Forest Ridge Admissions Brochure 2014-15

FIND YOURSELF

FOREST

RIDGE

SCHOOL OF THE SACRED HEART

Since 1907, Forest Ridge has been a place where young women learn to embrace challenge, model resilience, confront injustice, promote equality, and lead globally in the pioneering spirit of our founder, St. Madeleine Sophie.

And, like St. Madeleine Sophie, our graduates help change the world.

We invite you to learn more about what makes our school such a special place. We hope that soon, you will find yourself at Forest Ridge.

Girls

At all-girls Forest Ridge, your daughter will discover the enormous potential and power that comes with being a girl.

Goals

We measure ourselves by the Sacred Heart Goals & Criteria: guiding principles that

shape

our

faith,

intellect, social responsibility, sense of community, and personal growth.

Grace

e

We are a Catholic institution; yet at Forest Ridge, each child’s faith is respected — wherever she is on her faith journey.

We

believe

that

every person has something to contribute to the faith life of our community and that each child has the capacity to commune with her God.

Global Forest Ridge graduates are confident young women who are responsible, creative and compassionate global citizens on a local, national and international level.

l

Educ

Find your passion. Be a leader.

Learn to change the world.

Our program, emphasizing academic rigor, personal development, global awareness, collaboration, ethical decision-making, and social justice, makes a difference in how girls learn and how they live.

Great ucation

Middle School

Our Middle School program is all about collaboration, communication,

creativity

and

critical

thinking.

Middle School students are encouraged to be lifelong learners and problem-solvers. Through direct instruction and practice with skills of collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking, students develop essential 21st century skills. Forest Ridge students also use their gifts with the talents of others to create positive solutions to problems.

Through our experiential leadership curriculum, three to four years of skill building courses and teambuilding culminate in developmentally appropriate opportunities for middle school girls to use their skills in real-life situations.

“

I know that going to an all-girls Sacred Heart school has boosted my self-confidence; I have to say I don’t think I would have been making this presentation if I went to

”

the local public school.

— Forest Ridge Eighth-Grader Addressing the Student Body

In the High School, it’s a matter of choices. Frosh and sophomores follow a core program which includes religious studies, English, history, science, mathematics, an international language, physical education, and fine arts.

During first semester of sophomore year, each student and her parents meet individually with the Director of High School and the Grade Level Coordinators. to consider her options for her junior and senior years. Students choose from among the Global Seminar program, the International Baccalaureate program, or a combination of the two.

High

School

“

We have a mix of students with different backgrounds, abilities and aptitudes.

It’s our job to reach every child; with small class sizes we can do that.

We help students discover their passion and their aptitude and ability.

”

— Chris Pesce, High School Mathematics Faculty

Experie The Forest Ridge

A Sacred Heart education at Forest Ridge is uniquely focused on educating girls by nourishing the mind, heart and spirit. Just as important, is the strong sense of community at the heart of the Forest Ridge experience. It’s the kind of community that fosters relationships that last long after students graduate.

ience

“

Everyone supports you and everyone understands you. It’s a really welcoming environment and that makes you feel confident and able to be who you are without holding

”

anything back.

— Forest Ridge Freshman

Traditio n At Forest Ridge everyone works to build community within our classes, across the divisions and throughout the entire school.

o ns It is this building of community that allows traditions to grow, making Forest Ridge special and memorable. Each of these traditions is a treasured part of a girl’s years at Forest Ridge.

Fine A

The Fine Arts help each student see the connectedness of art to the rest of her life. We teach concepts: aesthetics, discipline, balance, form, pace, rhythm, perception and a multitude of other essential ideas. We help develop skills: the manual dexterity of the artist in the studio, the ability to communicate and express ourselves with confidence on stage, and the ability to stand tall and raise our voices in praise of God with song. We shape attitudes: passion and curiosity which drive and motivate us, confidence and self-discipline which allow us to put ourselves at risk and push on even when we doubt ourselves, and the imagination to see multiple solutions to a single problem. These are essential to a well-rounded art education as well as a well-rounded life.

“

I’ve learned that anything is possible if I just try and if I believe in myself.

e Arts

”

— Rising Forest Ridge Senior

Athletics Forest Ridge girls study hard, but they play hard, too. Athletics play an important role in the Forest Ridge educational experience and all students are encouraged to participate. Participation in athletics provides students the opportunity for personal growth in a number of areas including: commitment, leadership, sportsmanship, responsibility and teamwork. In addition, athletics provide an avenue for common experiences to be shared by students, coaches, faculty, parents, alumnae and friends all of which build school spirit and community.

“

I was on the basketball team and we were very close. Sports at FR help

”

develop relationships and teamwork.

— Forest Ridge Senior

Leaders

Women as Global Leaders is really the lens through which we do everything at Forest Ridge. It’s not just visiting other countries. All of our classes, our in-classroom experiences, our extracurricular activities and the way our school is guided by the Goals and Criteria are focused on one outcome: cultivating girls and young women to become global leaders.

“

The Women as Global Leaders program has provided this incredible opportunity for me to establish more connections and become a more globally aware person. That is such a valuable experience,

rship

”

— Forest Ridge Sophomore following her journey to the Middle East

International

Residential Program

l

“

If you love learning and having fun, and you are open to new people and experiences, you will definitely have a great time at Forest Ridge. You can get so much support academically

”

and socially from teachers and peers.

— Forest Ridge Junior

Like the vision our foundress, St. Madeleine Sophie, had for educating young women, the goal of the Forest Ridge boarding experience is to deepen the educational experience for all Forest Ridge students.

At Forest Ridge, boarding students have the opportunity to awaken to new cultures, new ideas and new possibilities. Day students are exposed to new relationships, and have an opportunity for socialization and fostering of these relationships with a diverse group of their international sisters.

C

Each Forest Ridge class represents diverse interests and strengths, and the selection of colleges where our students are accepted demonstrates their remarkable qualities. Our College Guidance office is able to work with each student and her family to find the best college “fit” and manage the ever-intensive college search. With their excellent grades, impressive test scores, leadership opportunities and extra-curricular activities, Forest Ridge graduates have attention of the finest colleges and universities.

“

My

Forest

Ridge

education

means everything to me. This is the place where I grew into the person that I am. I feel completely prepared to take on the world!

”

College — Forest Ridge Graduate

Find

yourself at Forest Ridge

At Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, your daughter can learn like a girl. Learning like a girl means she will graduate as a bold, confident, courageous, kind, and deeply thoughtful young woman. That’s a powerful thing.

If you want your daughter to “learn like a girl,” consider Forest Ridge, where our high quality, experiential curriculum is specifically designed and delivered mindful of the way girls learn. It’s a place where a girl can focus on academics, take risks, pursue her passion, learn to lead and work to succeed… all in an environment where she is valued, respected, and comfortable among her peers – a place where she can begin to be the woman she will one day become.

Parent Classroom Observation Tours and Campus Family Tours are excellent ways to get to know Forest Ridge‌ and to find out if Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart is the right place for you. To schedule a tour, please contact the Admission Office at 425-641-0700 or at admissions@forestridge.org.

4800 139 th Avenue SE, Bellevue, WA 98006-3015 www.forestridge.org