Building Bright Futures
Located in the heart of Noe Valley, with students from all over the Bay Area, attending preschool through 8th grade. We offer a K-8 rigorous academic curriculum that includes Spanish, Art, Music, Technology and Physical Education, along with an array of after-school enrichment activities offered on-site and a comprehensive K-8 sports program. Our students graduate to attend San Francisco’s top high schools.
“St. Philip’s School is a place where academic excellence and faith based learning combine to create an environment where students can succeed.”
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— Principal Mary McKeever
From the Principal
Welcome to St. Philip’s School of San Francisco, located in the heart of the Noe Valley. Celebrating over 80 years of service to the families of San Francisco, St. Philip’s School is a place where academic excellence and faith-based learning combine to create an environment where students can succeed.
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Our school opened in 1938 serving students from kindergarten through 7th grade. Today St. Philip’s School educates students from pre-school through 8th grade, including a transitional kindergarten class.
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The Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary dedicated themselves to the students of the school for 50 years, up until 1990. Since then, the school’s foundation in faith has been continued and nurtured, and is based on the teachings of the Gospel. Our students understand that love of God and service to others are the cornerstone of our Catholic tradition.
With a notable record in academic excellence, St. Philip’s graduates are accepted into San Francisco’s top high schools, where they thrive. Meeting the needs of all learners is at the heart of instruction here at St. Philip’s.
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Along with a rigorous curriculum, our students are given opportunities to succeed through a variety of enrichment classes, including Spanish, Art, Music, Technology, and PE. The school’s mission is to educate the whole child, and to help everyone reach his/her fullest potential. A dedicated faculty and staff provides guidance and support for all students and works closely with administration to create a motivated and loving environment that supports our students’ learning and growth.
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St. Philip’s School of San Francisco is proud of its incredibly strong, tight-knit community. Parents, the primary educators of their children, play an important role in supporting the school through their involvement both within and beyond the classroom.
I encourage you to come visit our wonderful school, and see the spirit of our Bruins, in a place where faith, academics, and community combine to give our students a memorable learning experience.
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Ms. Mary McKeever
Principal
Our Identity
MISSION
Rooted in Catholic faith and values, faculty, staff and parents partner to create an inclusive and nurturing learning environment. St. Philip’s School attends to the development of the whole child, through the pursuit of academic excellence and personal enrichment. Students are educated for lives of hope, joy, meaning and purpose to serve the common good.
SERVICE
Community service is one important way in which our students live out our Catholic values. Community service is required of all middle school students:
Grade 6: 10 hours/year
Grade 7: 15 hours/year
Grade 8: 20 hours/year
Examples of recent community service projects include a clothing drive, toy drive, volunteering at the SF/Marin Food Bank, and raising funds for communities affected by natural disasters. Student community service extends to education and activism as well.
St. Philip’s students were recently featured in national Catholic magazine Crux on organizing a student walk out and march to protest gun violence. Read more: Social Justice Built Into School Curriculum
OUR HISTORY
St. Philip’s School was dedicated by the fourth Archbishop of San Francisco John Joseph Mitty on August 7, 1938. The school opened its first year with 156 students in kindergarten through seventh grade. The first graduating class received their diplomas on June 6, 1940. The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) staffed the school for 50 years. Even as Catholic school teacher demographics shifted towards lay (non-religious) teachers, the sisters of the BVM were an integral part of the school staff until June 1990.
CATHOLIC FAITH & VALUES
St. Philip’s is one of 55 preschool and elementary schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco serving students in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties. As described by Superintendent Pam Lyons, Catholic schools create educational opportunities that not only address the intellect, but of equal importance, the spiritual, moral, and social aspects of every student. We recognize the importance of academic excellence and are diligent about ensuring that our students are receiving an education on par with, and in most cases, an education that greatly surpasses other local public and private institutions. The difference lies in our pursuit of academic excellence as a pathway to a greater good. Our curriculum is rooted in the Gospels that inspire a love of learning and the intellectual pursuit of the truth.
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At St. Philip’s, we share the Catholic faith by incorporating values of generosity, compassion, responsibility, friendship, honesty, perseverance and self-discipline into the curriculum and student life. Students of all faiths and those with no religious backgrounds are welcome and part of the St. Philip’s community.
OUR COMMUNITY
You’ll hear lots about the community of St. Philip’s. Our community takes care of one another, supports the success of all students, and has lots of fun. Recently St. Philip’s parents used these phrases to describe our community:
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Fun, Family, Network of Care
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Academic Rigor
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Social Responsibility
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Whole Child Development: Mind, Body & Spirit
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Faith and Catholic Identity
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Service
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Personal Integrity and Citizenship
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Safety
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Joy, Hope
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Dedication of all
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Ongoing commitment to improvement
Strategic Planning
In March 2019, our community initiated a robust and inclusive strategic planning process to guide the future for St. Philip School.
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As part of the strategic planning process, our community has also codified a set of school wide learning expectations known as the BRUINS criteria which are the basis for the Bruins Awards that are presented each month to one student in each grade.