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Name: St. James Cathedral School |
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Montessori 3 - 5 year olds The Montessori Pre-school program lays the foundation upon which the St. James curriculum is built. The Montessori Children's House is a mixed age-group program for 3 to 5 year olds. Teachers present a carefully prepared environment offering opportunity, materials, direction and freedom. In this environment, the children move themselves toward learning while developing self-confidence and positive self-image. Primary Kindergarten through 2nd grade Curriculum Overview Intermediate 3rd through 5th grades Curriculum Overview Third Grade Fourth Grade Fifth Grade Middle School 6th through 8th grades Curriculum Overview Middle School |
Admissions Policy St. James Cathedral School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color or national/ethnic origin or handicap status in its admissions policy.All families wishing to enroll students in St. James Cathedral School (grades K - 8) shall be given an application by the School Registrar in accordance with this Policy. The Registrar will also record details of the registration. Selection shall be based on the following categories, in order of priority: Families of St. James Cathedral Parish who are active and supportive parishioners. Families of neighboring parishes who are active and supportive parishioners in their respective parishes. Families of other religious denominations and non-active parishioners of St. James. In the event that requests in a category exceed available spaces, the principal and Pastor shall determine the order of admittance by lottery. We re-register our current students in the end of January and also fill our Kindergarten openings at that time. By the middle of February we begin to fill any openings we may have. Kindergarten Readiness Screening; Math Placement Tests; Reading Counts |
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We believe it is our mission as Catholic educators to model the values and beliefs we teach in a faith-based community that fosters self-respect and respect for others; We believe it is our role to develop and foster each child's unique, God-given gifts by encouraging students to do all they are capable of doing by themselves in child-centered classrooms where teachers act as facilitators; |
We believe that Catholic schools should provide children with a spiritual and academic foundation that will lead to the development of creative and ethical problem solvers who will make a positive contribution to our world; We believe that a St. James education should include intellectual, spiritual, moral, and emotional formation that reflects the values we hold most dearly ... integrity, honesty, moral courage, discipline |
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"To provide, within a Christian atmosphere, the opportunity for each student to develop as a whole person by helping him grow to meet his potential spiritually, intellectually, socially and physically"... the Sisters of St. Joseph made this pledge in 1889. St James Cathedral School has been adhering to the above basic tenet with great pride and with many blessings for the past 117 years. The seed for St. James Cathedral School was planted in 1889 with the inception of a parish school called St. Joseph's Academy. The school was located at the intersection of Robinson and Magnolia, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph, and had an initial enrollment of 30 students. By 1927, St. Joseph's Academy boasted an enrollment of 200 students with a teaching staff of seven Sisters. In 1929, under the leadership of the first permanent pastor of St. James Church, Father Michael J. Fox, the present school building on Ridgewood Street opened as a church school to accommodate students Kindergarten through twelfth grade. St. Joseph's Academy closed and St. James School years began. When Central Florida's first Catholic high school, Bishop Moore, was opened in 1955, St. James School became solely an elementary school (K-8). The Sisters of St. Joseph continued to teach children until 1973, followed by the Dominican sisters. By the late 1970's, the Sisters were replaced by lay teachers. In November of 1977, St. James School was officially dedicated as the Cathedral School of St. James by Bishop Thomas J. Grady. In 1985, then principal, Blanka Roberts, worked earnestly with Father David Page to bolster a declining enrollment. The choice was to either almost totally subsidize the school or close it. They decided to have faith and persevere. St. James began to welcome non-Catholic families in an effort to service downtown working parents. In addition, programs were established for preschool and after school care for children. These programs have flourished to their present status and continue to help fund the mission of the school. When Father Joseph Nolin became pastor of the St. James Cathedral in 1987, he formed a committee to study and analyze the existing dilemma. A search went out for "a visionary" to turn the school around. Mrs. Mary DeVault was brought in as principal, bringing with her a new vision, much enthusiasm, and a genuine and strong belief in Catholic education. She set a plan into motion, establishing strong ties with the community and working tirelessly to bring the school into the modern age. Commitment '88, a parish fund drive, provided much needed renovation and modernization of the school and to its academic program. Mrs. DeVault's "talking campaign" earned the school the nickname "the little gem of a school in downtown Orlando". |
It was also around this time that Mary Devault asked Sister Anthonita Porta to establish a Montessori Children's House for the pre-school set. In 1989, St. James Cathedral School opened Orlando's first Catholic Montessori School. The St. James Montessori Children's House has been thriving and growing ever since. In 1992, a new phase of construction began to create a campus-like setting for St. James Cathedral School. Plans for a new middle school building, a new assembly hall/gymnasium and the permanent closure of a busy street were under way. After much planning, negotiating and fund-raising, these visions became reality. Mr. Hank Burakowski was named Principal in 1995- followed by Mrs. Donna Schwartz in 1996- and then by Mrs. Barbara Bozeman in 1999. The school continued to improve and grow under their leadership in areas such as technology, curriculum and spiritual life. In the spring of 2003, the current pastor Fr. John McCormick named Mrs. Geraldine Gendall as Principal. Under Mrs. Gendall's leadership, the school continued ...and continues... to grow and flourish. In the last several years the school proudly boasts of many outstanding accomplishments, including: National Blue Ribbon School distinction; Increased enrollment; Continued Advancement in Technology; Campus Security; New Playground; Increased opportunity for community spiritual growth. To ensure the legacy of Catholic education for all students, the first Saint James Cathedral School Scholarship Fund was established in 1990 to assist school families experiencing financial hardships. This fund has been growing and expanding for the past 18 years, touching the lives of many through money raised by the annual Golf & Tennis Tournament and Auction. Other scholarships complimenting the golf-tennis scholarship are the Mary Nolin Memorial Scholarship and the Francis Balboni Memorial Scholarship - along with other anonymous donors. St. James School has a long history, one that began 117 years ago with the Sisters of St. Joseph, making their pledge to the students of St. Joseph Academy. Their pledge is still in the hearts of the teachers of St. James School. It is also our promise and our passion for the children of St. James Cathedral School as they face the future. With God's continued grace and blessing, St. James School will continue to provide an excellent education for the young people of Orlando for many generations to come, as it fulfills its mission statement slogan: COME TO LEARN... LEAVE TO SERVE. |
