Educating for Life...Spiritually, Academically & Physically
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Academics Overview: Kindergarten - 8th Grade
St. Peter Catholic School provides its students with a curriculum that combines the ideal balance of academics and religion, as well as diversity choices, such as Spanish. Below are some of the courses which make up our curriculum:
• Religion • Language Arts • Math • Science • Social Studies • Library Skills • Physical Education • Computer • Spanish • Art • Music
Portfolio assessment is used on a smaller scale as a means of evaluation. Samples of student work are used for display as well as for parent/teacher conferences. The work samples are used at conferences to show areas of strength as well as areas of needed improvement.
Writing across the curriculum begins at the pre-kindergarten level with drawings. Children dictate descriptions of his/her pictures to the teacher. Letter introduction also begins at this level. In kindergarten, drawings are usually more detailed due to improvement in small motor skills through formal handwriting instruction and practice. Morning Messages and the use of journals help to develop reading readiness, letter-sound skills and sight word recognition. Inventive spelling can be seen as a progression of the writing process.
In first and second grades, further development of creative writing skills, handwriting and grammar are emphasized. Special area subjects in Early Childhood include: Music, Art, Computer, Spanish, Library, Physical Education, Health and Guidance. Special area teachers work in conjunction with classroom teachers and school administration on activities that relate to classroom academics as well as special events at the school
Pre-K
(Early Childhood) Curriculum
Major Subject Areas:
Religion
Religion in Early Childhood emphasizes God's love and encourages the children to witness Jesus' presence in their daily lives. Classes participate in daily prayer as well as weekly Mass with the whole school. Children are taught to value their uniqueness as children of a loving God. This environment promotes faith, knowledge and a sense of community where children can feel loved and are able to trust.
Math
In Kindergarten through eighth grade mathematics is taught using the Sadlier Mathematics Series. (Again, this curriculum is aligned with the new national standards).
Social Studies
Covered using special themes such as United States History, Community and Cultural Awareness. Social Studies in third grade focuses on Communities and Early Civilizations. Through discussions and investigations, children appreciate the history of our country and begin to develop a global view of the world.
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Elementary (K-4) Curriculum
Major Subject Areas:
Religion
The primary goal of curriculum is to have children learn, understand and relate our Catholic faith to their own lives. This main focus is linked into all other lessons, regardless of subject matter. Children grow in awareness and understanding of Jesus' mission, teaching, death and resurrection. They also become active members in celebrating Mass and Eucharist.
Math
Curriculum uses a wide variety of activities to develop computational and problem solving skills. Lessons in third through fifth grades cover number sense and operation, algebra, geometry and spatial sense, measurement, data analysis and probability. Many Math lessons are also linked to Science and Social Studies skills. This integrated approach enables students to develop knowledge and apply skills in more than one area of study.
Language Arts
Consists of the broad subject areas of reading, writing (including spelling, grammar, usage, and penmanship), listening and speaking. Our goal is to give children tools to communicate and effectively interpret the spoken and written word. Teachers provide children with many opportunities to develop and strengthen the love of language, use language creatively and develop their capacity to reason. Students in the elementary level engage in a writing process that extends throughout the curriculum.
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Middle School (Grades 5-8)
Major Subject Areas:
Religion
The study of the Catholic faith is pivotal in our educational process. Students in 5th grade concentrate on the seven sacraments and the lives of the saints. In 6th grade focus is on the Old Testament, in 7th grade the New Testament is the primary area covered and in 8th grade the History of the Catholic Church is covered as well as Theology of the Body.
Math
Students are instructed in ability groups from 5th grade through 8th grade. This permits students to pursue either algebra or Pre- Algebra by the time they are in the eighth grade.
ELA
Grammar and literature are used to reinforce writing skills for each student. Teachers focus on grammar to reinforce writing skills across curriculum that are so important for high school success. Research papers for Science, Social Studies and Literature classes are completed during curriculum. Students are exposed to a wide variety of literary forms including plays, poetry, novel studies and great works of fiction. Through these, students learn the basic elements of plot, character, theme and become versed in completion of character studies. All middle school students participate in our Accelerated Reading Program in order to enhance their reading level. At the completion of each book read each student is able to test their knowledge by taking an automated test in our Computer Center or a student's classroom. The Accelerated Reading Program tracks the books each student has read, the level of the book, and the overall score and points received.
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