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COED MONTESSORI
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Our Mission Our Mission
Visitation Academy is a community that exists to educate children and young women and to receive and share Jesus as Mary did in her visitation to Elizabeth.
In an environment that values excellence in scholarship, spirituality, leadership and service, this Visitation community encourages students to develop their unique gifts.
As students learn to Live Jesus with gentleness, humility, joy, and freedom, they are prepared to continue to grow and to respond to others, the Church and the global community.
Prepare to BE amazed when you step into any Visitation Academy Lower School classroom. It won’t take long - seconds, maybe a minute - before something happens that will genuinely excite you.
You may see a young boy quietly using strands of beads to learn multiplication. You might witness a second-grade girl programming a robot or a group of fifth-grade students using Zoom to talk about their art projects with a classroom in South Africa.
Whatever you see, you’ll be thoroughly impressed.
The depth of Visitation Academy’s curriculum will astound you. Our students will inspire you, and you’ll soon realize this is where your child needs to be.
Our distinct educational philosophy stimulates curiosity and instills lifelong learning skills in a supportive, faith-based environment. Children gain a foundation for future success and build an inner strength that will last a lifetime.
Welcome to Visitation Academy. The place to BE for Montessori and primary education.
THE GREATEST GIFTS WE CAN GIVE OUR CHILDREN ARE THE roots of responsibility
AND THE
– Dr. Maria Montessori
MONTESSORI MONTESSORI
THE FIRST MONTESSORI PROGRAM IN ST. LOUIS
After a year of training, Sister Anne Madeleine Godefroy ’45, VHM, began the first Montessori class at Visitation Academy in 1963. In fact, Visitation was the first American Montessori school in the St. Louis area.
More than 60 years have passed, but the goals of a Viz Montessori education remain the same. With Montessori classrooms for Toddlers (2-3-year-olds) and Pre-Kindergarten (3-5-year-olds) and an innovative Kindergarten program that blends a more structured setting with the Montessori philosophy, the Visitation Academy coed Montessori program continues to help children reach their full potential in all areas of life.
Sister Isabel Nature Trail | Kindergarten STEM ASK US ABOUT
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd | Culture Projects
Discover Your WOrld Discover Your WOrld
Montessori students learn in a prepared learning environment. The entire classroom is thoughtfully arranged, granting children the freedom to explore interests through a number of multi-sensory and sequential materials that facilitate the learning of skills and abstract ideas.
Our American Montessori Society-certified teachers lovingly guide each child to build on existing knowledge and take on new challenges. Through this atmosphere of exploration and discovery, students experience the joy of learning and develop self-esteem and confidence.
Montessori education is rooted in concrete experiences that translate to abstract thought. From math manipulatives to sensorial experiences, Montessori students work with thoughtfully curated materials to explore and understand their world. Rooted in a child’s natural curiosity, this educational experience instills a lifelong love of learning.
Our Montessori curriculum includes:
Art
Cultural Studies (Geography, History, and Science)
French
Language
Mathematics
Music
Physical Education
Practical Life
Religion
Sensorial Activities
grades 1-5 g grades grades 1-5
As the St. Louis area’s only all-girl school for Grades 1-5, Visitation Academy celebrates the unique way girls learn and instills confidence and self-esteem. Our girls can freely express opinions, ask questions, excel in academics and athletics, develop talents, and become leaders.
Viz students are prepared to achieve and feel empowered to take on new challenges.
Our students are engrossed in learning and are excited about what each day may bring. Their excitement grows into a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world and the role they will one day play in it. This is how a lifelong love of learning begins.
Visitation offers girls abundant resources to ensure a solid foundation for the future. Our talented and experienced faculty is dedicated to helping your daughter reach her God-given potential. A low student/teacher ratio means
your daughter will thrive in an atmosphere of individual attention. Spacious and sunny classrooms bustle with learning. Girls collaborate in small groups, immerse themselves in books, present to their class, and consult with the teacher. Up-to-date technology is used intentionally to enhance learning.
At Viz, your daughter learns the world is filled with tremendous opportunities and possibilities. And she learns she can achieve extraordinary things.
Foundation Foundation
for the
Future Future A
Be
ACADEMICS
Childhood is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Investing in your child’s education during these formative early years lays the foundation for future achievement.
Our curriculum is challenging and innovative; your daughter will learn the skills necessary to succeed in the modern world. She will blossom and thrive while taking advantage of the opportunities in our Lower School. And she will be fully prepared for the academic demands of Visitation’s Middle and Upper Schools.
