A warm welcome to St. Anthony of Padua School! For all families looking for a solid, faith-based education where 21st Century Teaching and Learning takes place, you have come to the right school. The old African adage says, “It takes a village to raise a child” and now, you are now a part of our village community.
As Principal, I am pleased to serve and be a part of this year’s dynamic faculty and staff. Our school has a rich history and was founded by the Sisters of Providence in 1940, and in 2015 we celebrated our 75th Diamond Anniversary. Last year, we we were so proud and honored to be named the “Best Private School in the South Bay” by the Daily Breeze! This year, we were voted “Favorite Private School in the South Bay”, and that is an equally great distinction. Thank you to all of the excellent teachers, students, parents and community that contributed to our receipt of these awards.
Here at St. Anthony’s, we proudly boast an extremely dedicated, professional, qualified staff with years of experience in both traditional and new-age pedagogy that directly involves the day to day use of technology infused into each classroom.
In 2015 the Gardena Valley News named St. Anthony’s Day Nursery (the preschool across the street from us), led by our Poor Clare Missionary Sisters, the Best Preschool in Gardena. Our sisters set a high standard for our students coming over to our school for grades Kindergarten through 8th.
Our history is rooted in our past, which traces back to our founding nuns, the Sisters of Providence, who have served our graduates well. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and their legacy continues. We are also thankful to have the sisters of another faith community, The Lovers of the Holy Cross, in our classrooms. St. Anthony’s elementary school aims to maintain that same standard of faith-filled education and excellence, thereby offering an 11-year long curriculum of learning in a consistent Catholic environment.
As a professional educator, wife, and mother of 5 children, I understand the extreme concern that parents have for their children, and know that the greatest gift that can be given to them, aside from the natural love of a parent, is an education that will pay dividends for the rest of their lives. Being the 8th of ten children, and experiencing a Catholic Education myself growing up, I now look back and thank my parents for the sacrifices they made help ensure and secure my future not only academically, but also keeping me in a safe and faith-filled environment where I could grow as a person without the fear of outside negative influences that could impede my social and character development.
Working together as a professional learning community, in the most effective partnership between Parents, Teachers and Students, we look forward to collaborating with you all this year to provide, facilitate, and coordinate enrichment and educational programs to our school, students, and school families. St. Anthony’s offers the type of learning community that allows each child to grow and reach their full potential academically, developmentally, and religiously enabling each student to see God throughout every aspect of life. It is in this faith-filled partnership that we truly teach our children the “art of living well” and set them on a path of faith and success for the rest of their lives.
I invite you to offer this great gift of a Catholic Education to your children as it is something that they as children and you as parents will regard as the most precious act handed down to them during their few years as a developing youth getting ready to face the world as an adult.
On behalf of the faculty and staff of St. Anthony’s I look forward to another wonderful and memorable school year! I encourage you to visit us frequently on our website at www.stanthonygardena.org for the latest updates.
Blessings,
Mrs. Grey, Principal