Please note that school operations may
be temporarily different due to COVID-19
restrictions.
The Sacramento Country Day High School provides a challenging,
comprehensive college-preparatory curriculum. Students engage in
a program thoughtfully designed to prepare students for
success in college, career and life. Our philosophy of education
includes far more than simple content knowledge. Our
students gain a foundational education that embraces 21st century
skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication,
and creativity.
We encourage our students to develop the full range of their
capabilities—intellectual, physical, creative, social, and moral.
We give our students the practical knowledge and experience to
handle today’s and tomorrow’s technological demands, while we
cultivate in them the habits and skills that will enable them to
make the best use of their abilities. In addition, we strive to
educate the heart of each student, emphasizing the values of
responsibility, compassion, kindness, and respect.
See below for several program highlights.
English
The English program at Country Day is organized around
the principle of spiraling skills, building on the skill set
students learn in Middle School. All courses expect demanding
reading, analytical discussion, and frequent composition, and
emphasize literature’s varied forms and universal themes. The
school expects students to improve constantly their means of
expression, both in style and in content. They should gain
increasing control over language, leading toward the clear
statement of increasingly complex relationships in the literature
they read, and in describing and evaluating the complex world
around them.
All courses also emphasize self-discovery – developing one’s own
voice and values – and the basic cultural knowledge to prepare
students for well-informed citizenship. In this pedagogical
design, therefore, what varies from course to course is not the
skills they practice, but the depth to which we expect students
to have mastered them. Skills include the following areas: 1)
literature 2) composition 3) grammar 4) vocabulary, and 5)
critical thinking. Each course also includes instruction in the
specific conventions of college-level academic writing – again,
this builds on a set of increasingly complex research tasks
initially introduced at the Middle School level. (All courses are
UC certified and fulfill the English “b” requirement and all
Advanced Placement classes are College Board certified.)
Mathematics
The goal of the Mathematics Department is to have all
of its students analyze and communicate information in a
mathematical context. All students are capable of reading,
writing, listening, and speaking about ideas in a mathematical
sense. They have the ability to solve unfamiliar problems; think
and reason logically; think algorithmically; collect, organize,
and analyze data; become mathematically adept in a
technologically complex world; and communicate effectively in
mathematical terms.
All students will have the capacity to develop the essential
mathematical skills to live in today’s world. (All courses are UC
certified and fulfill the Mathematics “c” requirement, but honors
credit is given only to the pre-calculus honors class. All
Advanced Placement classes are College Board certified.)
Science
The High School science program encourages our
students’ curiosity about the natural world while increasing
their ability to reason scientifically. The primary goals are to
develop a thorough understanding of the core disciplines, to
train students to use the tools of science and technology, to
prepare them for success in rigorous college courses, and to
create the foundation for a lifelong appreciation of science.
The scientific method is applied both to lab work and to analyses
of science-related issues outside the classroom. (All courses are
UC certified and fulfill the Laboratory Science “d” requirement,
except Anatomy and Physiology, which fulfills a “g” science
elective, and all Advanced Placement classes are College Board
certified.)
History and Social Science
Broad exposure to different eras, cultures, and
viewpoints is important to the history/social science department.
Therefore, we emphasize historical inquiry; geography skills;
awareness of current affairs; and good written, oral, and digital
communication skills in every class. All freshmen take
Comparative World History, exploring both western and non-western
ancient and medieval civilizations as well as European
colonization of Africa and Latin America. Sophomores take World
Cultures, which brings the students into the more modern world,
again exploring both western and non-western civilizations and
nations, particularly in Asia and the Middle East.
Choices begin in junior year with the option of regular
college-prep or AP U.S. History, followed by senior offerings in
AP European History, AP Art History, or a history elective such
as the History of World War II. All courses are UC certified,
fulfilling the History/Social Science “A” requirement. All
Advanced Placement classes are College Board certified.
World Language
The world-language program at SCDS aims to develop
the four basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and
writing), as well as develop understanding of cultural
perspectives, practices, and products. It is based on the
Proficiency Guidelines and the Standards for Foreign Language
Learning, both of which were developed by the American Council on
Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) in cooperation with all the
major national language organizations. (All courses are UC
certified and fulfill the Language other than English “e”
requirement, and all Advanced Placement classes are College Board
certified.)
Computer Science
The School is committed to providing all students with
access to high-quality technology in an academically rigorous
environment that develops their ability to communicate, process
information, and be ethical as well as productive citizens in an
increasingly global and digitized world community. Courses such
as Inventing Computer Games and AP Computer Science A provided
specialize instruction to interested students. Through the 1:1
laptop program, all students learn word processing, spreadsheet,
and multimedia presentations within the context of their classes.
Physical Education
The physical education curriculum coordinates and
facilitates the process of guiding students to lead healthier
lifestyles. The content articulates the knowledge, skills, and
confidence students need to maintain meaningful physical activity
throughout their lifetime; and the course sequence allows for
students to make a successful transition from the physical
education instructional program to participation in physical
activities during adulthood. Students develop proficient movement
skills in each area of physical education, expand their
capabilities for independent learning, and examine practices that
allow for sound decision-making to enhance successful
participation. The curriculum provides a framework that allows
for individual responsibility and flexibility by having the
students design their program with a variety of physical
activities and sports that they enjoy and may wish to participate
in for years to come. The classes are organized by trimester.
Besides taking physical education classes, students can complete
their graduation requirement through participation on athletic
teams and/or through the independent physical education program.
