Cyprian's 3rd concluding paragraph above sums up the entire picture.
Maria, you I am sure are right about most of the World Orthodox schools. I actually didn't know that they are that bad.
However, I looked up St John of San Francisco Academy to check and it seems to be only for Orthodox Christian students.
It doesn't appear that any others are admitted, though it doesn't specifically exclude them, which is fair. Perhaps nearly all the students are Orthodox with maybe a small percent are from similar backgrounds. Or maybe all of them are Orthodox.
" The Saint John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy is an Orthodox Christian school, and as such, formal religious instruction, participation in the life of the Church, the Holy Mysteries, and regular Church attendance on Sundays and holy days are at the heart of our curriculum. All the students and staff participate together in the liturgical life of our school in the spirit of sobornost' - the uniquely Orthodox Christian mode of worship and fellowship. In addition to providing an outstanding preparation for college or university, this enables our students to be of benefit to our country and the Church. Saint John's Academy strives to instill in our students a lifelong desire to follow the head of the Orthodox Church, Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.
"By choosing Saint John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy, students and their families indicate a commitment to the religious nature of the school as well as a willingness to support the school's regulations regarding academic achievement, behavior, and participation in parental and student activities. "
-- http://www.stjohnsacademysf.org/student ... l-handbook
I am looking through this website. The schools seems very good. If I had had any children I might have sent them there !
Looks like a thorough, excellent, well rounded grounding in many useful subjects.
Below appears to be an older version of the school's Curriculum, from sometime before 2010. I believe the Academy offers Latin now ; I saw that somewhere. That's excellent. Latin was my favorite subject in junior high school ; I have always been so glad it was mandatory at my school. With knowledge of Latin, one can more easily learn modern Romance languages.
St John of San Francisco Academy also teaches French, which is superb. Knowledge of French ALWAYS pays. Even in the most remote areas of the world, one might come across one person from the older generation who speaks French but no English. Hence it is a valuable lifeline to communicate, particularly if one is in need of assistance from the locals !
After all, French was the most important language in Europe for centuries. Even the Russian court and upper class learned it from childhood and were more conversant in French than in Russian.
In much of the world, ability to speak French has always been part of a cultured upbringing.
If one travels to France itself, a French speaker can open many doors that would be closed to a non-French speaker. The French rightfully expect to be addressed in their own language by visitors to their country.
I see in this Curriculum classes in Science / Health. That latter topic is a top notch idea to teach children when young so as to get a good start in life with healthy living.
Grades K-2
•Religion
•English Language
◦Phonics
◦Reading (Phonics based)
◦Spelling
◦Poetry
◦Penmanship
•Arithmetic
•Science/Health
•History/Geography
•Russian or Greek Language
•Music Appreciation
•Art
•Physical Education
Grades 3-5
•Religion
•English
◦Writing
◦Spelling
◦Reading (Literature)
◦Grammar
◦Penmanship
•Arithmetic
•Russian or Greek Language
•Science/Health
•History/Geography: American & World
•Music: Theory & Appreciation
•Art
•Physical Education
Note: From Grade 3, subjects begin to be taught more and more in dedicated sessions with their own teachers, and students benefit from a variety of different teachers contributing to their studies and growth.
Grades 6-8
•Religion
•English Language
◦Spelling
◦Grammar
◦Latin and Greek word roots
•English Literature
◦Reading
◦Writing
◦Poetry
•Mathematics
•Russian or Greek Language
•Science/Health
◦Biology
◦Physical Sciences
◦Chemistry
◦Geology
•History/Geography: American & World
•French
•Music: Theory & Appreciation, Kliros (Church Singing)
•Art: Application, Appreciation, and History
•Physical Education
High School Study Program
•Continuation of all above subjects
•Orthodox Seminar *
•AP American History
•AP Biology
•AP Calculus
•AP English Language and Composition
•AP English Literature and Composition
•AP French
•AP Government
•AP Physics
•Ballroom Dance
Extra-Curricular/additional subjects
•College Counseling
•Photography
•Church Choir Singing