School of the Epiphany
Encyclopedia
School of the Epiphany, colloquially called Epiphany or Epiphany School, is a Catholic school in San Francisco, California
. The school opened in 1938 and is named for the Feast of the Epiphany.
lab, the music room (previously a convent), a cafeteria where hot lunch is served Tuesday through Friday, several bathrooms, and offices for the learning specialist, principal & vice principal (currently connecting offices), counselor, nurse, and main activity. The halls are decorated with much student work. On the first floor is the awards wall, with "Student of the Month" and various other awards won by the students.
The newer building, christened Nano Nagle
Hall after the foundress of the Presentation Sisters
, was built in 2003. The hall houses athletics awards, a gymnasium, a library, the vending machine room (with two vending machines that are off-limits to students during school hours), and both eighth grade classrooms, one of which is a science lab.
Each classroom has at least Three Apple computers that students use for research. The sixth grade lockers are located in their classrooms, while the seventh and eighth grade students have lockers in the hallways of their classrooms.
All students have online access to their progress reports (when the teachers have updated them) and classroom calendars, which informs one about daily assignments and upcoming tests.
In 2000, the school began offering Spanish
, as a result of a schoolwide survey on their preference for a language course. Spanish is a class taken Tuesdays to Fridays for grades K to 8.
electives) to the middle school
students. Exploratories take place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for a grading quarter or semester, depending on the Exploratory. Students make a list of preferences in the last months of fifth, sixth, and seventh grades.
Quarter-long Exploratories include Karate, First Aid & CPR, cooking (Kitchen Creations), book club (Great Books), journalism, choral singing (separate from Songleaders; only during last semester), card making (Greeting Cards), wood shop (Woodworking), Tagalog, badminton, and Middle School Choices (with the counselor). Semester-long exploratories include photography, knitting, and yearbook (Memory Book).
In addition, qualified students in all three years of middle school are chosen for the school's Junior High Academic Decathlon team, which takes place of their first semester Exploratory.
All middle school students are placed in an advisory with several other of their classmates and a teacher. This is their group for all of middle school; students sign agreements to not reveal anything said in their advisory outside of the advisory time. Generally, advisory activities are team-building and discussion - if no activity is given, the period becomes a study hall.
in the 2nd grade, along with other students from the parish. Eighth grade students who have received all three of the aforementioned sacraments are then eligible to participate in the sacrament of Confirmation. Students are not required to take these sacraments to pass; however, students are required to take Religion (study of Catholicism) as a class.
Starting in the third grade, classes attend 8 AM mass on a specific day, according to grade. Starting at the end of fifth grade, students are invited to become altar servers for the church. The school choir, also known as the Songleaders, include a range of students from the third to eighth grades; the Songleaders sing at school Masses and various church gatherings.
Each year there is an art faire when students display their visual artwork, most of which will go into the school cafeteria at the time.
The school also has an active Parents Association.
The school has a READ program where, every month, students in all grades turn in their READ folders for prizes ranging from a little trinket to a free ice cream pass.
Epiphany has an Extended Care program after hours until 6 PM. During this time, students who are signed up for Homework Club (mostly remedial students) get help with their schoolwork from a junior high student in CJSF or NJHS.
[
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The school opened in 1938 and is named for the Feast of the Epiphany.
Mission statement
"The School of the Epiphany is a Catholic, parochial school serving the youth of Epiphany Parish and its surrounding areas. We challenge students to achieve educational excellence within a Catholic tradition. The School of the Epiphany operates in service to Epiphany Parish and in the spirit of the Presentation Sisters." http://www.sfepiphany.orgSchoolwide Learning Expectations
The students of the School of the Epiphany are required to achieve academic success, build community, and demonstrate Christian character. Two versions of the SLE's - the official list and a simpler-vocabulary version for better comprehension on the primary school children's part - are located in most classrooms, juxtaposed so anyone will be able to draw connections between them.Quick Facts
From http://sfepiphany.org :- 94% of the students are baptized Roman Catholics
- Over 80% of the students are members of Parish-registered families. (Note: Of the registered families, only 74% have chosen to act as “Participating Families”)
- 77% of the students come from the immediate area
- 67% of the students are Filipino; 23% are Latino; and 10% are other
- 50% of the students are male, and 50% are female
- 71% of the students come from families that speak a variety of languages in addition to, or instead of, English
- 92% of the students come from families with at least one computer (of which 88% have internet access).
Facilities
The original building, built in 1938, houses the K - 8th grade classrooms (two classrooms per grade, with 30-37 students per classroom), the faculty room, the portable MacMacintosh
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, the music room (previously a convent), a cafeteria where hot lunch is served Tuesday through Friday, several bathrooms, and offices for the learning specialist, principal & vice principal (currently connecting offices), counselor, nurse, and main activity. The halls are decorated with much student work. On the first floor is the awards wall, with "Student of the Month" and various other awards won by the students.
The newer building, christened Nano Nagle
Nano Nagle
Honora "Nano" Nagle founded the "Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary" in Ireland . Of the many schools founded by the Presentation Sisters - a number are named after Nano Nagle.- Family background and historical context :The time of Nagle's birth was one of dark sorrow for...
