Special and Enrichment Programs

The school calendar is highlighted each year by student participation in special programs and ceremonies.

Musical and dramatic programs during the year involve the participation of every student. The two Christmas Programs, one for K-4 and one for 5-8, and the middle school Spring Play, combine grade level presentations around a unifying theme.
	Individual classes also prepare special programs that culminate their school work on a particular topic or skill. Kindergarten students prepare a Hopi Harvest Festival in November and perform Friendship Plays each spring. First graders create a Community Helpers presentation to share with the entire school community. Second graders create a Rainforest Museum, Third graders enjoy a unit on Africa, and Fourth graders visit a California Mission site to explore authentic traditions.
Fine and Performing Arts: Instruction in music, drama, and art is considered an integral part of each child's education.
DEEP & STAR: St. Matthew’s offers students an opportunity to apply their learning in either of two integrated programs in the 3rd trimester of the 8th grade year. DEEP (Diving Education Enrichment Program), is a program where students are taught to scuba dive and then apply this experience to a math and science based independent research project that culminates in the creation of a web-page and oral presentation.	STAR (Shakespeare Theater Arts and the Renaissance) offers students more interested in the humanities, art and theater, to delve into the Elizabethan era. They study the play, Macbeth, in depth, learn fencing and stage combat, recreate the Old Globe Theater in set design, and study acting in a rehearsal exercise class. The STAR course culminates with an outdoor, evening production of interpretive scenes from MacBeth.
Technology Program: St. Matthew’s offers all 5th-8th grade students an integrated and advanced program in applied technology.
Class Retreats and Excursions: All students in grades 5-8 are involved in the school's retreat program at which time students and their teachers venture outdoors to engage in exciting team and spirit-building activities. In addition, sixth, seventh and eighth graders take extended overnight trips to Malibu Creek, Sequoia National Park, and New York/Washington D.C., respectively.
Class Buddies: Each middle school class teams up with an elementary class of younger students. Individual students are assigned a specific “buddy.” Periodically, class buddies sit together in chapel, jointly work on a service learning activity, and play together during Spirit Week Events.	Each June during the Closing Exercises, K-8 students mark the end of each school year. The eighth graders receive their diplomas, and the children in each grade "move up" ceremonially by passing on their class banner to those in the grade behind them, while they greet the teacher they will have in the fall.