Letter from the Headmaster
Greetings from the Entire St. John’s Family,
I welcome you to St. John’s Parish Day School in virtual form as you look through our website. We would love to have you come and visit our school to see where our joy and care meet the myriad of active minds in children 3-years-old to Grade 5. St. John's promotes a distinctiveness of excited learning of the highest quality coupled with the essence of well-formed character - both of which enrich our students and set us apart from other schools. We are in the business of teaching our students how to live lives full of meaning and value. Each and every day our students are engaged in hands-on, focused, and fun lessons of depth and clarity, yet with the opportunity to move around and deal with normal "fidgets" of childhood. Quite distinctive are our "specials" - classes in art, media/technology, music, physical education, science, and Spanish with each in its own separate room taught by professional faculty trained in each specific discipline - again allowing our students the freedom to move throughout our school and campus for classes rather than sitting in only one classroom every day. All of this gives our children a rock-solid base from which to launch successfully into their future education while still having fun as children.
Still, St. John's offers much more than superb academics. Students at St. John's also learn what it means to be kind, honest, responsible, and respectful as a community of learners. They explore the world around them, both near and far, to see what their role is and how they can be a blessing locally and with a global perspective. We teach our students how to be productive citizens in a complex and technologically sophisticated world while finding success in their individual pursuits and abilities, and we support them fully in that process of exploration.
As an Episcopal school, our students also learn about their own journeys in faith based on their families' individual faith traditions. At St. John's, we respect and celebrate the variety of religious experience and faith traditions while still maintaining the essence of the beauty of the Episcopal faith's Christian tradition, particularly in our worship experience in daily chapel. Students learn that loving relationships with God and with others build the foundation of a strong individual and a strong community. This fosters a commitment to community and extends our program beyond our campus. Not only do our students participate in local community service such as providing coats, food, toys, and more to less fortunate families in our region, but we also support programs in our sister school in Kenya, the Mbaikini School through substantive gifts, building programs, and visits. It is a bit challenging to balance all that goes on here at times, and yet we all grow as a result of this respectful atmosphere and our commitment to faith and service locally and globally.
Lastly, it should be noted that St. John's is a school that takes seriously our efforts to protect and celebrate childhood. In a world full of pressures to grow up prematurely, we consciously and unapologetically promote the concept that children should be allowed to grow naturally in a safe and appropriate community. We recognize that this is perhaps one of the most precious gifts we can give our children.
As you will see in this website and at our school, St. John's Parish Day School is a vibrant and busy place, full of focused activity, respectful attitudes, and exceptional learning. Come and experience the excellence of Episcopal education which indeed offers knowledge and values for a lifetime!
Grace and Peace, Steve Harrison
Headmaster
