HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL
Located in Encino, California, Our Lady of Grace School is a Catholic elementary and middle school for transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Cleveland formally opened the doors of Our Lady of Grace School in 1947. Seven years later, the bishop recalled these diocesan sisters, and six sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary arrived to staff the school. The school flourished under the administration of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and a new eight-room building was constructed in 1955 in response to an ever-increasing student enrollment. Eleven Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary taught in the ensuing years, and during the 1960's the school enrollment climbed to over 1,000 students in grades one through eight.
In 1969 an Archdiocesan mandate addressed the need for smaller schools, and gradually, the class sizes were reduced. By 1976 our target enrollment was optimized at 300 students, staffed by three sisters and eight lay teachers. Four years later a kindergarten was established, and in 1994 a pre-kindergarten was opened with sixteen students.
In 1985 a sister from the Sisters of St. Louis was appointed principal, and ten years later a sister from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet became the principal of the school. Currently, there is a lay principal.
An after-school day care program was opened in 1985 under the auspices of the Archdiocese Adeste program, sponsored by Catholic Charities. Four years later the day care program was restructured as a school-administered program, and coverage extended to include the half-hour before school. To meet the needs of increasing day care enrollment, the school acquired a 2100-square foot portable building. The day care program now utilizes a large remodeled classroom as well as the playground for its centers of activity. OLG day care has an average daily attendance of ninety students. Our Lady of Grace School celebrated its Golden Jubilee year in 1997–1998, with special events and activities for all to enjoy.
Our Lady of Grace School is committed to the effective integration of technology within the curriculum. Towards that end we have established a one-to-one iPad program. Every student in Kindergarten through 8th grade has been assigned an iPad with take home privileges. We have carefully studied the effective use of educational technology and are excited by its ability to challenge, support, and engage our students at all grade levels and across all content areas. As we look to the very near future, we see that tablet computing, digital textbooks, and on-line curriculum will play an increasingly important part in shaping the educational experience and success of our students. We seek to prepare them to become competent, creative, and caring citizens of the 21st Century.
