As a Catholic school in the Diocese of San Jose, we are proud to offer a quality Catholic education to our students.

Religion is taught each day in all classrooms, sacramental preparation is provided for Catholic 2nd graders, and the curriculum follows the Diocesan religion outcomes.

Religion is more than an isolated subject, but is also an integral part of the fiber of Queen of Apostles School.
Our students, both Catholic and non-Catholic, learn to apply Catholic/Christian principles and to reinforce moral values throughout their years at Queen of Apostles School. They gather daily for prayer in the classrooms, and each Wednesday the entire student body gathers in church for student council led prayer service.

The school celebrates Eucharist with the parish community each month and also enjoys para-liturgies on a seasonal basis. One of these is the Blessing of the Animals on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Students from every grade have an opportunity to plan and participate in liturgies throughout the year.

Parents and members of the parish community are welcomed and encouraged to join us for prayer and liturgy.

ACADEMIC JUNIOR HIGH DECATHLON

The Academic Junior High Decathlon is a competition for students in grades 6-8. There are ten events. Two are collaborative team events: a logic quiz with 20 rigorous thinking problems and a super quiz with 50 multiple choice questions on five broad academic themes.

In addition, there are eight events testing individual knowledge of Roman Catholic doctrine, English, Literature, Science, Mathematics, Current Events, Social Studies, and Fine Arts (Art and Music). The winning school from each diocese competes in a state championship the first Saturday of May each year.

Faculty members and parents coach students. They meet throughout the school year, working after school and on weekends. The faculty member who serves as head coach coordinates the team’s efforts, but the commitment of parents and faculty is a key to our success!

Queen of Apostles School has participated in the AJHD since the 1990s and our teams have placed first in the Diocese of San Jose in 1999, 2001-2003, 2005-2009. The 2008 Queen of Apostles Academic Junior High Decathlon team competed at the state level and finished in second place! Ours is the best record of all Diocesan Schools.

Grades K through 8

Art: Students enjoy art class regularly. They work with construction paper, tissue paper, paint, and sketch tools in an interactive experiential approach to art. All students are encouraged to contribute original artwork to local art shows and especially to our own annual Young Artists’ and Authors’ Faire.

Computers: Computers are available in the classrooms and in the computer lab. The computer lab was moved to a larger site in 2010 and can accommodate an entire class. Students are taught computer usage and keyboarding skills during their computer lab class time. In addition students use computers to extend and enrich many areas of the curriculum. 5th grade and up students can join in the Cocoa Programming Group, where they can create programs for younger grades, and/or the school newspaper group. These groups are held during lunchtime in the computer lab.

Music: General music instruction is provided for all students to develop their music appreciation and to study a variety of music styles from the classics, to folk, and pop. The students enjoy singing seasonal tunes and performing in a musical program once a year for parents, family, and friends.

Physical Education (P.E.): P.E. classes allow students to exercise, and learn teamwork, using a wide range of sports and activities including soccer, square dancing, and track.

Science: A dedicated teacher for each of grades 1-4 and 5-8, with an aide, educate the students in the wonders of science including hands-on lab activities weekly and projects focusing the students’ learning on science.

Spanish: Spanish is taught to all students K-8 via listening, speaking, reading, writing, cultural awareness and language.

Specialized Math Instruction: A specialized math instructor works with groups of students in grades 3, 4, and 5, and grades 6-8. Some 8th grade math students are given the opportunity to study Algebra at Archbishop Mitty High School.

Extended care hours are from 6:30-7:45 a.m. and from 3:00-6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday during the school year.

Extended care is also provided on teacher in-service days.

During the summer, the school offers Queen of Apostles students a popular summer school program. The program includes both academics and extracurricular activities such as swimming, field trips and computers.

Nutritious hot lunches are prepared on site and available for purchase daily.

All lunches are served with choice of chocolate milk, white milk or bottled water.

Price for lunch is $3.50, Extra entrée $1.75, milk only without a meal $0.40

Chess club: Affiliated with Success Chess, this chess club meets weekly throughout the school year with chess instructors to learn and practice chess skills.

Scouts: Tiger Cubs for boys begins at the end of Kindergarten and runs through Webelos II in fifth grade. The Girl Scout program begins with Daisies in Kindergarten and continues with Brownies and Girl Scouts.

Sports: The 5th through 8th grade students, both boys and girls, have a chance to gather together in a positive social environment and participate in competitive after school sports programs including flag football, basketball, softball, and volleyball.

Yearbook: Students in grade 6-8 work with the Yearbook Moderator to compile the school yearbook. Those students are responsible for taking pictures, writing text and planning the layout of what is always a very successful yearbook.

Mad Science: These hands-on, one-hour science programs are themed around a particular area of science and include such topics as rocketry, magnets, polymers and even the science of toys. Children in grades K-5 can engage in exciting hands-on activities, watch spectacular demonstrations, participate in inquiry-based discussions and take home things that they have made themselves like model rockets, periscopes, Mad Science putty and more. Mad Science after-school programs offer children a chance to see just how cool science can be!

The school provides a wide variety of assemblies and classroom visits to enrich student learning. Some examples include the Theater of All Possibilities, which features 8th graders as actors, speakers in many fields, quilting demonstrations, and performances by musical groups.

Students in the upper grades are paired with students in the younger grades for activities throughout the year. Buddies work together to complete seasonal art projects; older students escort younger ones to sports rallies and the annual walk-a-thon. Younger students look to their buddies as mentors and role models.

Object oriented programming done at recess time allowing 5th grade and up students to create simple computer games which other students in the school can play.

Students in grades 2 through 6 take turns making lunches for those who are less fortunate. Others go to Sacred Heart Community Center once a month. Seventh and eighth graders go to serve lunches at the Emergency Housing Consortium once a month.

Students enjoy a wide variety of grade-level appropriate field trips. All students attend live theater performances. Lower grade field trips allow children to learn first-hand about their community. Examples include visits to a post office, fire station, pumpkin patch, farms and the ocean.

Sixth graders spend a week at Outdoor Science School, and eighth graders participate in an off-campus retreat during Lent. Field trips for upper grade students take advantage of the school’s Silicon Valley location. Visits to NASA, Intel, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator are examples.

The school library welcomes students in K-2 on a weekly basis for reading time with the librarian and time to check out books; all other students are welcome during morning and lunch recesses, during silent reading times, and by permission of the teacher to get materials for school projects and reading assignments.

Movement classes complement physical education classes to allow the younger grades to improve balance and gross motor skills.

A student newspaper is published every other month by intermediate students.

It includes timely topics and often includes word searches, jokes, cartoons, and pictures of student activities.

We started our recycling program several years ago. Throughout the year the students, faculty, and staff recycle paper, plastic, aluminum cans, and cardboard boxes. Each classroom has 2 or more recycling bins. Our students empty the classroom bins into our larger collection bin twice a week.

The church also participates in our recycling program.

A dedicated team of parents along with the principal, pastor, and staff members who support our school, drive fund-raising activities and help build community throughout our school. This committee meets monthly.

A group of students elected by their peers lead the school for a year during weekly all school gatherings with faculty supervision.

Council members voice student opinion, help to raise funds necessary for projects and expenses of the Student Council, and serve as a liaison between the students and the administration.

SchoolSpeak is an online tool that promotes communication between the school and the families. It displays timely school information such as school and class calendars, lunch menus, newsletters, student grade reports, volunteer lists and e-mail communication.

This annual event is held in the Community Center to showcase original stories, poetry, artwork and projects made by the students during the school year.