• Scientific inquiry comes to life through experiments and other hands-on learning activities in our outdoor classrooms and Innovation Space.
• Math classes are taught at an accelerated level - a grade ahead of traditional curricula. Girls flourish in an atmosphere of individual attention and learn to their full potential.
• While perusing the wonderful world of literature in our Lower School library, Viz girls develop a love of reading, learn the fundamentals of spelling, grammar, and sentence structure, and express themselves in stories, poems, essays, research papers, and more.
• Viz’s supportive environment gives each child many opportunities to hone public speaking skills. Students communicate their ideas with confidence and poise.
• By learning French and Spanish beginning in first grade, girls cultivate a global view from an early age. They are prepared for advanced foreign language study in Visitation’s Middle and Upper Schools.
• New technologies are continually integrated into our program to support learning and allow students to work in interactive and collaborative ways (1:1 iPads in Grades K-3 and laptops in Grades 4 and 5). Students are regularly taught the importance of digital citizenship and internet safety.
ASK US ABOUT
Robotics and STEM Program | Book Clubs | Student Ed Camps
First Ladies Project (Grade 2) | Entrepreneurial Studies (Grade 3)
State Projects (Grade 4) | Junior Achievement Biz Town (Grade 5)
TAILORED TEACHING
At Viz, we understand learning doesn’t only happen in the classroom, and our student-first approach emphasizes the creativity and problem-solving skills students will rely on for a lifetime.
We motivate students to Live Jesus by exemplifying the same humility, joy, gentleness, and thoughtful concern for others as St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. Together, our faculty helps young women discover and embrace their unique gifts.
We supplement classroom learning with real-world skills you won’t find in a textbook. We teach that there is true strength in the critical thinking, communication, and collaboration our students show at school and that these traits are worth living every day.
What we learn is the basis for who we will become. Guided by our Salesian values, Visitation Academy is renowned for an education that challenges and encourages young women to live their faith in and out of the classroom.
BeInspired
Inspired SPIRITUALITY SALESIAN
Visitation Academy is rooted in the Roman Catholic faith and strengthened by Salesian Spirituality inspired by the founders of the Visitation Order, St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal.
Salesian Spirituality is known for its universality and down-to-earth practicality. Because it is rooted in an understanding of human nature and the movement of God’s grace in each
individual’s life, it is a spirituality that people of all ages, cultures, and religions can embrace.
Just as St. Francis practiced the Little Virtues daily, students are encouraged to live the virtues of gentleness, humility, patience, thoughtful concern for others, balance, simplicity, courtesy, graciousness, joyful optimism, and genuine love, contributing to Viz’s respectful, loving community of faith.
ASK US ABOUT
Catechesis of the Good Shepard | Sacramental Program
Gummy Worms, M&M’s, and Honey Drops | Mary Crowning | Blessing Cups
Mes Amies | Maypole Ceremony Honor Guard
Built by Love and Faith
The History of Visitation Academy in St. Louis
1844-1846 N. Broadway
1846-1858 9th Street
1892-1962
1962-Present
1844-1846 - Two separate Visitation Convents and their associated schools operated in St. Louis, Missouri. The original St. Louis foundation, sent in April 1844, educated day scholars on 6th Street while the group of Sisters from Kaskaskia educated boarding students on N. Broadway.
1846-1858 - The two Visitation communities reunited in one building and operated one school that educated day students and boarding students on 9th Street between Marion and Carroll Avenues.
1858-1892 - Visitation relocated their growing Academy and Convent to a newly constructed building on Cass Avenue.
1892-1962 - Following the city’s westward expansion, the Sisters moved to Cabanne Avenue and erected the Visitation Convent and Academy, dubbed the Chateau on Cabanne.
1962-Present - Visitation Academy established its current location on Ballas Road.
Inspired by the de Sales’ family crest, one of the founding group of Sisters bestowed the first gold crescent on a Viz student in 1838, beginning the longstanding tradition of Viz graduates receiving a gold crescent at graduation.
1858-1892 Cass Ave.
Cabanne Ave.
Ballas Rd.
Founded in 1833 in Kaskaskia, IL, by a group of eight Sisters from the Georgetown Visitation Monastery in Washington, DC, at the invitation of Bishop Rosati, Visitation Academy is the Sisters’ testament to the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal, whose love and wisdom form the foundation of our teachings. The Sisters are united in their mission to receive and share Jesus, just as Mary did in her visitation to Elizabeth. Their gentle, prayerful spirit permeates campus, serving as an example for students and faculty.
