Nurturing Excellence: Our Schoolwide Learning Expectations

A St. Matthew’s Parish School education is more than the acquisition of knowledge: it’s the cultivation of character, curiosity, and community. Our Schoolwide Learning Expectations serve as the foundation for every learning experience, from our youngest preschoolers to our confident 8th grade graduates. Rooted in the principles of Inquiry, Design Thinking, and Project-Based Learning, these expectations guide students through a transformative educational journey that prepares them for success in high school and beyond.

“Here at St. Matthew’s, we are striving to be the best bakers possible, adding all the perfect ingredients together to make a wonderful confection of empathy, responsibility, and impact on families, communities, and the world at large,” says Reynaldo Macias, our middle school Dean for Students.

As students progress through our three divisions, they carry with them the cumulative wisdom of their experiences, the strength of their character, and the confidence that comes from being truly known and valued. St. Matthew’s prepares students not just for academic success, but for lives of meaning, service, and joy with our schoolwide learning expectations guiding the foundation of this process so that students become:

Effective Communicators

Our students articulate ideas clearly in both oral and written formats, demonstrate good listening skills and empathy, and use diverse forms of expression with confidence.

Self-Directed, Enthusiastic Learners

Our students are self-directed, enthusiastic learners who are intellectually inquisitive, are equipped with the solid foundation of knowledge and skills necessary for a life of learning, and maintain high standards of quality and achievement.

Critical Thinkers

Our students are critical thinkers who are reflective, resourceful, and creative, use and appreciate a variety of problem-solving strategies, and possess a level of self-confidence established through persistence, endeavor, and success.

Community Contributors

Our students learn to be community contributors who cooperate, collaborate, and compromise when working in a group, seek opportunities to demonstrate positive leadership by being of service to others, and celebrate the diversity of peoples, beliefs, and cultures.

Ethical Citizens

Our students promote peace and reconciliation by respecting the dignity of all people as children of a loving God. They make responsible decisions guided by recognition of what is good and just, based upon the values of integrity, fairness, honesty, and compassion. Grounded in Judeo-Christian principles and especially as reflected through the traditions of the Episcopal Church, our graduates also demonstrate appreciation for the traditions and practices of other Christian denominations and other faiths.