Our Community of Excellence

Our Model

In 2018, Bishop Michael Barber formally established the Lumen Christi Academies with the goal of creating an independent network of modern Catholic Schools. It would be these schools' charter to establish a new governance models and pursue academic innovation, efficient operations and sustained investment in the professional development of teachers and principals, all while delivering the highest quality Catholic education to all students across the Bay Area.

What Sets Us Apart

Social Emotional Learning

Social-emotional learning is an integral part of the Lumen Christi Academies student experience. Our teachers, staff and school counselors prioritize health and wellness throughout the school day. Our schools leverage a variety of resources, activities and tools to develop students’ resilience so they are equipped to successfully navigate their days. These practices include daily classroom meetings, community circle games and sharings, reset spaces, emotional check ins, and end-of-day affirmations that help our students feel safe, secure, and motivated within the classroom.

Blended Learning

Lumen Christi Academies has partnered with Loyola Marymount University (LMU) for the past four years to bring our schools a cutting-edge blended learning model. This blended learning program integrates traditional instruction with online learning, allowing instruction to be more engaging and individualized. Students are able to determine their learning pace while receiving real-time feedback and personalized instruction. Teachers find planning more manageable and effective as students are more invested in learning.

Our blended learning approach gives students a voice and some control over their pace of learning. Students are also able to access evolving technology tools and adaptive software, and 21st-century learning experiences that help them become creative, reflective, literate, critical, and moral evaluators, problem solvers, decision makers, and socially responsible students who are prepared to excel in high school, college and beyond.

Professional Development

Our teachers and principals embraced a growth mindset as they forged strong professional learning communities (PLCs) across our network of schools. Our teachers engage weekly with their peers from other schools to share best practices, discuss challenges, and provide constructive feedback on instructional practices. These PLCs build upon the experiences of all the teachers as they collaboratively develop, implement and continuously improve the effectiveness of their curriculum and instruction to support student learning and growth. Additionally, teachers receive one-on-one coaching, constructive feedback from their principals as they complete daily classroom walkthroughs, and additional support from instructional coaches who provide additional guidance and offer new perspectives on teaching and learning.

One teacher commented, “I love the other teacher’s spin on our lesson plans. I learned how to switch up my station rotation groups too!” In addition to the training, the principals are very active in the development planning of their teachers. A teacher commented, “I felt very supported by my principal. I appreciate the teachers' meetings we have about anything we’ve observed and goals we want to achieve.” The Lumen Christi Academies community builds up one another to better support our student body.