San Gabriel Christian School Annual Report 2016 As a Christ-centered K-8 school, San Gabriel Christian School (SGCS) has served thousands of families throughout the San Gabriel Valley over the past 67 years. Since 1949, SGCS has been committed to bringing glory to God by offering the highest quality education in an environment that encourages the development of committed followers of Jesus Christ. San Gabriel Community Church (SGCC) has a deep desire to disciple the next generation through the school ministry. SGCC has been committed to prayerfully and financially supporting the school ministry since the school s inception and will continue to do so into the future. The motto of SGCS, Excellence in Education, will be highlighted in the following pages of this annual report, testifying to some of the wonderful things the Lord has done through SGCS this past year. San Gabriel COMMUNITY CHURCH & CHRISTIAN SCHOOL In the 2015-2016 school year, there were 238 students at the start of the year. This school year, there were 235 students at the start of the year. During the 2015-2016 school year, San Gabriel Christian School successfully renewed its accreditation status by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the Western Association of Colleges and Schools (WASC). These are two of the most recognized accrediting associations for Christian schools and all schools. The accreditation renewal process occurs every 6 years and is a means to evaluate the school in meeting all accreditation standards. Through this process, the school also developed an Improvement Plan. SGCS is currently in the process of carrying out the first year of this plan. This past summer the school hired a new principal, Joel Staggers, to lead the school ministry. San Gabriel Christian School is blessed with a wide range of excellent teachers and staff who seek to carry out the mission and vision of the school. Through the care and involvement of teachers, staff, students, and volunteers, all of the programs, activities and field trips have reinforced the goal of providing an excellent education for all students in the name of Jesus Christ. Educational Excellence The Terra Nova scores for our First through Eighth grade classes placed our school in the top 15% of private schools around the nation. The following link will take you to the Terra Nova Scores on our school website: http://sangabrielchristian.org/test-results Academic preparation is a major emphasis of the school s educational program. The students are challenged to achieve their academic potential in each area of study. There are also multiple opportunities for students to develop the gifts the Lord has given them in the areas of art, music, and athletics. (continued on next page)
This past year, SGCS continued to provide an art program that incorporated a wide range of fine art opportunities. Students were able to develop skills in graphic arts, pottery, three-dimensional art, multiple modes of drawing, and painting. SGCS also continued to offer a strong music program that allowed students to explore a wide range of instruments and learn the fundamentals of playing and performing in an orchestra and band. Performance opportunities included a Christmas and a June concert, school and community outreach performances and festival participation. The instrumental students participated in an LA Philharmonic Symphony for Schools event as well as performed a Disney Stage for Disney s Community Arts Showcase after winning their audition. The school also continued to offer an excellent choral program that allowed students to develop their vocal ensemble abilities as they learned to harmonize and make beautiful music together. In addition to the Christmas and June concerts, the choirs performed with Disney s Performing Arts Showcase, the annual Festival of Worship at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles, as well as ACSI and Kodaly Festivals. The elementary classrooms received weekly music classes which implemented the renowned Kodaly pedagogy, used to prepare the classes for their participation with the drama team in the annual Spring Concert. The Spring Concert presented the gospel message through drama and music. The SGCS Library currently holds over 19,000 items in its collection (including fiction, nonfiction, reference, periodicals, professional/parenting books/dvds, audio and Ebooks). Where the national goal is to provide at least 25 titles per student, the SGCS library provides 80 titles per student. Throughout the school year, the TK- 5th grade students visit the library weekly and benefit from having stories read to them in addition to learning how to find report materials. Through the STAR and Accelerated Reader Programs, two comprehensive quiz-taking tools, students improve critical thinking skills and help build an intrinsic love of reading. With the recent upgrade to the Accelerated Reader 360 program, students gained access to over 100,000 quizzes, with parents having the ability to also monitor scores from home. Student athletes in the 6th-8th grades, as well as a few from the 4th and 5th grades, represented Christ and SGCS well as they competed in volleyball, basketball, soccer, cross country, football, softball, and track. In volleyball the girls won first place in the 2015 Division 2 Christian School League. In basketball the boys were recognized with 1st place in the Knights Christmas Tournament in 2016. SGCS teams have also consistently been recognized for excellent sportsmanship. A growing after school program has offered our students a wide range of fun learning opportunities in robotics, computer programming or coding, foreign languages, cooking, art, and a homework club. This program continues to expand as we offer a variety of courses each quarter. A strong staff development program has allowed SGCS to continually help our teachers to improve and grow as educators. In addition to Teacher In-Service days where in-house trainings were conducted, SGCS teachers attended a myriad of seminars pertaining to Best Practices in Learning Math, Kodaly Choral Workshop, Computer Using Educators, Special Education and English Language Learners. This current school year, the teachers are walking through a study on building a culture of grace with a DVD series by Paul David Tripp as they learn to shepherd the hearts of our students.
