Sacramento Country Day School Viewbook by Sacramento Country Day School

AT A GLANCE

Sacramento Country Day School is a Pre-K-Grade 12, independent, non-profit, college preparatory school in Sacramento that inspires intellectual discovery and engages a diverse community to think critically, live creatively, and act compassionately each and every day.

Lee Thomsen, Head of School

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Our spectacular faculty and staff nurture, believe in, and challenge your children to reach beyond what they know they can do to achieve what they don’t yet know they can do – ‘the impossible.’”

Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org

Founded in 1964, Sacramento Country Day School is the only independent school of its kind in the region and is consistently recognized for its top academics, quality teachers and student achievements. A beautiful, expansive campus is specifically developed for each of our three divisions — Lower, Middle and High School. Small class sizes and a dynamic learning environment offer our students a wide array of specialty classes and opportunities to discover and joyfully pursue their unique strengths. We celebrate limitless curiosity and combine an academically challenging education with development of a lifelong love of learning.

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There is no better way to understand the difference a Country Day education makes than by visiting our campus. Schedule a private tour to explore a day in the life of our students.” – Maisae Affour, Head of Lower School

AT A GLANCE

QUICK FACTS

100% of our graduates are admitted to college.

College Counseling Sacramento Country Day School provides unparalleled one-to-one college counseling to each student in our High School. THE COLLEGE COUNSELING PROMISE

77% three year passing Advanced Placement score average.

2023 seniors: • One National Merit Scholar-

ship Award recipient

• Two National Merit Commended students • Two College Board National African-American Recognition Awards • Two College Board National Hispanic Recognition Awards

As we guide and support students through the transformational process of applying for college, we promise to: • Provide one-on-one college counseling for each student, promoting each student’s interests, strengths, aspirations, and goals. • Offer resources for students and their families throughout the college application process. • Help students discover colleges that are a good fit for them academically, philosophically, socially, and financially.

COLLEGE PREPARATION • Country Day high school graduation requirements align with the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) admissions requirements. All of Country Day’s academic courses are articulated with UC system. • Each year, Country Day students are admitted to all of the UCs and highly selective colleges throughout the United States and abroad.

Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org

• Country Day students are excelling, with the highest percentage of students applying to the UCs (76%) of all public and private high schools in Sacramento County and among the highest being admitted to the UCs (77%). • View a list of College Acceptances at saccds.org.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT AND ADVANCED TOPICS COURSES • Country Day offers both Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams and Advanced Topics (AT) courses (weighted courses without AP exams) in a wide variety of subjects. • By senior year, most students have taken at least one AP or AT class, and many students have taken as many as eight or more AP/AT classes. • Students are encouraged to meet with the college counselor to plan a just-right schedule that emphasizes both rigor and academic success. Students should seek to find a good balance of weighted and unweighted courses. and between academics and extracurricular involvement.

STANDARDIZED TESTING • Country Day administers the PSAT to sophomores and juniors. PSAT scores for juniors may qualify students for National Merit recognition. • Country Day administers a schoolday SAT in October for seniors. • The college counselor develops a strategic plan with seniors individually with respect to reporting standardized testing.

AT A GLANCE

At Sacramento Country Day School, it’s in the numbers A beautiful, expansive campus specifically developed for each of our three divisions — Lower, Middle, and High School — provides students with immersive course offerings, learning spaces to explore new skills, and pathways to discover and joyfully pursue their unique strengths.

#1 Rated

580+

8:1

Region’s Best Pre-K – Grade 12

Pre-K – Grade 12 Students

Student / Teacher Ratio

65%

57%

$3.5m

“

Too many people are afraid to make a mistake. Accepting failure helps students develop a growth mindset, which will serve them well for the rest of their lives.”

Faculty with Advanced Degrees

Self-identified Students of Color*

Granted in Tuition Assistance

100%

– Dr. Kelly Whited, Science Department Chair and Biology Teacher

Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864

Four-year College Acceptance

www.saccds.org * percentage of total reporting

National Merit Commended or Semifinalists

Acres of Learning Spaces

LOWER SCHOOL

A campus visit brings every aspect of Country Day to life as classroom collaboration, creativity and critical thinking shine.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Lower School at Country Day is a place where students build solid and deep foundational skills centered in responsive classroom techniques. We have the rewarding job of fostering and challenging students to maintain curiosity and creativity while developing the whole child – the scholar, the musician, the artist, and the compassionate citizen inside each of us. A daily schedule of core subjects in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and humanities is complemented by specialty classes in world languages, art, music & movement, physical education, and library studies. Experiential learning outside our classrooms through field trips, community service and trips to the school garden enriches the curriculum.

Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org

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Students don’t have to always have an answer. But the thing is to keep asking the questions, to keep digging deep, to keep thinking... I think that’s the best part of what we give them.” – Kristi Mathisen, 5th Grade Language Arts & Humanities Teacher & Lower School Humanities Department Chair

LOWER SCHOOL

RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM Responsive Classroom is an evidence-based approach to teaching and discipline that focuses on engaging academics, positive community, effective management and developmental awareness. MORNING MEETING Each homeroom begins the day with Morning Meeting.These community gatherings include greetings, sharing, and games that involve problemsolving and teamwork. They also offer practice in leadership and gumption. Building skills related to attention, listening, oral expression and cooperative interaction become the foundation for every lesson, transition time, and con ict, and Morning Meeting is an important starting point for this work. We begin each day together because it matters that each of us is here and that we are here together.

