About school

Welcome to the website of the Polish Saturday School (PSS) in San Jose, CA.PSS was established in 1987 as a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization and has been registered with state and federal authorities as a legal and independently operating organization in the state of California. PSS is an educational association; the school is independent and not under the authority of any other institution. It is headquartered in a school building located at St. Brother Albert Parish in San Jose (10250 Clayton Road, San Jose, CA 95127).

Our school is an ethnic institution. It is attended by children who have acquired knowledge of the Polish language from their family home, and who are improving and expanding this language at school.In our school children begin their education from the "zero" grade. To qualify, a child must be able to speak Polish and be at least five years old no later than August 31 preceding the start of the school year.PSS is a supplementary school and attendance is voluntary. Classes at the school begin in the first week of October and continue through June. Christmas, winter and spring vacations are held in accordance with the San Jose School District calendar. The school is financed primarily by tuition paid by the students' Parents, as well as funds obtained from private donations and funds raised at various special events.School classes are held 20 times a school year, on Saturdays set according to the schedule, from 9:00am-12:30pm except during vacations. The school building houses seven classrooms. The classrooms are equipped with all the necessary teaching aids, school supplies, as well as books adapted to the age of the children studying in each class. About 100 children in eight age ranges - from kindergarten to grade 8 of elementary school - are educated at PSS. The school currently has a teaching staff of 13. Most of the teachers have pedagogical training, so they are adequately prepared to work with children. The main emphasis is on learning the Polish language in speech and writing. The school program also includes lessons in Polish history and geography, as well as classes on selected issues of our country's culture, including its prominent representatives.During the school year, the school management and the teaching staff organize various events for children of a more general nature. Traditions include a visit of Santa Claus, a picnic and events related to national holidays such as anniversaries of regaining independence and the adoption of the Constitution of May 3. Very popular is the Nativity play - a performance staged by PSS students during the traditional Parish Vigil. The Polish Saturday School functions at the Polish Parish of St. Brother Albert Chmielowski. The parish priest, has the right to require that a school established at the church maintains its Catholic character in accordance with the school's charter in effect since the school's founding.

Polish Saturday School helps raise children and young people in the spirit of patriotism and belonging to the Polish nation. We strive to make children aware of their national and cultural identity through knowledge of history, customs and the Polish language. We have the ambition to make learning at PSS a passion, so that students will enthusiastically enter the world of knowledge and broaden their horizons, using the knowledge they gain in the future to build a world that is safe and better for all of us. We want to be an attractive place of learning, using methods that develop students' creativity and independence. We want the proper functioning of the school to be influenced by all its creators - teachers, students, parents. We want our school to have an atmosphere of mutual tolerance and acceptance. We want teachers to motivate students to learn, to take on new challenges and initiatives, and parents to support their children's efforts. We want parents to participate in school life both as invited guests and as co-organizers of school events. We want Parents to co-create the quality of the school and willingly send their children to it. Learning at PSS should be enjoyable - Saturday is an extra day of school for Polish children.