ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS
FIRST GRADE
Our goal for First Grade is for the students to become independent thinkers. We develop these skills through asking and answering questions, predicting outcomes, making inferences, and writing with purpose. As these skills grow, the students become more confident with their work and ideas. Socially the students work on self-regulation and personal accountability. First Grade is the initial time students have “real grades” numeric in value based assessment and work completed and submitted during class.
Curriculum Snapshots:
FOURTH GRADE
Fourth Grade is a large stepping stone in the development of a self-regulated, responsible, and competent learner. The students will hone their knowledge of resources and use it to complete new and intricate assignments independently. Novel studies will be more in-depth and research projects will require additional creditable sources. Reading fluency and writing will advance to mature levels. Math will involve much larger numbers, geometry, and multi-step problems with varied operations. Science is taught through experimentation, research and projects.
Curriculum Snapshots:
English Language Arts
SECOND GRADE
Second grade is a year of digging deeper. Many concepts were introduced in First Grade, but Second Grade takes them further. The writing involves improved sentence fluency, added descriptive word choices, and a well-defined purpose and audience. There are projects to complete and present to the class. Math facts are required knowledge and word problems are lengthier. For Catholic students, Second Grade is the year of First Reconciliation and First Communion. Second grade is the first grade level without a Teacher’s Assistant in the room, so the students must be more self-sufficient. With this autonomy comes a great boost in self-esteem and confidence.
Curriculum Snapshots:
FIFTH GRADE
Fifth Grade is the year of transition. Students build upon all they have learned in elementary school thus far. They are encouraged to think independently, make well thought out decisions, and be responsible for their own choices. Students attend Parent Teacher Conferences with their parents as they begin to take ownership over their education. Fifth Grade journeys to Camp Kappe, a school of environmental education, for a week of outdoor hands-on experience. In addition, students attend STARBASE hosted by the Department of Defense for a program rich in STEM concepts through experiential exploratory learning. As the leaders of our elementary school, Fifth Graders have many responsibilities on campus and set the example for their younger peers.
Curriculum Snapshots:
THIRD GRADE
The Third Grade year entails many new concepts and ideas in addition to strengthening prior skills like grammar, vocabulary, and writing. Students work to analyze story themes and elements in literature. Multiplication and division come into play along with more intense fractions and decimals and word problems in context. Students will complete novel studies and various fiction and non-fiction literature projects. Research projects, the validity of sources, and presentations are also part of the Third Grade curriculum. Cursive writing should be mastered in Third Grade. All the problem solving and critical thinking building blocks from years past are used daily in Third Grade.
Curriculum Snapshots:
English Language Arts