ZION LUTHERAN SCHOOL
Our Curriculum
Welcome to Zion Lutheran School!
I understand that any decision about your child’s education is an important one, and we appreciate the fact that you recognize Zion as a quality school for your consideration.
Zion is an academically rigorous Christian private school in San Francisco that offers the necessary support so that students can achieve their fullest potential. In addition to following the California state educational standards, our school utilizes the Core Knowledge Sequence, which is a research-based curriculum that answers the call for academic excellence and higher literacy with its solid, specific, integrated core curriculum that establishes a strong educational foundation for our students.
Our well-rounded curriculum includes art, music, physical education, integrated technology education, and foreign language in addition to the core subject areas. We provide limited class sizes so that our teachers and administration can provide individual attention to our students and their families. With strong academics and a spiritual foundation, our graduates are well-prepared for their high school experiences.
I look forward to having the opportunity to partner with you on your child’s behalf. The staff and I are here to serve you. You are important to us, and we are openly available to you should you have any further questions. I would love to have you make an appointment for a personal tour of our facility so that you can familiarize yourself with our school and meet teachers and staff. I look forward to seeing you soon!
Blessings,
Principal Lee
Literacy
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Science
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Writing
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Geography
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Mathematics
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Physical Education
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Fine Arts
Zion offers many different outlets for our young artists. Whether your child's medium is drama, art, music, or dance... we have a little something for everybody.
Classroom teachers in all grades incorporate art into their curriculum. Whether it is a study of a particular artist or a general technique, the benefits of art are numerous. Arts education has been shown to improve problem solving skills, cognitive skills, fine motor skills, social skills, and language. Arts education also encourages students to take risks, and learn from their mistakes.
For example, our 5th grade teacher Mrs. Ward integrates many art projects into the curriculum. Mrs. Hovatter's 4th grade students perform an annual class musical called "Geology Rocks," teaching their parents and younger students about geology concepts through song and dance.
All of Zion's K-8 students participate in music classes instructed by our school music director Danny Clay. K-5 students take part in choir twice a week and additional twice a week music education classes. Middle School students participate in choir once a week. Mr. Clay exposes the students to different musical genres, vocal production, music education and various percussion instruments. Watch our video "A 'Note' from Zion," in which 1st through 5th graders illustrated and vocalized a musical note or sound.
Zion's student choirs:
Angel Voices: grades K-2
Cantate Choir: grades 3-5
Joyful NOIZ: grades 6-8
Annual Spring Musical
Zion Lutheran School's thirty-second annual spring musical will take place on April 12 and 13, 2019. The musical production's title will be revealed in Novermber 2018. Zion has a long-established commitment to its fine arts program. Zion has produced children's favorites from Cinderella to Mulan, and classics from Guys and Dolls to The Sound of Music. The show is free and open to the public so please join us!
Spring Musical Facts
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Grades K-8 participate
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Full musical production
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A "role" for every child - chorus, lead role, set design and more
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Acting and speaking skills
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2019 - 32nd consecutive year
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Introduction to theater
"If there is an area Zion could not do without, it's their music and performing arts programs. The strong academics are certainly a big plus, but these programs, which are introduced in kindergarten, prepare our children for public speaking and performances. By the time they graduate, each of our girls will have participated in 18 Advent services and spring musicals. We also love that our house is filled with songs from Broadway musicals like "Oliver", "Oklahoma" and "Fiddler on the Roof". For both of us, it brings back many fond childhood memories of dancing and singing by the piano with our families while growing up. And now, we get to bond with our own family in the same way."
- David and Gwen, parents of a current 8th grader and alumna
Handbell Choir
Handbells choir is open to students in 5th through 8th grades. Practice is once a week with multiple yearly performances.
"The handbell choir is very exciting. Children in fourth to eighth grade are allowed to participate. We practice once a week and play throughout the school year on Sundays and Wednesday during Chapel. I am in the handbell choir and it is very fun. Even if you don't know how to play the bells, you can still participate as long as you know how to ring a bell. The handbell choir director even highlights the notes for you! It is a great experience and you are honored in the picture at the end of the yearbook." - L.L.
Fine Arts
Zion offers many different outlets for our young artists. Whether your child's medium is drama, art, music, or dance... we have a little something for everybody.
Classroom teachers in all grades incorporate art into their curriculum. Whether it is a study of a particular artist or a general technique, the benefits of art are numerous. Arts education has been shown to improve problem-solving skills, cognitive skills, fine motor skills, social skills, and language. Arts education also encourages students to take risks, and learn from their mistakes.
