Admission Brochure

I CAN I AM I WILL

OPEN YOUR EYES. OPEN YOUR ARMS. OPEN YOUR MIND. OPEN YOUR HEART. St. Mary’s School is open to bold ideas, to new ways of thinking and learning and to the possibility our world holds for the leaders of tomorrow.

Our doors are open, too—right now, to you.

Our time to make an impact on the world is right now.

I CAN

At St. Mary’s School, we teach students to ask “what” and “why” not only because they’re intellectually curious and caring, but also so that they can understand that they’re an essential piece of the answer to “how.”

I AM

The whole world is at our fingertips. That makes influencing what the wide world will become both our pleasure and our responsibility. It’s up to us.

At St. Mary’s School, we look deeply and decide for ourselves. We devote our world-sized hearts and world-class minds to creating something new—something unique and better—for ourselves, for our community and for the planet.

We’re doing it right now. Won’t you?

I WILL

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WHAT DO YOU SEE HERE?

THINK

You might you know what to expect from St. Mary’s School, but we’re something

We don’t fit in same categories as the familiar parochial or single-focus preparatory schools. Instead, St. Mary’s School stands in a category of its own.

We’re a community centered at the intersection of the heart and the mind.

And what does one find at the intersection of the heart and mind?

We find you. That is our joy. It is the joy we invite you to share in, without limitation.

Here, our curriculum revolves around collaborative, experiential and interdisciplinary learning. This better engages students, fuels their love of learning and prepares them for all the world will offer.

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ST. MARY’S SCHOOL

UNIQUE.

At St. Mary’s School, our academics are world-class. This is a place designed from the outset to be open to people of all faiths or none. We teach our students to act on their individual intelligence, inquisitiveness and imagination right now.

Come see our Hub, where students explore the world and expand their perspectives. Sit down for a locally sourced meal in The Commons. Peer into our open classrooms. Notice how even our hallways have been designed to foster collaboration and creativity. Watch us work together at St. Mary’s School.

The unique atmosphere here colors everything we do. Our efforts and the effects of them ripple outward. Here, we look deep within ourselves to find strength, wisdom and generosity.

We work together to lift up the friends standing beside us and those, near or far, we haven’t yet met. With eyes and minds open to the world, we step forward.

Here we are, we say,

WE CAN WE ARE

WE WILL

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I CAN

The

FIRST step is having the right tools to SUCCEED.

St. Mary’s School’s academics, curricula and environment prepares students to believe in themselves, to trust their ideas and to achieve.

But experience, confidence and skill aren’t enough. Critical thinking depends on a solid base of values—and vice versa.

Every day, students encounter complex situations that require them to test the truth of information in front of them. What’s more, they have to do this compassionately, with respect for the diverse perspectives of their peers.

This is no easy feat, but it’s essential.

Inquiry without love is as much of a dead end as compassion without intelligence. That’s why, at St. Mary’s School, we foster academic excellence and empathy in tandem. Regardless of background, we help students invest in their own drive to make a difference.

I can OPEN MYSELF to others’ opinions.

WHAT IS THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAMME? St. Mary’s School offers the only accredited Preschool through Grade 8 International Baccalaureate Programme in Orange County. This curriculum integrates themes of global significance, challenging students to tap their creativity to solve problems both large and small. More importantly, teaching the power of inquiry and reflection to young minds builds a foundation for lifelong learning. Applying a curriculum free to change alongside the world, the International Baccalaureate Programme prepares St. Mary’s School students to thrive across an increasingly connected globe.

I can

TRUST MYSELF enough to take risks.

A snapshot of St. Mary’s School from any angle, on any day, captures the school’s unique blend of visible engagement, compassionate inclusion and genuine delight. From preschool age on, we teach students to say, “I can.”

Teacher-Student Ratios

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1 6–9

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1 10

1 18

Early Education Program

Lower School (Grades K–2)

Lower School (Grades 3–5)

Middle School (Grades 6–8)

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BELIEVE

How do we decide what we , who we and in which direction we’ll head?

TRUST

I am beginning to SEE who I was meant to be.

Understanding who you are and having the self-confidence to adhere to those decisions isn’t something we take for granted at St. Mary’s School.

We guide each student to develop their personal belief system and to be comfortable expressing their opinions.

It’s all part of understanding that we’re an essential part of how the world improves.

HAPPIEST GROWING with friends.

I am

I am PART OF greater than me.

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SOMETHING

Here, students make practical, thoughtful connections between their studies and the world.

