Message from the Head of School
Welcome to St. Matthew’s!
At St. Matthew’s, we believe real excellence happens through rich, immersive lived experiences, and exciting, creative interdisciplinary learning opportunities. We safely and adventurously explore every day, and learn together through diverse, shared learning opportunities both on campus and in the communities and environments beyond – trying new things, discovering the world around us, and discovering ourselves.
Students are given the individualized, loving guidance and genuine respect that allows them to reach much farther both safely and confidently, in the pursuit of ideas, answers, and a more fulfilling, deeper sense of understanding. They temper their strong capability with compassion and balance their well-deserved self-assurance with authentic empathy and kindness. They develop the strength, resolve, and enthusiasm to lead, and the humility to be committed, generous stewards. They gain the flexibility to adapt easily and naturally to meet both challenges and opportunities with joy, excitement, and enthusiasm. They embrace every chance to learn, and in return, look for every chance to give back.
Along with their families, they find strong connections and a real feeling of home within a warm, welcoming, inclusive community united by strong values, open hearts, and a shared mission of learning, collaboration, and outreach. They discover their world while discovering themselves.
At St. Matthew’s, children don’t simply thrive. They flourish in both mind and heart. They flourish both intellectually and emotionally. They flourish as achievers and contributors. They flourish as learners and as human beings. They flourish fully.
Go Falcons,
Alexandra (Alley) Michaelson ‘02
Head of School
The Palisades Fire uprooted our lives and our community, but it cannot diminish who we are at our core - St. Matthew's Parish School. Whatever your family's circumstances may be, we want to have open, honest conversations about how we can make St. Matthew's possible for you. These discussions are always welcome and held in complete confidence. Our goal is simple: to make St. Matthew's exceptional education program possible for your family, while honoring your privacy every step of the way. Please reach out to me directly at amichaelson@stmatthewsschool.com to discuss affordability options.
Alley Michaelson '02, Head of School
Returning To Our Pacific Palisades Campus
Fall 2026
St. Matthew’s Parish School is excited to share our Fall 2026 Return to Bienveneda campus plan. This plan, a labor of love by so many passionate members of our community, is a strategic response to the needs of our School as we simultaneously continue our larger scale redevelopment and signifies our unwavering commitment to excellence for our students.
At a community event on October 7th, Head of School Alley Michaelson ‘02, and the School’s Campus Development Partner Will McGregor ‘02, of The McGregor Group, showcased detailed architectural plans, including visuals of their remediated and enhanced structures and temporary structure developments for the School’s reoccupation of their campus in Fall 2026.
The Fall 2026 return to campus is thoughtfully designed to minimize student proximity to construction and preserve the natural beauty and intimate scale that makes St. Matthew’s feel like home. The School’s 2-year-old through Pre-K Early Childhood program, as well as the Kindergarten and First Grade, will occupy a new village of temporary classrooms with age-appropriate playgrounds that will be seamlessly integrated into the rest of campus until new permanent structures are built. This strategy allows the School community to function nearly undisrupted as they redevelop the broader campus.
I continue to be inspired by our bright future at St. Matthew’s, thanks to our amazing community’s resilience and dedication. Thank you to our Falcons Forward Committee, our Return to Bienveneda Committee and the families, faculty, staff, alumni, parishioners, and friends who continue to support us every step of the way.
Our future will honor our rich history while creating cutting-edge facilities that will serve generations of St. Matthew’s students to come—providing the academic excellence and safe, inspiring learning environment they deserve. This is about more than rebuilding a campus; it’s about restoring the heart of our community.
