Admissions Information
Thank you for considering School of the Madeleine for your child’s education
We are a Catholic parish K-8 school that fosters academic excellence in the context of a family-oriented community. We invite you visit our campus to learn more about us and connect with our staff at one of our upcoming admissions tours or information evenings.
Admissions Process - Tours & Information Events
Friday Tours: Friday School Tours beginning in September: Please call the school to reserve a spot for a Friday Tour at (510) 526-4744. Our Friday Tours begin at 9:00 AM.
Information Sessions: Information sessions will be held in person at the school on Thursday, November 14, 2024 @ 6:30 PM, and Friday, January 10, 2025 @ 8:00 AM. Please email admissions@themadeleine.com to register.
Application procedures include completion of an application form, payment of the non-refundable application fee, and submission of the child’s latest report card and test scores from the previous school. Once received and reviewed, an interview and test will be scheduled if there is space available in the appropriate grade. Once accepted, a non-refundable registration fee is required to enroll the child in school.
Our priority application deadline is January 31. Applications received after this date will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
We seek to provide quality education for children of St. Mary Magdalen’s parish as well as other parishes and religious traditions. Our policy is to accept students in the following order:
- Our parishioners with siblings in our school
- Our parishioners with no siblings in our school
- Non-parishioners with siblings in our school
- Non-parishioners with no siblings in our school
To be admitted into kindergarten a child must be five by September 1st of the current school year. By State regulation the school may not have children younger than this without obtaining licensing for pre-school. To be admitted into the first grade a child must be six (6) years on or before September 1st of the current school year. Where a child has been legally enrolled in another school, the student may be admitted to the school and placed in a lower grade as age appropriate at the discretion of the admitting school. An original birth certificate is required.
The parents will be interviewed by the Principal and, whenever possible, the pastor. This interview is for the purpose of acquainting the family with the school and also to answer any questions that the family might have.
A waiting list is maintained and priority is given according to the date of receipt of the application and the above criteria. All students entering grades K-8 will be evaluated. We welcome students of every grade level–space permitting. All new students will be on probation for the first trimester.
Preschool Evaluation
Please download the ‘Preschool Evaluation Form‘ and have it completed by your child’s preschool teacher.
Tuition & Financial Aid
Tuition and Fees:
Financial Assistance Information: Three types of financial aid are available.
- School of the Madeleine Financial Aid (up to $3,000 per child)
- The Pass It On Fund (up to $3,000 per child)
- Diocese of Oakland’s FACE Fund *or* The Basic Fund (up to $2,500 per child)
Applying for Financial Aid:
- Apply through FACTS for “Madeleine Financial Aid”, “FACE“, and “Pass it On Fund“. Make sure to indicate each financial aid option that you are applying for in the FACTS application.
- Apply for the BASIC Fund directly through their website
FACTS, the financial service agency, will evaluate each family’s financial need to constitute the eligibility of any financial aid award from FACE, Madeleine Financial Aid, and The Pass It On Fund. Madeleine Financial Aid is available according to family need and available funds. FACE and Pass It On Fund eligibility is available to families meeting the 80% HUD income limits for Alameda and Contra Costa County:
Income Limit Category Low (80%) Income Limits:
- 1 Person $80,000
- 2 Person $91,400
- 3 Person $102,880
- 4 Person $114,240
- 5 Person $123,440
- 6 Person $132,560
- 7 Person $141,680
Application Deadlines
- Madeleine Financial Aid and Pass It On Fund application deadline: March 31, 2025.
- FACE application deadline: March 31, 2025.
- BASIC Fund application deadline: March 29, 2025.
FAQ
What are your class sizes?
Madeleine class average from 25-30 students, and there is one class per grade. With partner-teachers in grades K-5, the student-to-teacher ratio is 15-1 throughout most of the day. Classes are frequently split into smaller groups to support learning. Our school environment is focused and engaging, with a high degree of personal interaction between teachers and students.
How is safety handled on campus?
Making the school a safe and secure environment for our children is one of the main priorities of the staff and faculty. In fact, the parents of the school rate safety as one of the aspects they most appreciate about the school. The Parent Handbook outlines a number of safety guidelines that the school implements: visitors and parents must enter through the main entrance and sign in and students are never left unattended in classrooms or on the school yard. The pick-up and drop-off via the parking lot is carefully monitored by teachers and safety coordinators. The playground and after-care activities also undergo specific guidelines. Above and beyond the issue of safety, students are encouraged to be respectful of one another and to handle conflicts verbally or with the help of teachers.
There are four security cameras, one at each access point and one overseeing the parking lot/playground.
During the school day all gates are locked and secure and the only access point is from the front of the school and entrance is monitored by surveillance and electronic door opener. Each visitor signs it at the desk.
What is the community like?
The strong parent community is one of the aspects parents most appreciate about the school. The Madeleine school community is welcoming, supportive, nurturing and inclusive. Parents have a strong informal network with one another as they meet in the morning for morning assembly or pick-up. A number of volunteer activities exist both in the classroom as well as in numerous committees that organize events and raise funds. Parents in individual classes are organized through the room parents and organizations such as the Parents’ Association.
