It might be cold and rainy outside, but we are in the heat of the admission season for the 2010-2011 school year. Every year St. Margaret’s enrolls approximately 180 new students in preschool through grade 12.

Prospective students and their families learn about St. Margaret’s from a variety of sources: searching the internet for the best private schools, driving by our beautiful campus, and reading about athletics championships and artistic accomplishments in the newspaper. Most new students, however, come to us as referrals from you, our current St. Margaret’s families.

When a St. Margaret’s parent tells someone about our school it carries a lot of weight. It is the most valuable endorsement of our mission, core values, faculty, curriculum, extracurricular programs, and most importantly, our students. We ask you to join the effort in building the best St. Margaret’s community possible. Tell someone about St. Margaret’s.

We’ve planned a host of Admission events and activities in the coming weeks. Please take a few minutes to review the schedule on the right as well as a list of conversation points below highlighting the special strengths of St. Margaret’s. Then, tell someone and encourage them to explore the incredible opportunities available at St. Margaret’s for their children and family.

Ten conversation points about St. Margaret’s

1. Rigorous academic preparation: Foremost, for all St. Margaret’s students, the curriculum is rigorous and coordinated to engage students in learning and ultimately prepare them for college. Nearly 100% of graduates attend a 4-year college or university. St. Margaret’s is known as a top college-preparatory school with over 100 colleges and universities from across the country visiting campus every year to recruit our students.


2. Small class size for individual attention: Student to faculty ratios of 6 to 1 in the Preschool and 11 to 1 in the Lower School nurture the learning and social development of our youngest students. Average class sizes of 18 in the Middle School and 14 in the Upper School ensure students receive the support necessary to succeed in a rigorous academic environment while developing their own voice and sense of self.


3. Arts, athletics, foreign language opportunities abound: St. Margaret’s offer a breadth of courses and programs in the performing and visual arts, athletics and foreign language. High student participation rates and division-specific requirements ensure that every student realizes the full benefit of a liberal arts education.


4. 21st Century Learning Initiative: St. Margaret’s incorporates leading research and new technologies into curriculum, instruction and classrooms to prepare students to thrive in an evolving world. Students can teleconference with a guest speaker in Israel and snap digital images on their microscopes while learning new skills such as information literacy and digital citizenship. St. Margaret’s entered a research partnership with the University of California, Irvine for advances in 21st century instruction.


5. Outstanding faculty: St. Margaret’s recruits nationally and engages a competitive hiring process to find the best faculty who embrace our mission and fit in well with the community. Our faculty is comprised of 125 dedicated educators who possess a deep passion for education and enthusiasm and care for students’ learning. St. Margaret’s teachers are experts in their fields, engage in ongoing faculty development and professional learning communities, and take seriously their roles as mentors in students’ overall education and growth.


6. Character education and spiritual development: In the Episcopal tradition, St. Margaret’s emphasizes and nurtures moral integrity, spiritual growth, compassion, responsibility, and the courage to lead and serve others. Prospective parents who spend time with our Upper School students often say, I want my child to be like them.


7. Tartan Pride, a Special Community: When you step on campus it’s palpable. We are the Tartans! We enjoy a unique collective spirit and dedication to the school mission that is built on a close partnership between parents and the school. As the saying goes, families come to St. Margaret’s for the programs and stay for the community.


8. Commitment to diversity: We value our diverse family community comprised of 25% students of color and families from nearly 20 faith backgrounds. For the 2009-2010 school year, 17% of students received need-based financial aid. We believe our differences help define who we are and better prepare our students as global citizens.


9. Value and quality investment: St. Margaret’s benchmarks itself against the strongest Preschool — Grade 12 independent schools in the nation including La Jolla Country Day School, Detroit Country Day School, Princeton Day School and Sidwell Friends in Washington, D.C. We know that if St. Margaret’s performs strongly in this cohort, which it does, then it provides the premier private school education in Orange County and at a tremendous value considering the tuitions at the comparison schools are much higher.


10. Consistency and rich history: With a 30-year history of consistent leadership and focus, St. Margaret’s has a proven track record of living out its mission to educate the hearts and minds of young people for lives of learning, leadership and service.

Please feel free to forward this email to friends!

Hoop It Up! Basketball Jam Night
Friday, January 22, 6:45 p.m.

Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Sage Hill
Prospective Upper School families are invited for an exciting night of St. Margaret’s basketball action. Students will enjoy a pre-game dinner in the Tartan Center and parents will dine in the Pasternack Field House "Skybox" overlooking the court. Go Tartans!

Kindergarten Admission Playgroup
Saturday, January 23,
9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

“Stories that Sing”
Special Storytelling Event
Thursday, January 28,
10 a.m. (Ages 2-4)
11 a.m. (Ages 5-10)

Don’t miss this special performance by Lower School Librarian and nationally-renowned storyteller Victoria Burnett for prospective Preschool and Lower School families.

Middle and Upper School Shadow Visit Day
Monday, February 1

Admission Assessments
(Preschool, Grades 1-12)
Saturday, February 6
9 a.m.

Complete Application Deadline for Round I Admission Decisions
Saturday, February 6
12 p.m.

Evening Admission Coffee for Prospective Parents in Laguna Beach
Thursday, February 11 | 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Hosted in the Laguna Beach home of a current St. Margaret’s family, get together with other families and school administrators for an informal discussion about the opportunities that await your child at St. Margaret’s.

Artists Walk
Saturday, February 20 | 1 - 3 p.m.

Prospective parents: visit St. Margaret’s to see the vibrant performing and visual arts programs available to all students in Preschool - Grade 12. Hear from a student panel. Visit visual and performing arts studios, digital arts and digital photography labs. Learn about the St. Margaret’s new performing arts facilities. Be our guest for the 2010 Coffee House Cabaret, featuring student performers in music, dance and theater.

Round I Admission Decisions Mailed
Wednesday, March 10

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