What is the school's mission?
Veritas Academy seeks to assist parents in raising their children to be well-educated men and women of good character. We provide our students with a challenging academic education and a character education program designed to help our students grow in virtue. The school offers religious instruction faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church. We also seek to foster good intellectual habits, encouraging the children to reason clearly, think critically, and pursue the truth in all areas of religious and academic inquiry. Moral relativism and intellectual relativism have unfortunately become staples of many contemporary classrooms. They are often misrepresented as tolerance or multiculturalism, an unfortunate distortion of two concepts that can play a positive role in education. The name "Veritas" has been selected because the school’s founders wish to restore the pursuit of truth to primacy in the classroom, in all areas of moral and academic inquiry.What is the school's teaching philosophy?
The primary means of teaching will consist of whole class-instruction, combining lecture, question-and-answer and discussion. In general, each subject will be taught separately and independently. Although common themes that appear in several different subjects will be noted and discussed, "thematic" or "unit" learning will not be the normal method of instruction. In areas where basic skills and facts are essential, particularly reading, spelling and mathematics, large amounts of classroom time may be spent on practice, drill and memorization, particularly in the younger grades. In the science classes, teachers will combine direct instruction in the principles of science with ample time for hands-on experimentation. In history, students will be encouraged to use the facts they have learned to think about the underlying causes of historical events and to identify long-term patterns and trends. While individual students may lag in certain areas of study and may require additional help to master certain concepts and skills, in general all students will proceed at the same pace in all classes. Students who excel in a particular subject will be encouraged to explore topics in greater depth.Where is the school located?
The school will be located at a suitable site in Santa Clara, California. The exact location will be communicated to all parents and interested parties as soon as lease negotiations are completed.How much does it cost?
Tuition will be $2,500-$3,000 per year per student. An enrollment fee of $500 per student is required to accept the school’s offer of admission. This fee will be deducted from the tuition balance; however, the $500 fee is not refundable in the event that the family changes its mind about the student attending Veritas Academy. The remainder of the tuition will be due in two equal installments due on August 1, 1999 and December 1, 1999. An exact tuition figure will accompany the offer of admission.What are the school hours and calendar?
The school’s hours of operation will be 8:45 A.M. to 2:45 P.M. The first day of school will be Tuesday, September 7, 1999. There will be no school on Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day and Memorial Day. The Christmas vacation will be from Friday, December 24 to Sunday, January 2. The Easter vacation will be from Good Friday through Easter Week. Barring unforeseen school closures, the last day of school will be Friday, June 9, 2000.Do the students wear uniforms?
All students will be required to wear uniforms. The uniform for boys will consist of navy slacks (no jeans or corduroys), a white dress shirt (long- or short-sleeved) and a navy tie. The uniform for girls will consist of a navy, pleated-skirt jumper and white dress shirt. Both boys and girls may wear an optional forest green V-neck sweater. A list of acceptable uniform vendors will be available from the school during the summer months.What about textbooks?
Textbooks are included in the tuition fee. Students will be expected to take good care of all school-issued materials, and will be charged if books are damaged beyond reasonable wear-and-tear. All hard-bound textbooks must be covered with durable paper at the start of each school year to extend the life of the book. Parents are also advised to cover all disposable workbooks with clear contact paper to ensure that they last through the end of the school year. A list of required school supplies (notebooks, pens, etc.) will be issued at the beginning of school.Is there a service requirement?
Parents will be expected to contribute at least 40 service hours per year. These activities could include clerical or library work, fundraising activities or classroom instruction in a specialized area like physical education, computers, music, art, etc. Parent service hours will be logged and tracked. The 40 hour requirement is per family, not per student.Are there other requirements?
Parents are expected to be actively involved in their children's education, especially by supervising and checking homework, helping study for tests and attending all meetings as requested by the teacher. Parents are expected to make academics the child's first priority, over and above any extra-curricular activities, including sports and music lessons. Although reasonable accommodation may be made on a case-by-case basis for children with occasional schedule conflicts, this privilege will not be continued if the child's studies suffer as a result.The school will provide monthly evening seminars for parents to introduce them to the coming month’s virtue theme. At least one parent is required to attend each seminar, so they can be better equipped to help the student focus on that particular virtue at home. These seminars will be open to the general community, and parents are welcome to invite other interested parents and friends.
