the school's operating costs.
The ACS technology program features a Macintosh computer
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
lab, a 1:1 laptop program for middle school students, Promethean
Promethean Ltd
Promethean World plc is based in Blackburn in Lancashire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index...
classroom Activboards
Interactive whiteboard
An interactive whiteboard , is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computer's desktop onto the board's surface where users control the computer using a pen, finger, stylus, or other device...
, and wireless Internet access
Internet access
Many technologies and service plans for Internet access allow customers to connect to the Internet.Consumer use first became popular through dial-up connections in the 20th century....
campus-wide.