MISSION & PHILOSOPHY

MISSION

Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Oakland educate children in the Catholic faith and nurture their minds, bodies, and souls, inspiring them to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, achieve their highest academic and creative potential, and actively serve and enrich the community.

PHILOSOPHY

Saint Jerome Catholic School is a Kindergarten through eighth grade parish school dedicated to a Christian philosophy of education. We at Saint Jerome Catholic School recognize that every person has equal dignity and an equal right to an education and we affirm the dignity and uniqueness of each child. We celebrate the cultural diversity within our school, and we seek to develop an appreciation of the richness it provides. We provide a student-centered environment stressing the development of the whole person. We recognize parents as the primary educators of their children, and teachers as facilitators in the process of education. We encourage the active participation of all parents at school, in home study, and in extra-curricular activities.

The curriculum is designed to enable the students to reach their full academic potential. We stress basic skills so that students will be prepared to participate fully in adult life. We acknowledge the importance of building a strong moral, ethical, and academic foundation so that all students have the basic tools and values to become productive and responsible members of their immediate Christian community and of society at large. Study of the Scripture, participation in the Liturgy, with emphasis on the Mass and Sacraments, and the importance of personal prayer life, is essential components of the educational process. We emphasize conscience formation to help students learn to make the right decisions in life by taking into consideration their obligation to God, to their neighbor, to their family, and to themselves.

We believe that passing on the teachings and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church is a primary reason for our existence as a school. We encourage curiosity about God’s marvelous world with the expectation that students will grow in reverence for truth, beauty, and goodness.