Through the Sisters’ forward vision and thoughtful guidance, Viz continues to thrive. They have secured the Catholic future of Viz for generations to come through the Association of Christian Faithful (ACF).
This organization, composed of former faculty, alumnae, and past and present parents and grandparents, serves side-by-side with the Sisters, continuing their educational and religious ministry.
Be Involv
EXTRACURRICULARS ATHLETICS SERVICE ARTS ed
BE Creative: Arts BE Creative: Arts
A Visitation Academy education shapes your daughter’s future. She will develop an inner sense of joy, an insatiable curiosity, and, in the words of St. Francis de Sales, she will grow to “behold God in all things.”
Visitation encourages girls’ creativity through self-expression. We believe the joy that comes with being an artist is just as important as creating the art itself, so we make sure our atmosphere is collaborative, encouraging, and ready for exploration.
We offer an enriching arts program. In our dedicated Lower School art room, students delve into a variety of media, including painting, print-making, collage, ceramics, and sculpture. They learn the fundamentals of art - line, shape, color, pattern, texture - and use these fundamentals to form their own creations. They learn art appreciation by studying the lives and works of famous artists.
Their artistry continues to bloom in our music program. In addition to vocal performance, girls learn music theory; play instruments such as handbells, xylophones, drums, and recorders; and compose original songs using iPads. Students sample music from different genres and artists, gaining an appreciation for the diversity in music.
Through the arts, our students’ eyes are opened to the beauty of God’s creation. This appreciation will enrich their lives now and in the future.
- ST. FRANCIS DE SALES
Leadership skills develop in the classroom and through extracurricular activities. There is truly something for everyone at Viz!
BE Active: Athletics
Lower School students at Visitation Academy participate in CYC (Catholic Youth Council) sports, including:
• Basketball (Grades 3-5)
• Cheerleading Clinic (Grades Kindergarten-5)
• Girls on the Run (Grades 3-5)
• Golf (Grades 2-5)
• Soccer (Grades Kindergarten-5)
• Summer Sports Camps (Grades Kindergarten-5)
• Tennis Clinic (Grades 1-5)
• Volleyball (Grades 3-5)
BE Curious: Activities
After-school activities allow Viz girls to explore new interests, learn new things, and build friendships. Extracurriculars include:
• Art Club
• Barefoot and Balanced
• Bellarmine Speech Team
• Book Club
• Choir
• Cooking Club
• Music
• Science Club
• Student Council
• Student Ed Camps
Mes Amies
Mes Amies assemblies - meaning “my friends” in French - are Lower School assemblies that teach girls about building their spirituality and good relationships. Assemblies focus on the Salesian theme for each year. Sessions are planned and run by students in Grade 5.
At the beginning of the school year, girls are broken into Mes Amies groups, intermixing the grades and giving Visitation’s fifth graders leadership roles within their groups. Girls form friendships with peers from all different grades and foster a sense of community.
BE GENEROUS BE GENEROUS
As children learn to give from the heart, they grow in compassion and respect for others. In the words of St. Francis de Sales,
“Happy
are they who walk in the way of God’s love. Their hearts are changed.”
Service to the community is an essential part of a Visitation Academy education. We encourage service as a lifelong venture by instilling the importance of service at an early age. Even the smallest hands can help others.
In addition to regular service projects, Lower School students in Grades 1-5 make an annual trip to the St. Louis Area Foodbank. A unique service project is included as part of each grade-level retreat.
Our
students serve others with sincere joy and boundless love during their years at Viz and beyond.
Your child’s future begins here.
A Visitation Academy education celebrates the gifts that make our students unique while laying a foundation for success that will last a lifetime.
A Lower School student at Visitation Academy:
• Lives Jesus according to Gospel values and Salesian Spirituality.
• Shows respect for God’s creation.
• Is a person of character who understands the importance of serving others.
• Values and displays excellence in scholarship.
• Applies knowledge and skills across the curriculum and to real-world situations.
• Solves problems analytically, logically, and creatively through independent, critical thinking.
• Is a digital citizen in a global community.
• Applies effective study skills to academic work.
• Demonstrates responsibility and self-direction when collaborating with others.
• Models confident and responsible leadership.
• Appreciates cultural diversity.
Are you ready to BE who you are and BE that well?
ADMISSIONS
Visitation Academy in St. Louis is part of the Visitation Salesian Network (VSN), which includes additional Visitation schools in various areas of the country.
Guided by the Sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary, the Visitation Salesian Network is dedicated to forming minds and hearts in the spirit of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal.
