|
St. Thomas Aquinas Academy is an independent private
school registered with the State of California,
established in 1995. We are dedicated to the
Catholic formation and education of children by the
persons granted the grace and commission to do so by
Our Heavenly Father--the child’s own parents. To
that end we offer a twelve year Catholic liberal
arts curriculum for the home schooling family.
From Pre-1st to Grade
12, the St. Thomas Aquinas Academy classical home
school curriculum is designed as one graceful whole,
with a unit study flavor, that easily adapts to many
grade levels learning at the same kitchen table. We
encourage a relaxed teaching style, tuned to the
natural developmental phases of the child's
intellect. We help you teach your child to learn,
resulting in a competent, confident child with a
life-long enthusiasm for learning, ready for
college, work, or family life--whatever his or her
calling may be.
The Academy takes its
name from the greatest philosopher, the Angelic
Doctor of the Church. St. Thomas established the
highest standards in the Catholic liberal arts. The
magnificent works of St. Thomas, standing above the
efforts of all others, unites faith and reason,
revelation and philosophy, the Biblical and
classical traditions.
Our program gently
prepares the child to learn from the great books and
understand the great ideas essential to that same
work of integrating faith with reason. A classical
presentation of English and Latin grammar and the
arts and sciences equips the student with the tools
of learning; a cyclical study of the grand eras of
western civilization--Greek, Roman, Old World and
New--guides the student (and the teaching parent!)
through the historical and literary masterpieces
that for centuries have inspired students to such
noble academic effort.
[
back to top ]
Exclusively for the Homeschooling
Family
Our classical liberal arts curriculum is an
independent study program crafted for the home
schooling family, not a classroom program adapted
for the home schooling market. Our curriculum does
not depend on the availability of a Catholic library
nor does it presume a liberal arts education on the
part of the parent. Indeed, there is no prior home
schooling experience required. Our advisory staff of
veteran homeschoolers will personally guide you to
and through a variety of texts and materials,
according to your student’s needs and interests.
Further, our advisors
help organize all of your students into a single
historical era--and science subject, too--so that
each child is contributing to and benefiting from
his siblings’ instruction and insight. St.
Thomas Aquinas Academy encourages the family to work
together as much as possible, promoting deeper
learning and lively, meaningful discussion between
parent and child, brother and sister.
[
back to top ]
Not
Just a Textbook Presentation
While many of our materials do have unit quizzes, we
promote a variety of methods for your child to use
to demonstrate mastery of a subject that are much
more fun, much more effective than a standard
quizzing format. Oral presentations, discussions and
hands-on projects are as important to our classical
curriculum as written work and unit testing.
[
back to top ]
Start
with a Student Skills Assessment
A year with St. Thomas Aquinas Academy begins with
an informal student skills assessment you administer
in your home that identifies each child’s basic
learning style, and academic strengths and
weaknesses to focus on through the year. After
evaluating your students’ skills, an advisor works
with you over the phone to personalize our
curriculum for your family.
[
back to top ]
The books and resources to obtain and how to use
them are detailed for the family, grade by grade.
Materials recommended are suitable to the home
school; both the student and the teaching parent
will find them easy to use. Many texts have unit
quizzes, and answer keys, too. Where texts do not
include their own pace and plan of study, we have
added weekly or quarterly course plans. Our parent
guides, course outlines and newsletters also suggest
a variety of alternative means for gaining and
demonstrating mastery of academic skills and subject
material.
We direct you to the
most expedient and least expensive resources and
providers we can find. In addition we recently added
an online bookstore for your ordering convenience.
[
back to top ]
Support from Experienced
Homeschoolers
As an alternative to the usual one-size-fits-all
lesson plans, we guide you through yearly goal
setting, and then help you establish a pace and flow
to your schooling suited to your family’s lifestyle.
We continue to work
with you throughout the year. Advisors are available
by appointment as often as you would need. All are experienced home schooling parents
and subscribe to the ideas and methods found in such
books as Susan Schaeffer MacAulay’s
For the Children’s Sake, Dorothy and Raymond
Moore’s
Home Grown Kids and
The Successful Homeschool Handbook, and
Laura Berquist’s
Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum.
[
back to top ]
Report
Card, Transcripts, and Diplomas
St. Thomas Aquinas Academy offers an option for
receiving report cards, transcripts and diplomas
based on a quarterly reporting system. Step-by-step
forms and guidelines for goal setting, lesson
planning and tracking student progress are included
in the curriculum packet. Our record keeping is
designed to be thorough without being burdensome.
Student course of study, attendance and academic
progress are well documented, building your student
a strong, effective academic portfolio that will
meet the highest expectations of other schools he or
she may attend.
[
back to top ]
A
Unique Home School Program
If you’re looking for a different sort of home
school program, one that offers quality Catholic,
classical liberal arts education, real flexibility,
and experienced, personal assistance,
come join us!
|
