President's message
Dear Friends,
Thank you for making the 2016-17 school year at St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy (PMA) another remarkable year of continued growth. We continue to focus relentlessly on our mission of providing a challenging Catholic college preparatory education in a supportive learning community that will positively affect the lives of teenagers, and provide opportunities for all students to grow in faith, learn without limits, and live with a purpose. Our firm belief that a college education is a right rather than a privilege inspires our teachers to enthusiastically promote each student as a significant member of the PMA community, guiding them past any obstacles that could keep them from seizing academic, personal, and spiritual growth opportunities. That inspiration and hard work has resulted in an enrollment growth of over 50 new students in one year, despite the tremendous financial hardships faced by nearly 90% of the families we serve.
In addition to our remarkable enrollment growth, we also accomplished many milestones in our progress since the establishment of St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in 2013 including:
- Graduating the first coed Class of 2017
- Developing the Campus Master Facility Plan
- Through a generous grant from the Steinmetz Foundation, we launched the Jaime Escalante Math summer program for incoming 9th graders to in partnership with the Los Angeles Community College District increasing learning performance and better preparing students for college preparatory math
- Welcomed missionary discipleship team from Hard As Nails Ministries to renew the fire of the Catholic faith and bring healing to students and families through an event called the "Amazing Invitation"
- Built and developed the PMA Makerspace lab to encourage project based learning models and provide students with the latest technology to create, problem solve, build skills for collaboration and innovation through the utilization of new technologies
- Entered into partnership with the SLAM Music program offering music classes on campus with volunteers from USC teaching guitar, piano, and drums.
- Welcomed alumni back for the first Homecoming Game in the Fall of 2016
- Launched 11 man tackle football program. First game on campus since 1997 was played on August 25, 2017
- Growth in overall athletic participation with league titles in Cross Country, Flag Football, and Boys Volleyball
- Launched the PMA Parent University program to generate more parental involvement and assist parents in building increased awareness of family dynamics, understanding of social-emotional learning and educational achievement, building upon effective communication skills and support systems for teens beyond high school
- Aligned the administrative structure to President/Principal model
Our ongoing goal is to provide an outstanding education infused with Catholic values that will help teens and their families do their part to restore a culture that seems to be disintegrating rapidly. These values of knowledge, faith, beauty, goodness, and life are the values of our Catholic faith which are universal to all of humanity. Our school theme for this year is “Heart of God.” The gospel of Matthew (6:21) reminds us that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” I encourage you to allow the heart of God, which encompasses all love, to penetrate your heart so that you may recognize your significance as God’s beloved and seize the plentiful opportunities to share that same love through your support of our students. I believe we are sowing the seeds now to help restore a culture of goodness and righteousness by this generation of students. In this sense, we will transform our world to dwell in the "heart of God." Be part of our exciting growth by joining us on our social media sites, spread the word to your networks of friends and family about the exciting things that are unfolding at PMA, and consider supporting our mission by making a charitable contribution to help us sustain this important ministry. Your support is vital to our success.
Thank you wholeheartedly for being a valued member of our community. I look forward to sharing more of our progress throughout the year as we journey towards dwelling together in the “Heart of God."
Sincerely,
Erick Rubalcava,
President
CLASS of 201772 graduates 100% Graduation Rate 100% College matriculation 1 Posse Scholar 4850 hours of service $1.1 Million in scholarships 1st Coed Graduating Class |
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THE PMA VISION
We will excel in creating a Catholic educational environment where students recognize their significance in our school community, are encouraged and supported to seize opportunities to grow and to lead, emerging as empowered, faith-inspired and contributing citizens of their community and the world. We will be known for visionary leadership; innovative and passionate educators; inspired, tenacious and optimistic students; supportive families and an engaged community.
OUR GOALTo instill the values of faith, knowledge, and leadership in teens in order to impact the world |
allocating ResourceS to EVOLVE our values |
COMPANIONS ON OUR JOURNEY TOWARDS GROWTH |
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE LAUNCHING NEW HORIZONS |