These lessons are interwoven into the curriculum from an early age. Our Cast of Character program teaches collaboration, conflict resolution and confidence. Counselor-led mindfulness instruction leads Lower School classes toward emotional literacy and empathy. In Middle School, each student gets a faculty advisor who provides social, emotional and academic guidance.

I AM

WHO WILL YOU BE? Carissa could have just worn a pink wristband in support of cancer awareness, but she wasn’t taught to leave the heavy lifting to others.

A show of support has to be more than a show. So Carissa volunteered to cut off her hair during an assembly to make wigs for women undergoing chemotherapy. Word spread. Two others volunteered. Then, on the day, two more girls came out of the crowd to trim their tresses. When asked for her approval, one of the girls’ moms— in the audience—took the stage to donate her hair as well. That’s the power of leading by example.

Carissa convinced 52 Middle School students to donate their hair the next year. Doing this has been a tradition at St. Mary’s School ever since. Because it’s not enough to know or to care, we also have to act.

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AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE WORLD We are each an essential part of the world. That’s why we impart an international perspective and teach diverse ideas at St. Mary’s School.

Students here step outside of their familiar experience so that they might see through the eyes of others.

Why am I proud of St. Mary’s School?

Because we’re here to foster academic excellence and compassion for a BETTER FUTURE and a BETTER WORLD. That’s not a question of standing aside from the place and culture in which you were raised, but of gaining the perspective that allows you to appreciate who you are, who you will become and why.

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Our curriculum is uniquely suited to developing internationally minded people who recognize their common humanity and joint guardianship of our shared planet. Our goals are aspirational. At St. Mary’s School, success is found hand-in-hand with the growing world, in partnership with teachers, our peers, our families and the community.

Together, we are joined in pursuit of a common, better future.

Our full slate of outwardly minded educational opportunities include our International Field Studies program, through which students travel to Costa Rica, Hong Kong and France. Our Student Exchange Program brings students from the International School of Milan into our homes and then invites St. Mary’s School students to Italy for home-stay and extended travel.

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LANGUAGES spoken by students

MANDARIN

12 countries represented in the student body

SCIENCE

TECH

THEATER

ART

MUSIC

PHYS ED

6 exploratory subjects connected to core subjects

FRENCH

SPANISH

3 foreign languages taught as core subjects

29 sports teams fielded, teaching skills, sportsmanship and leadership

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RELIGIONS represented in the student body

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I WILL

GOOD

I will always

What is knowledge and understanding without

put INTEGRITY before success.

ACTION?

At St. Mary’s School, we think the whole point of education is to develop a base for well-considered action. We lead students to see themselves as an essential element in the world’s process of improvement. And our students don’t wait until they’re older to show everyone how it’s done.

Here, our capacity for compassion and critical thinking applies to our lives beyond the boundaries of the school community. We work together on individual, short-term goals—such as preparing for high school—as well as on more forward-thinking endeavors of entrepreneurialism, philanthropy and leadership. Every day, in countless ways, we prepare for what comes next.

Through our Service Learning program, students work to address issues affecting local and global communities. By Middle School, St. Mary’s School students step forward to develop all aspects of these service learning projects, from inception to completion.

I will be PREPARED for whatever life brings.

OUR VALUES } W onder,

inquire and discover answers with determination

} B e

open to diverse ways of thinking and being

} A lways

act with compassion and maturity

} B e

responsible for yourself and each other

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your gifts with the world

Our Leadership Program further teaches that leadership is a characteristic anyone can display.

This program culminates with an annual award to the Grade 8 student who best exemplifies the values of the St. Mary’s School community.

At St. Mary’s School, we say, “I will,” and it’s more than words.

I will be the ANSWER to what I see missing.

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We bring it all together at St. Mary’s School. And by “all” we mean all of you—your unique world-sized heart and world-class mind—and all of us. Working together, our capacity for critical thinking and compassion creates a community of acceptance. That’s our secret power at St. Mary’s School.

GIVE IT YOUR ALL

We won’t say we hope you feel at home here, because this space isn’t ours to welcome you into—it’s yours. In a real community, acceptance isn’t a one-way street; it’s a common ground.

We choose each other at St. Mary’s School. This is a community of open doors, open hearts and open minds.

We hope you’re open to that.

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Design and writing by Mission Minded.

ST. MARY’S SCHOOL 7 Pursuit Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 www.smaa.org

At St. Mary’s School, we teach students to ask “what” and “why” in a way that demonstrates that they’re an essential part of the answer to “how.” That’s compassion and critical thinking in action, and it’s something we hope you’ll come see for yourself.

To arrange for a tour of St. Mary’s School or for more information, please contact the Admission Office at (949) 448-9027 or at admissions@smaa.org.