TEACHER LANGUAGE The language we use in the classroom is one of the most powerful tools available to teachers. What we say to children has great power in shaping their sense of who they are and who they will become. In a Responsive School all teachers use similar professional language aimed at helping children with three primary goals: gaining academic knowledge, developing self control and building a sense of community.

Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org

HOW DOES RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM SUPPORT ACADEMICS? A skillfully run Responsive Classroom serves the emotional growth of students and paves the way for a “smooth landing” into impactful academics. When lessons are learner-centered and students have social-emotional skills in place, productive and collaborative learning can occur with ease. The interactive learning structures of Responsive Classroom and a focus on developmentally responsive teaching allow faculty to effectively differentiate learning and tailor lessons for students.

LOWER SCHOOL RULES Beginning with their Hopes and Dreams for the school year, homeroom classes work together to develop rules that will help them to make their shared goals come to fruition. After each homeroom makes their choices, “delegates” from each room help recommend rules that are employed by the entire Lower School. These rules bring consistency and common language across homeroom and specialist classrooms and strengthen students’ commitment to doing their part in our community.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

We nurture and celebrate the child inside our students while developing their maturity and essential life skills.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW Middle School at Country Day is a student-centered, interactive, and engaging program that empowers students to develop their academic, athletic, and extra-curricular interests. The most compelling learning experiences merge a variety of skills and subjects in and out of the classroom and allow students the opportunity to build essential life skills of self-confidence, creativity, character, and self-re ection. Country Day does just that.

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Middle School Cavaliers are challenged to develop critical thinking abilities in a variety of ways: as readers analyzing high quality literature, historians evaluating accomplishments of notable figures, and mathematicians creating scale models and find solutions to real-life problems.

Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org

Students understand where they are in their learning journey, and they develop key skills to ensure High School success, habits of mind, and a noticeable confidence.

I love coming here. I don’t have to be afraid to ask for help because everybody is really supportive.” – Meera A., Middle School Student

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Country Day Middle Schoolers are nurtured and celebrated as they develop maturity and the essential life skills of self-confidence, creativity, character, and self-re ection. FACULTY EXCELLENCE

PERSONAL GROWTH

In Middle School, students are both challenged and supported as they navigate the pivotal transformations of adolescence. Led by a talented and dynamic team of educators, students are encouraged to explore interests and stretch beyond their comfort zones. Using a student-centered and interactive approach, teachers help middle schoolers develop critical thinking skills as they encourage students to question, investigate, collaborate, and problem-solve.

In addition to academic pursuits, the middle school program focuses on creating an inclusive and supportive community. Through daily advisory and weekly SEL classes, middle school students are asked to face con icts through the lens of kindness, discuss diversity topics, and develop leadership skills. In the process, students develop their confidence, resilience, and, ultimately, independence as they move through our program.

ELECTIVES

MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS

A highlight of the middle school experience is an extensive elective program. In addition to our core academic courses, students choose from a myriad of electives each term. With options ranging from drama or drawing to computer programming, “Farm to Fork” in the school’s garden to “Athlete 101” in the weight room, and from knitting to chess, students are encouraged to dive into passions and try new things.

Cross Country Girls’ Volleyball Boys’ Flag Football Basketball Track & Field Golf Soccer

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What I hope I see is a student body that feels they are empowered to name any issue that they see – it’s their campus. We want every student and faculty member to see this as their home.” – Rachelle Doyle, Director of Advancement

Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org

HIGH SCHOOL

Students recognize that character development and personal integrity are equally important and directly connected to academic success.

Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org

WELL-ROUNDED DEVELOPMENT The High School experience at Country Day is so much more than an accumulation of knowledge. It’s a process of self-discovery and transformation through the pursuit of individual passions and an understanding of new ways to think critically, act compassionately and live creatively. HIGH SCHOOL CLUBS

HIGH SCHOOL AFFINITY GROUPS

Gender and Sexuality Alliance Environmentalist Club Math and Science Tutoring Club Korean Cluture Club Chess Club Latine/Latinx Student Union JEDI Council Film and Film Editing Club Science Bowl Quiz Bowl SMUD Solar Regatta Team Pre-med Club Audi Recording and Production D&D and Table Top Game Fan Club Model UN Muslim Student Association Outdoor Club Robotics Ambassadors Club South Asian Club Coding Club Philosophy Club Engineering Club Weightlifting

Families of Color Black Girls Society Asian Pacific slander Association Black Student Union Latin X Association HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS Volleyball Soccer Cross-Country Basketball Ski and Snowbard Swimming and Diving Tennis Golf Track & Field Boys’ Basketball

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Our student athletes develop skills in leadership, teamwork, goal setting, mental toughness, sportsmanship, and confidence. – Matt Vargo, Athletic Director

HIGH SCHOOL

We reach beyond traditional content learning and challenge students to innovate, and explore in a exible academic program that merges the arts, literature, science, and technology. Country Day graduates enter adulthood poised to be leaders in their communities and citizens of a global world. UNRIVALED ACADEMICS AND EXCEPTIONAL FACULTY

STUDENT SCHEDULES AS UNIQUE AS YOU

High school students experience a well-rounded education grounded in academics, enriching extracurricular activities, teambuilding athletics and an unwavering emphasis on character development.

SAMPLE STEM SCHEDULE