St. Martin of Tours Academy & Preschool
U.S. Dept. of Education Green Ribbon School | Fair Trade School | La Mesa, CA
History
On September 19, 1951 Saint Martin of Tours Academy opened its doors, for the first time. Five School Sisters of Notre Dame, from St. Louis Missouri, taught grades 1 through 8 and a lay teacher taught kindergarten. In 1991 the school implemented the Pilon® Workshop Way® System of Education. Pilon® Workshop Way® is a holistic approach to education that cultivates human growth goals and life skills. It enables all students to learn how to learn, how to think, and how to responsibly manage their lives. A major goal of the system is to create feelings of dignity, intelligence, confidence and power of management in every student.
On August 29th over 240 students will begin a new school year. We take pride in the fact that the Academy has maintained a reputation, throughout the years, for offering a Catholic school education of the highest quality. Since 1991, over 650 graduates have had the benefit of the Pilon® Workshop Way® System.
We are proud of our heritage and honor the dedication and hard work of those who preceded us. The Academy continues to thrive as a parish school offering an education of the highest quality in academics, faith formation, and character development, with an emphasis on spirituality, prayer, and community service.
School Facts
Founded: 1951
Administrators: Rev. Elmer Mandac, Pastor
Mrs. Jennifer Miller, Principal
Grades: Preschool, Kindergarten (full day), and 1st through 8th grades
Accreditation: fully accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and certified by Western Catholic Educational Association
Enrollment: Preschool = 40 students; 12 students per class
Grades K-8 = 200 students; average class size = 23
Staff: teachers are credentialed by the State of California and, in addition, are certified for Workshop Way instructional strategies; instructional assistants to teachers in K-3
Curriculum: comprehensive curriculum, following State and Diocesan guidelines for instruction in religion, language arts, mathematics, social studies, fine arts, physical education, computer science, and Spanish (8th grade with an option for 7th grade)
Facilities: Preschool complex, 9 classrooms, Library Computer Center, science lab, day care building, field, track, basketball/volleyball courts, multiple playground areas, shaded lunch area and new preschool (under construction)
School Hours: Grades K-8, 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Extended Care: before school 7:00 a.m. – 7:55 a.m., and then in the afternoon 2:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Lunch Break: 11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
School Uniforms/Dress Code: uniforms are required; refer to Dress Code policy
Immunizations: all immunizations must be current, and an immunization card must be presented upon enrollment.
Fundraisers: all families are asked to support the fundraisers; proceeds from fundraisers enable the school to keep tuition rates to a minimum; there are two primary fundraisers each year (Great Cash Giveaway and Walkathon)
