Why SJA

When it comes to selecting a school for your daughter to attend, two numbers are vital. One is the average class size (the number of students typically found in an individual class); the second is the student-to-teacher ratio (the number of students compared to the number of teachers). Typically, the lower these numbers, the more positive and engaging your daughter’s experience is likely to be at a school.

 

Smaller class sizes include more individualized attention from faculty, a stronger sense of community and allow for more opportunities for students to contribute. All of these factors have a positive impact on your daughter’s overall academic experience. 

 

Average class size can be a rule of thumb to help determine if a school is in or out of your daughter’s list. Saint Joseph Academy’s average class size is 18 students per class with a 11:1 student-teacher ratio.

There are two often-used strategies when it comes to class scheduling. The first is a traditional schedule in which students attend each of their classes, which is typically seven to eight periods in a day. The second is college-style block scheduling, which typically includes four academic classes and the day of the week each class is attended rotates.

 

College block scheduling, which Saint Joseph Academy utilizes, has fewer, longer-length classes that enable more interaction between teachers and students, deeper discussions, collaboration on group projects, completing labs, etc. This type of schedule gives students time in the middle of each day for lunch, club meetings, exercising, tutoring, homework, reflection or socializing with friends. Block scheduling also eases the transition from high school to college.

Our Catholic identity and guiding principles of the Congregation of St. Joseph are firmly embedded in every aspect of life at Saint Joseph Academy. At the very heart of the spirituality of our sponsors, the Congregation of St. Joseph, is the theme of unity: working and living to bring all people into union with God, each other and all of creation. This charism is embraced at Saint Joseph Academy, shaping young women into living out unifying love each and every day.

 

Guiding young women in Catholic faith traditions and Catholic theology is a priority at the Academy. Theology, which is taught throughout students’ four years, is supplemented by daily prayer, a required service program, annual retreats at every grade level, monthly liturgies, prayer services, a student CORE Ministry board and weekly rosary.

Saint Joseph Academy is a welcoming environment where young women experience a faith community and gain clarity of vision for the future so that their lives reflect confidence, dignity and self-worth; compassionate leadership and justice; and the grace of bearers of reconciliation in our world.

 

As an expression of the charism of the Congregation of St. Joseph, education at Saint Joseph Academy emphasizes the importance of relationships with the dear neighbor. The service component of the curriculum is a way students are encouraged to express God’s love, both within our school community and in the context of the broader world. Students “serve the dear neighbor” locally, regionally and globally by participating in various service immersion trips. Through service, students grow in awareness of themselves and become increasingly connected with all God’s creation. 

 

Four years of spiritual development enable students to embody the qualities of the "Character of a Saint Joseph Graduate." In the tradition of the Congregation of St. Joseph, the graduate of Saint Joseph Academy is a woman who lives Unifying Love through Empathetic Justice, Service to the Dear Neighbor without Distinction, Personal Integrity and Emerging Wisdom.