Welcome from the Head
of School
Mission & Core Values
History
Governance
Life After Villa
Virtual Tour
FAQ
Frequently asked questions |
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THE SCHOOL AND ITS STUDENTS
GENERAL QUESTIONS |
ADMISSION
MISSION/HISTORY/PHILOSOPHY
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THE SCHOOL AND ITS STUDENTS Who are Villa Academy’s key Administrators? Polly Skinner, Head of School Jody Elsner, Lower School Director Patricia Preib, Middle School Director
Villa Academy is approved by the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle and the State of Washington and holds accreditation with the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS), the National Association of Independant Schools (NAIS), and the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NAAS). Villa also maintains membership in the National Middle School Association (NMSA), National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) and the Washington Federation of Independent Schools (WFIS).
What Grade levels are served at Villa Academy? Preschool (age 3) through Eighth Grade
What is the composition of your student body? Villa Academy is a co-educational program serving approximately 400 students. Approximately half of Villa’s students are Catholic, 18% are students of color, and 9% of our students receive financial assistance. Thirty-five per cent of our families live outside the immediate area (98105/98115) and come to Villa from Marysville to Renton, and from Redmond to Magnolia.
How many faculty are there at Villa? 38 teachers (74% Female/26% Male) 5 instructional assistants (Preschool – Grade 1)
What are the target class sizes? Villa offers one section of each Preschool class, three sections of Kindergarten, and two sections at each grade level from First to Eighth Grade. Target class sizes are:
What is the daily schedule for students at Villa? Preschool:
Grades K-3* 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM Grades 4-8* 8:30 AM – 3:15 PM * Wednesday dismissal at 2:15 PM for school-wide professional development.
What special facilities are available at Villa?
Is there a lunch program at Villa? Villa’s spacious facilities include a well-equipped lunchroom, serving hot meals and a range of a la carte items for its Kindergarten – 8th-grade students. To see what is on this week’s menu, click here.
Do you offer before and after school care? Before and after school care is available for students in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. Students can arrive as early as 7:00 AM and remain after school as late as 6:00 PM. Before and after school care is available both on a regularly scheduled basis for those whose schedules require it, and on a drop-in basis for those who only need coverage only periodically. Click here for more information.
How do your students get to school everyday? We rely on and encourage carpools. We assist interested parents in finding potential carpool mates in their zip code.
How is technology used at Villa? Villa’s campus supports a multi-platform environment with both wired and wireless networks and filtered Internet access. Kindergarten through Fifth Grade students receive instruction in the Macintosh computer lab and additionally on computers in the classrooms. As part of the school's laptop program, each Middle School student uses a personal laptop computer as a learning tool in the classroom.
What High Schools do Villa Academy graduates attend? Students leave Villa Academy well-prepared for the challenges of high school, whether they choose to attend one of the Seattle area’s finest independent, Catholic, or public schools. For information on high school placement, click here.
ADMISSION What are the primary entry points to Villa Academy? The primary entry points for Villa Academy are at preschool, kindergarten, and sixth grade. There are limited spaces available in other grades and we encourage inquiries about openings for specific grades at any time. Please call the Admission Office at (206) 527-9388 or email admission@thevilla.org for more information.
How old does my child need to be to start school? Villa Academy follows the Washington State cut-off for kindergarten. Students must be 5 by August 31. For preschool classes, age cut-offs are as follows:
When should I start the application process? We encourage families to begin the application process in the fall of the year prior to desired admission. Applications received prior to our January 17th deadline will be considered in our first round of admission decisions which are made in late March. Late applications are reviewed on a rolling basis space permitting.
What does the application process involve? Because of the age range we serve, Villa Academy has designed developmentally appropriate application processes specific to preschool, kindergarten, 1st-4th grade, and 5th-8th grade. For specifics about each process, click here.
What does it cost to attend Villa Academy? The Board of Trustees establishes tuition for the following year each January. For the 2008-09 school year, annual tuition has been set at:
Tuition does not include uniforms, laptops, transportation, lunch, enrichment activities, or extended day care. Yes. Villa Academy offers need-based tuition assistance. For more information about the school’s financial aid philosophy and the application process, click here.
MISSION/HISTORY/PHILOSOPHY We are 104 years old! Villa Academy traces its roots to 1903, when the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart founded their first orphanage and school in Seattle on Beacon Hill. In 1914, Mother Cabrini (now St. Frances Xavier Cabrini) moved her mission to the Laurelhurst campus we occupy today. The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart continued to run both an orphanage and school on the property until 1950. In 1951, the Missionary Sisters closed the orphanage and concentrated their energies on the elementary school known as Sacred Heart Villa, which they continued to run themselves until the mid-1970’s. In 1977, with Archdiocesan approval, the governance of the school was turned over to an independent, lay Board of Trustees. Sacred Heart Villa became Villa Academy and the city’s only Catholic independent Preschool through Eighth Grade school. What do you mean by “whole child education?” Helping young people realize their full academic, social, and emotional potential is at the heart of our “whole child” philosophy. Our gifted teachers create challenging and dynamic classroom environments anchored by the individual relationship between student and teacher. Knowing each child’s learning style and talents helps teachers foster an intellectually challenging atmosphere in which children feel free to explore their relationships with each other, with God and with the world. Academically, teaching to the whole child means that Villa Academy faculty members work together, weaving core subject areas such as literature, science, and math in ways that allow each to enhance and build on the others. Making connections between and across core subject areas – as well as international languages, fine arts and physical education – makes subject matter come alive, providing students with a multi-dimensional understanding of our ever-changing world. What do you mean by “pursuit of excellence?” At Villa Academy, the pursuit of excellence means that the learning process never stops. While we celebrate our accomplishments, we also ask our students — along with our teachers, staff, and parents — to go further, to reach higher, and to be better. By embracing this philosophy as a way of life, students develop the character, the confidence, and the means to become all they are meant to be. No matter where in the world they go. Villa is a “Catholic independent” school. What does that mean? Villa Academy derives its Catholic identity from its founders, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. We have inherited the mission of St. Frances Cabrini, founder of the Missionary Sisters, to serve children through educating the whole person to intellectual, spiritual, and social/emotional growth in the context of a community. Religious education and service to others are integral parts of the school’s program. At the same time, Villa is an independent school, not a parish or parochial school. We are governed by our own independent Board of Trustees. This allows us to provide a smaller classroom setting and to determine and set educational policy to best serve the needs of our students. We receive our accreditation through the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS) and are financially self supporting. (We do not receive subsidies from any religious or corporate organization.) What are the benefits of a preschool through eight-grade program? In a recent study Keith Look, a researcher for the Philadelphia Education Fund, found that “by the end of eighth grade, students in the K-8 school showed higher self-esteem, less victimization by other students, greater levels of participation in extracurricular activities, and healthier adolescent development. ” The complete article is available here. Click here for a document outlining the results of a recent study on the benefits of K-8 programs. |
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