 | | Q. | Does FSHA issue I-20s for international boarding students?
| | A. | Yes. An I-20 is the prerequisite to an F-1 Student Visa required by the United States government for an international student to study in the country. FSHA is INS/SEVIS-certified to issue I-20s. FSHA issues I-20s to accepted international boarding students after they have signed and returned their contracts with their deposits to FSHA. Once the student has received her I-20, the student then makes an appointment with the United States Consulate General in her home country to apply for the F-1 Student Visa. The F-1 Student Visa is the only visa accepted by FSHA. |
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| Q. | Does FSHA have an English Language Learner Program (ELL)? | | A. | Yes. The ELL Program at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy is designed for highly motivated international students who plan to attend a four-year college or university in the United States. The program best serves incoming 9th and 10th grade high school students who are sufficiently fluent in English to meet the challenges of a college prep curriculum in English. All international students attend mainstream classes, although additional support is offered through writing labs and/or additional after school tutoring. |
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| Q. | What legal documentation is required for the boarding student applicant?
| | A. | For U.S. boarding students, the admissions office requires a completed application and the application fee. In addition to the above, international boarding students are required to provide copies of their current passports and parents' bank statements. |
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| Q. | What campus security measures does the school take for the Boarding Program? | | A. | Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy takes the welfare and care of its boarding students seriously. Our commitment to the safety of the students includes 24-hour supervision by the boarding staff, Patriot Security officers and surveillance cameras. All visitors must be pre-approved and announced before arrival. Students must sign in and out with the supervisor on duty. All guests must be approved by the parent and able to provide legal identification in order to take a boarding student off campus. |
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| Q. | What happens if a boarding student needs medical attention? | | A. | A local physician is on-call 24 hours a day for the boarding program. In addition, local hospitals are located near the campus. |
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| Q. | Can boarding students transfer to the day program? | | A. | It is school policy that students admitted to the boarding program cannot change to the day program. Since we are always at capacity and a waiting list remains active for day students, this does not allow room for a boarding student to transfer to day status, thereby taking the place of someone on the wait list. |
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| Q. | Can boarding applicants visit the campus? | | A. | Yes. We realize that our boarding students often visit campus from out of state or out of the country and may find it difficult to schedule their travel to attend our admission events. For this reason individual private tours are scheduled for these families and all boarding student applicants are invited to attend a sleepover visit in the boarding halls for one night and attend a half day at school the following day. This gives students the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a boarding student. Visiting students get to spend time with FSHA students and meet the teachers. This is an invaluable opportunity and an interview can be conducted on the same day as your visit. Please call the Admissions Office at 626-685-8522 to schedule your sleepover visit. Applications must be submitted before a sleepover visit can be scheduled. |
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| Q. | What do boarding students do on the weekends? | | A. | Weekend life in the boarding hall is full of activity for the students. FSHA is close to Pasadena and Glendale, which offer some of the best retail stores, restaurants and movie theaters — as well as museums and cultural landmarks — in Southern California. Students may also visit the many amusement parks close to FSHA, such as Universal Studios, Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and Magic Mountain. In addition, monthly activities are arranged by the boarding program to take the girls to several Southern California beaches, outlet shops and local ski resorts. The Metro system provides easy access to downtown Los Angeles so the students can visit its concert halls, museums and restaurants. |
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| |  Martha LemDirector of Boarding Students 626-685-8438 |
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