School Spotlight: St. John Vianney Catholic School

Beginning this school year, St. John Vianney Catholic School is taking education to the next level by becoming a Two-Way Immersion institution. Through this program, students at the preschool level will be taught in both English and Spanish. It will grow as the students move to the next grade level.   The goal of the Two-Way Immersion program is for students to be bi-llingual and bi-literate by the end of their Fifth grade year.As dual language learners, our students will not only have the advantage of understanding and speaking two languages but will also have the added bonus of an enhanced recognition of both Spanish and English culture, giving them an edge as participants in the global marketplace. By the 2026-2027 academic year, when this year’s incoming VPK students are in eighth grade, students in all grade levels at SJV will be taught using the dual language model.The program is an expansion of the school’s Catholic mission to teach each child in a holistic manner that affirms their dignity as children of God.The caring staff at the Diocese of Orlando’s St. John Vianney School (SJVS) have one main purpose as they educate their students: to teach as Jesus did. To this end, their diverse lessons at this outstanding Catholic school in Orlando have a spiritual component as students blend academics, service, and prayer with spirituality to reach and exceed the goals they set for themselves. PrayerStudents and staff at St. John Vianney Catholic School engage in prayer together before the academic day begins, during Mass, before lunch, in the afternoon, and during religious education. Praying is an important aspect of the daily routine, and students learn specific prayers appropriate for each grade level as well as how to petition God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as well as saints. Spiritual FormationBy serving as examples of Christ’s love and teachings, teachers help students develop a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith. SJVS provides its students with six fundamental tasks of catechist appropriate for each grade. The tasks – knowledge of faith, liturgical education, moral formation, teaching to pray, education for community life, and missionary initiatives – form the foundation of the curriculum and provide students with the power they need to become productive citizens in their local and worldwide community.Academic FormationSJV recognizes that every student learns differently. The diversity of the classroom means lessons are tailored to meet the goals of each student. The teachers at St. John Vianney School intersperse lessons with technology, critical thinking, writing, listening, reading, speaking, and hands-on experiments to keep student interest at its peak. Learning occurs in large- and small-group settings with students working together to solve problems and work through tasks. English, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies are just core classes; SJVS also gives its students the opportunity to expand their learning horizons with weekly classes in art, music, technology-coding, exposure to STEM activities, and maker space activities, physical education, Spanish, and media skills. ServiceCatholic schools in Orlando lead their students in service projects throughout the year, and SJVS is no exception. An example is their continued effort to stock the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. In the past year, students brought in more than 12,000 items to help alleviate hunger in the parish. The school community brought in over 21,000 canned food items during the “Souper Bowl of Caring.” Under the leadership of teacher Kathy Foster, students, parents and alumni participate in Give Kids the World.  Give Kids the World empowers students to understand how much a difference they can make in the world. When students graduate from St. John Vianney School, they are fully prepared to share their faith and the Gospel with their community and the world. The academics they have mastered will propel them to great heights in one of the Diocese of Orlando’s Catholic high schools. Learning to value the lives of others and volunteer to make the world a better place gives our students a sense of belonging and the ideal that helping others is vital. Call us at 407-855-4660, and come visit our Catholic school in Orlando for a tour. Read our blogs for additional information on faith-based learning.