Admission

Field Trips

Beyond School

Beginning in Kindergarten, all students participate in local day-long field trips to support and apply their in-class learning. Our goal with all our field trips is to provide students with defining experiences that help them expand their worldviews. Each trip is designed to promote unbounded thinking, global competency, experiential exploration, cultural immersion and servant leadership. These trips allow our students to build resilience, enjoy outdoor team-building experiences, and have FUN!

Field trips are among childhood’s most wonder-filled memories. At St. James’, every student can attend every trip because there are no extra costs – it’s all part of tuition.

Our goal with field trips

  • Encourage students to become conscientious, engaged, and socially responsible citizens of the world.
  • Offer an in-depth experiential counterpart to classroom curriculum that goes beyond what can be learned from a textbook.
  • Allow students to engage with new ideas, experiences, people, and cultures in order to expand students’ understanding of the world.
  • Foster opportunities for bonding, building community, and making memories amongst students.

Our overnight field trips

A fun and exciting field trip that involves birds, botany, solar energy, ropes courses and teambuilding. For many students, this trip is their first experience away from home and their families. This helps build their confidence and sets them up for a successful start to the upper grades.

Through hands-on, immersive experiences in the great outdoors, students build confidence that encourages leadership and develop a deeper understanding of the world around them. Some students even see snow for the first time!

The overnight trip for our graduating class includes hiking, ropes courses, environmental science, archery, canoeing and fishing. The fall trimester of 6th grade is busy for students with matriculation requirements in addition to their regular school work and activities. This trip is designed to give them an opportunity to reflect on who they are and what they have to offer their next school in a healthy, fun, outdoors environment. 

Real Asia is a globally recognized school trip organization that many California independent schools entrust with their K-8 trips to China, Japan, Vietnam, and Korea. St. James’ is partnering with Real China to provide this year’s 4th grade trip to San Francisco. In San Francisco, students will participate in multiple aspects of Chinese and pan-Asian culture to extend their study of Chinese-American immigration in California history. In San Francisco, students will participate in a Chinese music workshop, martial arts workshop, and tour of Chinatown with a social justice focus. For food, they will eat a traditional cantonese dinner, Vietnamese noodles, and Dim Sum. On the final day, we will take the ferry to Angel Island to feel and experience this port of immigration.

This year, our 5th graders will be traveling to Pali Institute. Pali, located in the San Bernardino mountains, is an outdoor education center with cabin-style lodging focused on teaching science and leadership skills. 

The 6th grade’s trip serves as a culmination of their preschool-6th education, weaving together big ideas and themes from their entire course of study at St. James.’ The 6th grade students travel to Washington, D.C., where they will tour many iconic US government buildings and historical landmarks. With an emphasis on social justice, this trip will center the question, “Who is America?” by highlighting the stories and narratives of the diverse people who make America the complex country that it is, particularly those whose history is underrepresented in textbooks.

Our previous field trips

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Beyond School

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About St. James'

Admission

Our Values

Academics

Beyond School

Community

Giving

Laura petersen

Preschool Director

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
B.A. in Administration

Pasadena City College
Child Development 

Certificates/Recognition

Responsive Classroom, Child Care Center Application, Outdoor Classroom

Laura is an experienced educational leader with more than 20 years of experience in education. Throughout her career, Laura has worked with children and families across a variety of educational settings, with a particular passion for creating nurturing, engaging, and supportive environments where children can thrive. Prior to joining St. James’, Laura served as the Director of a private school in Pasadena serving children from infancy through sixth grade. She also spent 12 years at Saint Mark’s Episcopal School in Altadena, where she developed a deep understanding of the importance of strong relationships between educators, children, and families.

Laura holds a degree in Business Administration, but has always had a passion for early childhood education.  Laura believes children learn best when they feel safe, valued, encouraged, and genuinely known. Her approach to leadership centers on creating a warm and welcoming school community while supporting teachers in providing meaningful experiences for every child. Outside of her professional life, Laura is a proud mother of two children. She has also opened her home as a foster parent to multiple children, an experience that has strengthened her understanding of the individual needs, experiences, and strengths every child brings with them. Laura  is honored to serve as Preschool Director and looks forward to partnering with families to create a joyful, supportive, and enriching foundation for each child’s educational journey.