Mission Statement

St. James the Apostle Catholic School is a Christ-centered community where children can grow in faith, values of service and academic excellence.

Philosophy

At St. James the Apostle Catholic School, we are committed to transmitting our Catholic and Salesian heritage to our students and enabling them to experience gospel values in daily life. We therefore, "fully enter into the saving mission of the Church, especially in the need for education in the faith." 1

We recognize that "parents are the first and foremost educators of their children." 2 Our role as Catholic, Salesian educators, is to serve as partners with parents to assist in the faith formation of their children.

Together as an educating community – students, parents, teachers, staff, and Sisters – we can offer a true education that is able “to integrate religious truth and values with life” 3 and form in the students a sense of belonging, not only to the school but also to “the parish, the neighborhood, the local civic community, and the world, and begin to respond to the obligation of Christian service through joint action.” 4

We believe that the specific function of a Catholic, Salesian School is to develop the God-given talents of each student – religious, moral, academic, psychological, cultural, social, physical, and aesthetic – thus preparing our youth “to open themselves more and more to reality and to form in themselves a clear ideal of life.” 5

As Salesian educators, we follow the educational approach of Saint John Bosco, by creating schools with a family spirit, emphasizing reason, religion and loving kindness, in a positive atmosphere of discipline, friendliness, and cheerfulness. In Saint John Bosco’s own words, we aim to form our children to be “good Christians and upright citizens, empowering them with a joyful vision and hope of a better world.”

1 The Catholic School, #9
2 Lay Catholics in Schools: Witness to Faith, #12
3 To Teach As Jesus Did, #105
4 Ibid, #109
5 The Catholic School, #31