Our Lady of Talpa School holds sacred its responsibility and privilege to educate children in the Catholic, Vincentian tradition. We serve students from Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade in a welcoming, safe, and supportive environment. Our qualified and committed faculty and staff nurture the whole child and guide all of our students to set and work toward academic and personal goals for a lifetime of learning.
Eight of our faculty members have earned or are in the process of earing their credential and Master’s degree. These and all of our faculty and staff partner with parents, the primary educators of our children, to prepare students to advance to high school and college as qualified and competent scholars and leaders.
Our Lady of Talpa holds our children to high academic and moral standards and delivers personal attention to each student so that all of our children may reach their full potential. We believe in the value of education and are honored to be co-ministers of it, and we believe in our students.
Our Lady of Talpa School is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA). Our school curriculum follows Archdiocesan and California State Standards and provides instruction in Religion, Math, Language Arts (Reading, Writing, English, and Spelling), Social Studies, Science, Music, Art, Physical Education, and Computers.
Two-Year Kindergarten Program
Our Lady of Talpa School provides a two-year Kindergarten program (which includes one year of Transitional Kindergarten and one year of Kindergarten) that follows the structure described below:
Transitional Kindergarten
- The first year of our two-year Kindergarten program is Transitional Kindergarten, which we call “Kinder 1.”
- Children who are 4 years old by September 1 are eligible to enroll in Kinder 1.
- Kinder 1 follows a curriculum that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles created specifically for Transitional Kindergarten programs. The curriculum has an emphasis on the developmental stages of 4 and 5-year-old children.
Kindergarten
- The second year of our two-year program is Kindergarten, which we call “Kinder 2.”
- Children are eligible to enroll in Kinder 2 after they have completed an entire school year in Kinder 1. (Please note: Children who will be 5 years old by November 1, 2013 and are enrolling for the first time at Our Lady of Talpa School are eligible to enter Kinder 2 for the 2013/2014 school year.)
- Kinder 2 follows an academic Kindergarten curriculum.
Four year old students entering Kinder 1 advance to Kinder 2 when they have completed their first year of Kindergarten.
Students in Kinder 1 and Kinder 2 follow the same application process, tuition requirements, school calendar and uniform policy as the rest of the Our Lady of Talpa School community.
Benefits of Transitional Kindergarten
- Transitional Kindergarten boosts student readiness for Kindergarten by ensuring children possess the skills they are expected to know when they enter Kindergarten.
- Transitional Kindergarten gives students an extra advantage by preparing them developmentally, academically, socially and emotionally to thrive in Kindergarten and 1st grade.
- Transitional Kindergarten provides a solid educational foundation that is necessary for children to grow each year as life-long learners.
- Transitional Kindergarten bridges the gap between Pre-School and Kindergarten.
Title I
In addition to the core subjects, we also offer Title I services for students who qualify. The students who qualify are given small group instruction in reading and language arts 3 days a week for 40 to 50 minutes.
