The Present

Our current faculty is comprised of devoted parishioners who dedicate themselves to the mission of the parish to raise the next generation of faith, Catholics who shape the world toward the good as they strive to manifest the Kingdom of God here in Idaho and beyond, under the guidance and assistance of our Parish Pastor and school Principal.

St. Paul’s is the vanguard Catholic school in the provision of education for the entire Treasure Valley. We are accredited by the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA), the same program used by all Catholic schools in Idaho, but we approach education as a manifestation of faith in the spirit of Saint Pope John Paul II, who confirmed that intellect and faith are not exclusive but complementary in the soul’s ascent to the Father.

Our day begins with mass from Monday through Thursday. This quiet, reflective experience with the Lord is followed by homeroom, where the joy of learning is focused and productive. St. Paul’s Catholic School caps classes at 18, ensuring our students have sufficient small group and individual conference with teachers. We dedicate the mornings to homeroom studies in the liberal arts, religion and mathematics before lunch. Then the second half of the day is more mobile and specialized as students approach science, PE, and Latin to the appropriate level according to the developmental capacity. We do not stress homework, though we always encourage reading at home, especially reading for enjoyment. Rather, we make the hours of class time highly productive, so that students may have time with family and friends in the evenings. This approach to balanced living is healthier and more productive in the long run.

Fridays are special at St. Paul’s. We do not celebrate mass as on other days; instead—after a brief morning session in home room—we devote our Fridays to sport, art, Theology of the Body, Catechism of the Good Shepherd and adoration and reconciliation. As students grow in the program, more and more becomes elective, as students begin to develop their personalities according to their gifts.

Saint Paul’s Catholic school is the nexus, the meeting place, between your family and our Church, the place that is then our family and our Church. It is a place of joy, love, peace, and virtue where students learn how to learn, how to think, how to treat others. Our values support yours, the values of our faith culture that has lifted society for two thousand years from the atheistic culture of selfish pursuits to the higher and more beautiful goal to make ourselves a gift for others. We recognize the danger of losing our Catholic culture; as Our Lord warns in Matthew (5:13), “if the salt shall lose its savor,” how will we regain our saltiness. The salt of our school life is love, joy, peace and virtue. We believe with conviction that living a life in Christ will transform us and the world, one soul at a time.

• Your children will learn and grow in a nurturing community that supports a living faith.
• Your children will receive a quality Catholic education that enables them to become contributing members of the Church and Society.
• Your children will be provided a distinctively Catholic education through the integration of Catholic beliefs and values in all learning experiences.
• Your children will receive a Catholic education in partnership with family, parish and the community, as a means of developing learners who can contribute positively to the Church and Society.

At St. Paul’s Catholic School we offer a student-centered learning environment that:

• Fosters the development of the whole person in mind, in body, in spirit and in soul.
• Approaches God through perception of the true, the beautiful, and the good.
• Analyzes and makes meaning of broad general knowledge of the liberal arts: literature, history, religion, mathematics, the sciences, and the arts.
• Encourages joy through frequent social engagement in highly social ways including hikes, retreats, dances, games, and sports.
• Embraces nature as an important and reflective and peaceful means in which God touches us and shows himself to us in creation.
• Models love of neighbor in all our plans, actions, conversations, and efforts to include every single member of our community. Everyone is our neighbor.
• Offers elective opportunities according to personal interest in sports, technology, science, religion, theology, spelling, geography, engineering, speech, drama, catechism, and crafts.
• Provides a safe learning environment in which everyone is respected as a gift of God.
• Teaches communication skills effectively in all classes and activities.
• Promotes Christ-like behavior in all learners as a basis of school discipline by the emphasis of the virtues (temperance, prudence, justice, and fortitude), by adhering to the teachings of the Church through the Theology of the Body (We are gifts to each other.) and the Catechism of the Good Shepherd (We are innately in communion with God.) and through the example of the saints—all three schools (Kindergarten, grammar, and middle (logic) schools) have patron saints, Francis, Benedict and Ignatius respectively, and each class has its own patron saint.

The Future

In 2013 our parish opened the new St. Paul’s Catholic Church, just a few miles from the old location. The new church and event center buildings were phase one of our capital projects. The  school to follow in the next phase.

St. Paul’s parish has started the Phase II of its capital campaign. St. Paul’s Catholic School is excited as this includes building a new daycare, preschool, elementary and middle school at the location on Roosevelt Avenue in Nampa.

The project continues to move forward as we look to create the best educational campus for our students. We are currently in the silent phase of fundraising. We appreciate your prayers for the breaking of ground and are blessed by your donations. We look forward to sustaining our mission, and increasing enrollment and programs for future generations.