The Episcopal Day School

Welcome from the Board of Trustees

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the official web pages of the Episcopal Day School located in Southern Pines, North Carolina. For almost five decades, we have been providing quality education to the children of families in this area.

When we opened our doors in 1959, we began a tradition of academic excellence that continues to this day. We believe the primary purpose of our school is to provide quality education in a Christian environment. We emphasize spiritual and moral values as well as academic studies.

Our low student to teacher ratio and small class size allow for personal attention to the needs of each child.

Our teachers are the heart and soul of our school. The faculty at Episcopal Day School is committed to excellence in education and recognizes the need to inspire, challenge, and nurture the development of all students.

Our campus covers over four acres and includes eighteen classrooms, a library/computer lab, music room, art room, spanish room, cafeteria, playground, soccer field, and the historic Emmanuel Episcopal Church.

Our parents are an essential part of the success of our school. Not only do they visit and volunteer, they also support their children's best efforts with genuine interest and active participation in school activities.

Our school is a place of friendships and of celebration. Events such as Awesome Autumn, International Day, May Day, musical performances, art exhibits and an overnight field trip for fifth graders, are but a few of the extra-curricular activities happening at Episcopal Day School.

We invite you to visit our beautiful campus and take the time to get to know our faculty. An investment in Episcopal Day School in an investment in your child's future!

The Board of Trustees

Click on the green buttons below to hear audio testimony from current students at Episcopal Day School.

Mission Statement

The mission of Episcopal Day School is to provide a strong foundation for life long learning in a Christian community that treasures courage, leadership and excellence.

Staff Beliefs

1. Each student is a valued individual with unique physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs.
2. A student's self-esteem is enhanced by positive academic and social experiences along with mutual respect among and between students and staff.
3. A safe and physically comfortable environment promotes student learning.
4. Students should be exposed to a variety of academic and enrichment activities using instructional practices which take into account a variety of learning styles. 5. Students need to not only demonstrate their understanding of essential knowledge and skills, but also need to be actively involved in solving problems and producing quality work. 6. Student learning, the chief priority of the school, should be the primary focus of all decisions impacting the work of the school.
7. The commitment to continuous improvement is imperative if our school is going to enable students to become confident, self directed, lifelong learners.
8. All students can learn.
9. Teachers should provide students with a variety of opportunities to demonstrate achievement.
10. Teachers, administrators, parents, the parish, and the community share the responsibility for the support of the school's mission.

History

Episcopal Day School is a three year-old through fifth grade facility located within the city limits of Southern Pines, North Carolina. Currently 213 students are enrolled.

Episcopal Day School is located on the Emmanuel Episcopal Church grounds and is part of a network of over 800 Episcopal schools worldwide. The school is a member of the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) and is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The school has been in existence since 1959 serving three, four year old students as well as kindergarten, first, second and third grades. In 1994 a fourth grade was added to meet the needs of families served by the school and in 1998 the fifth grade was added.

As the population of the Day School grew, the physical plant underwent extensive modification. Classes of three-year-olds through first grades are located in the main church building. The Chandler Building was renovated in 1993 and again in 1996 to accommodate grades two through four. In the summer of 1996 a structure adjacent to the campus was renovated in order to house the media center, counselor's office and resource room. In 1998, a cottage on campus was renovated which now houses our fifth grade classrooms.

The sixteen regular classrooms are complemented by a parish hall that can seat the entire student body or serve as an indoor gym, the church sanctuary where chapel is held twice weekly, a media center which houses the library and computer lab, a Spanish room, music room, art room, teachers' workroom, lunch room, main office, a large playing field and a fully equipped playground.

School Structure

The Board of Trustees is the governing board of the Episcopal Day School. The Head serves as the Board of Trustees' Chief Executive Officer. The Board is made up of twelve members each serving a three-year term. The By-Laws direct that no less than fifty percent of those members be Episcopalians and that the field of education, law, medicine and finance be represented. Our Head of School, Jay St. John, joined the school in May of 2005.

School Day
The teacher's day begins at 7:45 am and formally lasts until 3:00 pm. Students are allowed on the school grounds beginning at 7:45 am. They remain on the playground, supervised by assigned staff members, until 8:00 am when they are dismissed for classes. Students are considered tardy if they arrive after 8:10 am and absent if they are not present for at least half of the school day. Half-day three and four year olds are dismissed at 11:15 am, and school is formally dismissed at 2:40 pm. At dismissal, students either move to the waiting area with their teacher to be picked up or go to the after-school program located in the lunchroom area. After-school hours are from 2:40 until 6:00 pm on regular school days and 8:00 am until 6:00 pm during the summer and on school holidays. An average of 40 students participate in this program during the school year. All of the students served by Episcopal Day School are transported to and from school by private vehicle.

Student Body

The student body consists of 213 students. The students are heterogeneously grouped into 15 classrooms which include two classrooms per grade level from the three-year old level through the third grade and one classroom per grade level in fourth and fifth.

340 East Massachusetts Avenue
Southern Pines, North Carolina 28387
Phone: (910) 692-3492
Fax: (910) 692-7914
Email: eds@episcopalday.org