Convent & Stuart Hall

We recognize that engaging students as producers and innovators is a global imperative; empowering them to be change-makers and influencers impels us to create a learning experience to prepare students for what is next, academically and for life. Convent & Stuart Hall embraces an educational philosophy that is timeless and timely. Grounded in over 200 years of educational experience and tested practice, we are alert to the needs of today as much as we value the lessons of the past.

In our current Strategic Plan we outline a vision for Convent & Stuart Hall in 2020: "An education of mind, Heart and body that realizes the best in students so each may live with grace and intellect, preparing them to shape their present and future and to be a positive force, locally and globally, in their rapidly changing world." Convent & Stuart Hall believes in the unique power of educating girls and boys separately and together. The fundamental value in this paradoxical school structure is the lived experience of our students, as they see possibilities in themselves beyond social norms.

With an intentional suspension of the societal and cultural roles and behaviors assigned to boys or girls, our school environment provides a well-scaffolded framework for students to grow fully into all the dimensions of their being. In this context, girls and boys see themselves as physicists and authors, actors and athletes, thinkers and friends.

Developmental research shows that boys and girls generally develop sensory cognition differently. As an entry point for learning, research suggests that girls learn better when the instruction begins with words, either spoken or written. Boys, on the other hand, might engage new content with visual cues. With learning considerations like this in mind, we design customized, heuristic approaches to pedagogical delivery, providing a focused and direct path for boys’ and girls’ learning. This awareness allows for optimal instructional delivery and increases the depth and breadth of content. In every classroom, girls and boys equally embody expertise across all disciplines, without prejudgement or a societal message that may constrain achievement or opportunity.

The majority of the academic experience is in a structured girls or boys environment. As students mature and develop through adolescence, we leverage the deeper complementarity of girls & boys learning together with increased coeducational offerings, providing expansive opportunities for our students to thrive. In our community, girls and boys interact with one another regularly. Performing on the stage together, literally and metaphorically, our students understand what it means to live in a coed world.

As Sacred Heart educators, we believe the integration of sensing in all its forms – intellectual, spiritual, emotional and physical – is foundational to teaching and learning. In addition, a developed interiority and a sense of purpose increase the capacity for the education to take hold and be relevant.

As independent school educators, we are impelled to design and deliver a pre-eminent education for each student. We emphasize serious study and cultivate social responsibility with a view toward imbuing our students with a sense of purpose unique to the age in which they live.

Our curriculum provides students with contemporary avenues of learning as well as essential strategies for expressing and engaging with their ideas. Programming is Timely & Timeless, advancing communication and critical thinking skills through digital literacy and design course work in context with the humanities, mathematics, sciences and the arts. As Sacred Heart educators, we provide students with the space and tools to explore their personal faith journey.

Research shows that from an early age, children display an earnest interest in the “big questions” of life, of God and of the nature of existence. The Religion, Theology & Spirituality Department takes deliberate care to curate and develop a curriculum that invites students to access and explore these questions in developmentally-appropriate ways. From kindergarten into their high school years, Convent & Stuart Hall students develop a recognition of the complementarity of faith and reason in the personal search for meaning and truth. In and out of the classroom, each student is encouraged to explore their beliefs in an atmosphere of awareness and compassion.

Throughout the curriculum, students gain insight into how world religions and cultures around the world attempt to engage with the big questions, with a consistently referenced through-line of Catholic faith, values and spirituality. We confidently engage our Catholic heritage, encouraging dialogue and the expression of the many faith traditions represented by our students. Our youngest students access these concepts through story and with practical applications in regard to what it means to be “a good person.” By middle school and throughout the high school years, students extend an enhanced level of sophistication to class discussion, immersing themselves in complex theological and philosophical texts to challenge, develop and deepen their spiritual and ethical understandings. A Convent & Stuart Hall student strives to be a critical thinker who is willing to tackle tough questions, to examine and challenge their beliefs and to participate fully in a dialogue-rich, inclusive and faith-filled community.

Pine/Octavia Campus
Address: 1715 Octavia, CA
Postal Code: 94109
Phone: +1 415 3455811