As the Madeleine is a relatively small school, students know each other and care for one another. Popular community building programs among the students are “Faith Families” and the “5th grade-kindergarten buddy program”. Older students (Grades 7 & 8) go on overnight retreats that focus on spiritual and personal development. The students who graduate the Madeleine are confident and secure individuals who have a strong sense of “belonging” as a result of these programs.
What does it mean to be a Catholic school?
The School of the Madeleine is a Catholic school guided by Christian teaching and a spiritually based education. The school follows a curriculum that is based in Diocesan standards as well as the California standards and aims to provide a Christian education with a high academic excellence to students of all religious and ethnic backgrounds.
How do you handle student conflicts an discipline?
As a Catholic school, the issue of discipline naturally goes hand in hand with our moral and ethical framework. Students are encouraged to be “good to one another” and inclusive. They are taught to be responsible and self controlled and to build on our sense of Christian community. Incidents of abuse, harassments or threats to other students or teachers are not tolerated. They result in meetings with teachers, the principal and possibly suspension.
The school does have a therapist who supports children who need emotional support and guidance both individually as well as within a classroom context. The therapist assists in evaluating children who are going through a difficult time and coaches them. If a class is experiencing a particular challenge, he will also work with the whole class to create a better understanding and affect more positive behavior. The community relies on a harmonious school environment so conflicts are handled discretely and respectfully but are monitored carefully. Generally, the school has a very hands-on-approach – the principal is very involved with any issues, teachers take time to talk to students and encourage resolution and parents are informed and included in the discussion of any incidents that affect their child.
How involved is the church? How are religion classes conducted? How are non-Catholics treated?
All children attend “morning prayer” every day – a school-wide assembly intended to come together, reflect on a gospel message, announce special activities for the day or week and begin each morning with a prayer and our school motto of “Let’s be good to one another”. In addition, children attend Mass on special feast days or celebrations once per month. Religion classes are held for every grade and are age appropriate in the depth of their analysis and understanding. All second graders go through first communion preparations with their entire class. Children who are not Catholic are included in these lessons even if they do not participate in the actual sacrament.
Catholic values and beliefs are incorporated throughout the curriculum. Students with other religious beliefs are respected and encouraged to share their thoughts. Non-Catholic students are invited to participate in all religious activities in as much as they are comfortable. With roughly 25% of the student body being non-Catholic, the school stresses inclusion and respect for all beliefs. The school teaches and celebrates holidays of other traditions and cultures.
How strong is math, science, art, and other classes?
The School of the Madeleine has a high standard of academic excellence and all of its graduates are well prepared for the best public and private high schools in the Bay Area. Students and teachers have developed “Schoolwide Learning Expectations” that describe the goals that our graduates have: to be a spiritually developed individual, a person with self-esteem and resilience, a responsible steward to our society and the environment as well as a life-long learner.
The school also has an articulated grade-by-grade curriculum, which is available to all parents on this website as well as in published form. These guidelines form the basis of the teaching for each grade level and assure that the school follows a well-rounded and complete curriculum on all grade levels. Test scores of our graduates are generally very strong and science and math are particular areas of focus in the upper grades. With the skills, discipline and confidence that students learn at the Madeleine, they perform well in whatever academic direction they choose in High School.
How is the Kindergarten structured?
Our full-day Kindergarten has two full-time teachers and a part-time aide. Kindergarten starts the day at 8:00am with the rest of the school and ends each day at 2:50. Please refer to the curriculum part of this website for more of an introduction to the academic goals. A big part of the program is providing basic understanding of math and the alphabet in a tangible and hands-on way. Special activities include Library, Spanish, Music, Cooking on Fridays and Field trips. All Kindergarten children have a fifth grade buddy and they participate in Faith Families
How is the Extended Care Program?
The fee-based on-site Extended Care program is excellent – it offers art, games, out door activities and includes snacks. In addition, enhancement courses are available, such as Chess, Science Adventures, Cartooning, Tap Dance, Ballet, and more.
As part of ECP, the MAD Band provides weekly music lessons (individual and group) each school day, and 3 one-hour band rehearsals per week at the Madeleine. The rehearsals are completely underwritten by the Parents’ Association. The rehearsals are done by level (Advanced, Intermediate, and Beginning) and are held on Wednesday. These lessons and rehearsals are coordinated with the school’s after-school care program, making it easier for working parents.
How is the Sports Program?
The Madeleine Sports Program which is open to all children and grades really bring the community together on a regular basis and develops children’s sense of team-work and common goals.
It includes Basketball for boys and girls; Track & Volley Ball in some of the grades. The school participate in an eastbay Catholic school league. Although the older grades get increasingly competitive, the emphasis is not so much on the winning but more on sport’s skills and good sportsmanship.
What opportunities do parents have to socialize and build community?
The School of the Madeleine provides many communication opportunities between parents, staff, students and all members of the Madeleine community and every family is expected to volunteer at least 25 service hours to the school.