For example, our 4th-grade students perform an annual class musical called "Geology Rocks," teaching their parents and younger students about geology concepts through song and dance.
All of Zion's K-8 students participate in music classes. K-5 students take part in choir twice a week and twice a week music education classes. Middle School students participate in choir once a week. Students are introduced to different musical genres, vocal production, music education, and various instruments, including the ukulele. Watch our video "A 'Note' from Zion," in which 1st through 5th graders illustrated and vocalized a musical note or sound.
Zion's student choirs:
Angel Voices: grades K-2
Cantate Choir: grades 3-5
Joyful NOIZ: grades 6-8
Annual Spring Musical
Zion Lutheran School is proud to resume offering our celebrated Spring Musical program - a Zion tradition since 1987. Zion has a long-established commitment to its fine arts program. Zion has produced children's favorites from Cinderella to Mulan, and classics from Guys and Dolls to The Sound of Music.
Spring Musical Facts
-
Grades K-8 participate
-
Full musical production
-
A "role" for every child - chorus, lead role, set design, and more
-
Acting and speaking skills
-
Introduction to theater
"If there is an area Zion could not do without, it's their music and performing arts programs. The strong academics are certainly a big plus, but these programs, which are introduced in kindergarten, prepare our children for public speaking and performances. By the time they graduate, each of our girls will have participated in 18 Advent services and spring musicals. We also love that our house is filled with songs from Broadway musicals like "Oliver", "Oklahoma" and "Fiddler on the Roof". For both of us, it brings back many fond childhood memories of dancing and singing by the piano with our families while growing up. And now, we get to bond with our own family in the same way."
- David and Gwen, parents of a current 8th grader and alumna
Handbell Choir
Handbells choir is open to students in 5th through 8th grades. Practice is once a week with multiple yearly performances.
"The handbell choir is very exciting. Children in fourth to eighth grade are allowed to participate. We practice once a week and play throughout the school year on Sundays and Wednesdays during Chapel. I am in the handbell choir and it is very fun. Even if you don't know how to play the bells, you can still participate as long as you know how to ring a bell. The handbell choir director even highlights the notes for you! It is a great experience and you are honored in the picture at the end of the yearbook." - L.L.
Fine Arts
Zion middle school teachers are committed to a high level of student achievement, performance, and behavior. Thus, Zion graduates are fully prepared to enter academically rigorous college-preparatory high school programs.
Zion Lutheran offers a High School Information Night for our graduating eighth graders and their families. The application process requires effort on both the student's and parents' parts. We seek to make this experience as smooth as possible.
Zion strives to give choices to our graduating students about where to attend high school. The majority of our graduates apply to 4-5 schools and are accepted into more than one high school.
Graduating eighth-grade students are accepted at many of the high schools in the Bay Area, including the most competitive private and public schools. These include Convent of the Sacred Heart, Lowell, Sacred Heart, St. Ignatius, Lick-Wilmerding, SF University, Stuart Hall, The Nueva School, and more.
We are proud of the relationship we have with our San Francisco schools and look forward to a continued partnership with these institutions.
Zion graduates have reported that the study skills and life skills (time management, organization, note taking, outlining) that they learned at Zion helped greatly in their transition to high school academics and extracurriculars.
High Schools Attended by Zion Alumni
Archbishop Riordan
Convent of the Sacred Heart
Drew
Gateway
International
Lick-Wilmerding
Lincoln
Lowell
Mercy
Sacred Heart College Preparatory
Saint Ignatius College Preparatory
School of the Arts (SOTA)
San Francisco University High School
Stuart Hall
The Bay School
The Nueva School
Urban School
Wallenburg
Washington
The majority of Zion 8th graders are accepted by more than one high school.
Colleges & Professional Schools of Zion Alumni
(partial list)
Biola University
Brown University
Concordia (Irvine)
Concordia (St. Paul)
Harvard University
Johns Hopkins
Pepperdine University
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
Santa Clara University
Sonoma State University
Stanford University
Syracuse
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, San Diego
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California
University of the Pacific
University of Washington
Vanderbilt
Wesleyan
Professional Schools
Law
Harvard
Santa Clara
University of San Francisco (Koret)
University of the Pacific (McGeorge)
Dentistry
University of the Pacific (Dugoni)