Hall after the foundress of the Presentation Sisters
Presentation Sisters
The Presentation Sisters, also known as the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary are an order of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland by Nano Nagle in 1775....
, was built in 2003. The hall houses athletics awards, a gymnasium, a library, the vending machine room (with two vending machines that are off-limits to students during school hours), and both eighth grade classrooms, one of which is a science lab.
Each classroom has at least Three Apple computers that students use for research. The sixth grade lockers are located in their classrooms, while the seventh and eighth grade students have lockers in the hallways of their classrooms.
Communication
The school sends out a Wednesday envelope every first and last Wednesdays of the month. In it is the newsletter (the Epiphany Times) and various flyers regarding upcoming events for the school. Each teacher has an e-mail address with the school's server and phone extension; most middle school teachers prefer e-mail as a means of communication, for they are supplied with Apple laptops each year.All students have online access to their progress reports (when the teachers have updated them) and classroom calendars, which informs one about daily assignments and upcoming tests.
Daily Schedule
Epiphany starts every school day at 8:00 AM. On Mondays students are let out at 12:35 PM; on every other day, grades K-2 are dismissed at 3 PM and grades 3 to 8 are dismissed at 3:15 PM. Classes for grades K-7 begin each day at 8:20 AM and are 44 minutes long. The 8th grade classes begin at 8:18. Middle school students then have two minutes to get to their next class before an electronic bell signifies their tardiness & they must go up to the main office to receive one. Break/recess is fifteen minutes long and lunch is thirty-five minutes long.Athletics
The sports teams, known as the Eagles, compete in CYO, PAL, and FLAME. There are over 20 teams total for boys and girls at Epiphany. The sports offered at Epiphany include basketball for both boys and girls, along with baseball for boys and volleyball for girls. The sports run fall-winter and winter-spring seasons, the latter being significantly longer.Curriculum
The school offers many subjects that get progressively harder each year. Every grade takes math, language arts, religion, science, history, and P.E.In 2000, the school began offering Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, as a result of a schoolwide survey on their preference for a language course. Spanish is a class taken Tuesdays to Fridays for grades K to 8.
Exploratories & Advisory
Epiphany offers a program called Exploratories (similar to high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
electives) to the 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...
students. Exploratories take place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for a grading quarter or semester, depending on the Exploratory. Students make a list of preferences in the last months of fifth, sixth, and seventh grades.
Quarter-long Exploratories include Karate, First Aid & CPR, cooking (Kitchen Creations), book club (Great Books), journalism, choral singing (separate from Songleaders; only during last semester), card making (Greeting Cards), wood shop (Woodworking), Tagalog, badminton, and Middle School Choices (with the counselor). Semester-long exploratories include photography, knitting, and yearbook (Memory Book).
In addition, qualified students in all three years of middle school are chosen for the school's Junior High Academic Decathlon team, which takes place of their first semester Exploratory.
All middle school students are placed in an advisory with several other of their classmates and a teacher. This is their group for all of middle school; students sign agreements to not reveal anything said in their advisory outside of the advisory time. Generally, advisory activities are team-building and discussion - if no activity is given, the period becomes a study hall.
Connection to the parish
While most, if not all, current teachers are lay men and women, Catholicism plays a huge role in defining this community. Epiphany's students and teachers regularly attend Mass. Catholic baptized students have their first Holy Communion and ReconciliationSacrament of Penance (Catholic Church)
In the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is the method by which individual men and women may be freed from sins committed after receiving the sacrament of Baptism...
in the 2nd grade, along with other students from the parish. Eighth grade students who have received all three of the aforementioned sacraments are then eligible to participate in the sacrament of Confirmation. Students are not required to take these sacraments to pass; however, students are required to take Religion (study of Catholicism) as a class.
Starting in the third grade, classes attend 8 AM mass on a specific day, according to grade. Starting at the end of fifth grade, students are invited to become altar servers for the church. The school choir, also known as the Songleaders, include a range of students from the third to eighth grades; the Songleaders sing at school Masses and various church gatherings.
Arts
All students study music to some extent. Basic instrumental lessons are given to grades 4 - 6 (the recorder), and optionally for 7 & 8 (the handbell Exploratory). Extra piano lessons are offered after school once a week for grades K - 6 (there is a piano in two classrooms, excluding the music room). Everyone is mandated to sing at the school's annual winter caroling concert (where some students will brave the crowd and perform solos or small group work).Each year there is an art faire when students display their visual artwork, most of which will go into the school cafeteria at the time.
Other
The junior high also takes part in associations such as NJHS and CJSF. All students are encouraged to participate in the school spelling bee, geography bee, and science faire, and students regularly win awards in these competitions.The school also has an active Parents Association.
The school has a READ program where, every month, students in all grades turn in their READ folders for prizes ranging from a little trinket to a free ice cream pass.
Epiphany has an Extended Care program after hours until 6 PM. During this time, students who are signed up for Homework Club (mostly remedial students) get help with their schoolwork from a junior high student in CJSF or NJHS.
External links
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