1. Students Strive to be Faith-filled, active Catholics by:
A. Celebrating the message of the Gospel
B. Understanding the teachings of the Catholic faith
C. Building a strong moral conscience
2. Students Aspire to be Life-long learners by:
A. Setting realistic goals
B. Utilizing technology competently and responsibly
C. Developing critical thinking skills
3. Students Model Effective Communication by:
A. Articulating ideas clearly
B. Listening actively
C. Expressing opinions respectfully
SAM's curriculum is infused with the message of the Gospel and meets California State Standards and the Standards of the Diocese of Orange in our core subject areas of religion, mathematics, English/language arts, social studies, and science. Our dedicated faculty goes above and beyond to ensure that students are engaged and challenged as they achieve academic excellence through the discovery of each student’s gifts and talents. In addition to our core curriculum, students enjoy specialized classes in Spanish, music, art, physical education, STEM, library, and social-emotional learning.
Hosting school-wide Mass • Leading school-wide Stations of the Cross • Grade-level retreat • Participating in the living rosary for May Crowning • Accelerated Reader • Lead student council and most assemblies • Maintain class garden • Active in local charities and monthly service projects • Participate in school wide faith families and big/little buddy program • Lab experiment/investigation during each science unit • Advanced and traditional tracks available for math
St. Angela Merici Parish School recognizes the role of parents as the primary educators of their children, and we are honored to be your partners in education. We take this commitment seriously and encourage open and frequent communication between parents and faculty utilizing the following methods:
Courgar News is a weekly e-newsletter and is the main point of communication for school-wide events and activities. A short mid-week edition gives updates and important reminders. Occasional text message reminders are sent for time-sensitive announcements.
Each classroom and special-subject teacher sends a weekly e-newsletter with classroom announcements and a summary of topics to be covered in the upcoming week. Pictures are often included as well!
Each teacher holds regular office hours as a time for parents and students to ask questions and address any concerns. Teachers are also available to communicate through email and phone, and by appointment.
Parent/teacher conferences are held in November to discuss student progress and go over initial standardized testing data, if applicable. Beginning in 4th grade, conferences follow a student-led format. The student, parents, and teacher meet as a group to discuss the student's progress and goals for the year. Students spend time in class preparing for the conference which serves as a wonderful process of self-evaluation. This process also teaches students to set realistic goals and create plans to meet them.
Each family has access to FACTS Family Portal to access student grades for core subjects and special classes. Parents and students can access overall grades, scores for individual assignments, and a list of any missing assignments.
Star Assessments are short tests that provide teachers with personalized learning data for each student. Star Assessments are computer adaptive, which means they adjust in difficulty based on each answer the student provides. This helps teachers get the best data to help students in the shortest amount of testing time (about one-third of the time other tests require).
SAM students take a Star Assessment for math and reading. Teachers analyze the data they receive to learn what students already know and what they are ready to learn next, to monitor student growth, and to identify students who may need additional help. Star Assessments are research-based and scientifically proven to help teachers guide each student on their unique path to proficiency.