Overview
Saint Paschal Baylon School (SPBS) is a Catholic elementary school supported by Saint Paschal Baylon Parish. The primary purpose of the school is to serve parishioners of the parish who sincerely wish to have their children educated in the Catholic faith and tradition. Active supporting members of the parish have priority registering their children for enrollment.
Accreditation
SPBS is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and by the Western Catholic Educators Association (WCEA).
Curriculum
Religion is taught every day as a subject and Catholic doctrine is emphasized in all areas of instruction, as well as in attitudes and conflict resolution on the playground. Students attend Mass every Friday and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation twice a year. Prayer services and para-liturgies are held on several special occasions throughout the year.
Our academic curriculum follows all state and archdiocesan guidelines. In addition to the core curriculum, SPBS offers computer instruction for all grades, an organized physical education program, a school-wide art program, a music program, Spanish language classes for grades 6-8, accelerated literature for students in grades 6 to 8 along with accelerated math for students in grades 7 & 8, who meet certain requirements, and a resource program for students experiencing difficulty in specific academic areas. We also offer a well-stocked library staffed by a full-time librarian, who also coordinates our software-based Reading Renaissance program. SPBS provides an up-to-date Science lab for our Junior High students, and we offer numerous extra-curricular activities and sports for students in grades 5-8, who meet certain requirements.
Class Size
SPBS makes every effort to conform to the following guidelines regarding the number of students accepted into each grade level:
Kindergarten 32 Students
Grades 1-5 40-42 Students
Grades 6-8 35-40 Students
Kindergarten and First Grade have the assistance of a full-time teacher’s aide. Grades 2 through 8 have the assistance of a teacher’s aide for four hours each day.
School Hours
School is in session from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Students are not to arrive at school before 7:30 a.m. and must be picked up no later than 2:45 p.m., unless they are involved in organized after-school sports or signed into the Extended Care program.
Extended Care
Extended care is available from 2:30 to 6:00 p.m. It is also available on most early dismissal days from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m., i.e. first Fridays. Advance notification that your child will be staying is not required. Children not picked up from school by 2:45 p.m. are automatically signed-in by the school, and parents are billed accordingly.
The cost of Extended Care is currently $3.50 per hour until 6:00 p.m. and $1.00 per minute thereafter. Discounts are available for long-term pre-paid plans. Details regarding the services and activities provided through this program are available in the SPBS Parent/Student Handbook.
Uniforms
All SPBS Students wear uniforms, which must be purchased from our two uniform companies. Dennis and Campus Uniform Companies. Uniforms can be purchased directly from the companies. There will also be a sale at the school in August for your convenience.
Tuition & Fees
Tuition rates for the 2008-2009 school year are as follows:
Kindergarten: $3,850.00 per year Per Child (No
Family Discount Applied)
Grades 1-8: $3,750.00 per year 1 Child
Family Rate for Grades 1-8:
$6,750.00 per year 2 Children
$9,225.00 per year 3 or more Children
Additional Fees:
Registration Fee $250.00 per child (Non-refundable; Separate from
Application fee)
Computer Lab Fee $100.00 (One Time Fee – New Families)
Science Lab Fee $100.00 (One Time Fee – Junior High Families)
Tuition may be paid in full on or before the 1st day of school.
A monthly payment plan is also available through the SMART program
(automatic deduction from a designated bank account). There is
a $38.00 charge for this service. SMART program participants pay
tuition in ten installments, beginning in September and ending
in June. Out of parish tuition and fee schedules are available
through the school Accounts Manager by request.
Parent/Teacher Organization Requirements
As Catholic education is a collaborative effort between the school, home, and church, we believe that parent involvement is extremely important and necessary, in order to provide support and to build strong community spirit at SPBS. All families in our school are, therefore, expected to support the school, and are automatically members of the Parent/Teacher Organization - the "PTO". The PTO is designed as a support group for SPBS. It exists to provide financial assistance to the school through fundraising, and to promote continued parental involvement in the school community and parish.
In addition, the following are commitments that all parents of SPBS students are expected to fulfill:
Volunteer Service Hours:
Each school family is required to provide at least 40 hours of
volunteer service to the school during the course of the school
year. This averages out to one hour a week during the school year.
Twenty of those hours may be fulfilled at the parish level, but
20 hours must be directly related to school activities. Families
will be billed for any hours not fulfilled at the end of each
school year at the rate of $25.00 per hour.
Profit Dollars:
Fund raising is an integral part of our program at SPBS, which
provides money for operating expenses not covered by tuition
and fees. Therefore, each family is expected to contribute
a minimum of $250 in “Profit Dollars” during
the course of the school year. Profit Dollars can be earned
by participating in the three major fund raisers – Scrip,
Jog-a-thon and the Magazine Drive. The actual net profit received
by the school from these fund raisers is applied toward your
$250 Profit Dollar commitment. (At least $125 is required
by the end of January each year.) Profit Dollars help SPBS
to provide an excellent Catholic education at a more reasonable
rate of tuition.