Staying on the cutting edge of technology, each classroom has been equipped with a projector, Apple TV, a document camera, and other technology resources. The teachers have enhanced learning by using apps and teaching methods that take advantage of new technology. In the 4th and 5th grades, through the school s ipad cart, students were able to become familiar with the use of Dropbox and many report-enhancing features. The school s ipad cart gave each student access to an ipad as needed throughout the day. In the 6th - 8th grade 1:1 ipad program, educational apps were loaded onto each student s ipad and students learned to use many tools of technology across different school subjects. Throughout the programs offered at SGCS, there has been a continued emphasis on the spiritual growth of all students. Students have Bible classes throughout the year and also attend chapel each week. The school has retained a distinct focus on teaching the Word of God as the ultimate foundation and source of absolute Truth. International Students In 2016, SGCS became an I-17 school that is able to accept I-20 international students. The United States government has recognized SGCS as an official school that can issue I-20 student visa forms to international students who are accepted at our school. Taking a balanced approach, this program opens new doors for SGCS to serve students from around the world.
Bulldog Summer Program During the summer, San Gabriel Christian School operated a full, ten-week program that offered morning academic and enrichment classes, afternoon day camps and various sports camps. In 2016, the program was heavily attended by the community, with a total of 550 students. Over 80% of the attendees were students outside of the SGCS community. In addition to classes in reading, writing, math, and science, students were able to build rockets, learn to sew and knit, take classes in photography, cooking, baking, electronics, woodworking, and much more. Students were also able to participate in weekly Bible Club and Chapel, Basketball, Volleyball and Soccer Camps, assemblies and special events. Many of the students have returned year after year to attend the summer program. Financial Update SGCC and its ministry of SGCS have operated debt free for over 67 years. Having rent-free use of the SGCC facilities and campus, along with the generous support of the school and church communities, SGCS has been able to keep tuition at a competitive rate. The school has sought to pay employees well to retain qualified educators and staff, without compromising its gospel-centered mission. The SGCS financial aid program has helped more families afford a Christian education for their children. The school continues to pursue good stewardship of SGCS tuition dollars and the annual fund to assure that such funds directly benefit SGCS students.
Our Facilities The Church and School have steadily been improving the facilities on campus. Below is a summary of a number of the facility improvements completed in recent years. Though less visible, the school has consistently upgraded the wireless network capability so students and teachers are able to connect at higher speeds with greater stability and security. Some of the facility improvements include the following: Renovated 12 classrooms with a plan to continue to renovate all classrooms Substantial landscaping around the outside of the facilities Renovated the Basement to create a café area and better instructional spaces for school chapels and events Replaced monument sign on Las Tunas Drive Replaced locker room restroom partitions Remodeled several restrooms with a plan to continue to remodel other restrooms Replaced and repaired several roofs of various buildings Upgraded the electrical system across the campus Installed sunshade panels in Promise Land Playground Renovated the Student Services sick room What Does the Future Look Like at SGCS? We want to continue to integrate technology within our classrooms and provide students and teachers with technology tools needed to provide an excellent education. We want to continue to broaden our Summer Camp program to provide families within the community a Christ-centered, safe, and fun summer camp experience. We are exploring the possibility of expanding the SGCC Timothy Tots program to a Pre-school program for families within the community. This could become a feeder program for SGCS Kindergarten. Many alumni and families have asked if the school would consider adding a high school program to provide our K-8 students with a complete K-12 education. At this time, we are prayerfully considering adding a high school program to San Gabriel Christian School. Praise the Lord for all He is doing through SGCS! Please continue to pray for our school as we seek to follow God s plan in all that we do. SGCS is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International & the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. SGCS admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its education policies, admissions policies, scholarships & loan programs, and athletic & other school-administered programs.