ACADEMICS

Religion

Emphasis is placed on the Sacraments in preparation of the children receiving the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. Students learn about the significance of different parts of the mass, the meaning of Lent and Advent, and their roles as members of the Catholic Community.

Reading

Students will sequence stories, gain a more thorough understanding of long/short vowels and cause/effect, understand the use of similes in writing, identify the main idea of a story, make inferences, understand point of view, identify prefixes/suffixes, antonyms/synonyms/ homonyms, distinguish fact vs. fiction and identify compound words. Students will complete graphic organizers, identify main elements of a story and be able to demonstrate comprehension.

Writing

Students will continue to learn about and be encouraged to apply grammatical skills such as proper use of upper case letters, punctuation and contractions. Students will write a friendly letter, develop the setting of a story, and further develop their sense of audience. The children will have ongoing opportunities to write creatively on both directed topics and the genre of their choice. They will edit, revise, and illustrate their writing, working both independently and cooperatively.

Mathematics

Students will add, subtract and regroup to 100, count to 1000, understand place value, tell time to the nearest quarter hour, know the values of coins and bills, add and subtract money, measure in feet and inches, know the difference between odd and even numbers, and understand greater than and less than. Children will make and read graphs, identify and extend patterns, explore various means of problem solving, and incorporate math vocabulary in their written expression and explanation of their reasoning.

Social Studies

There is a focus on Self and Family, which includes an emphasis on understanding the specific roles in the family, school, community, church groups, and how basic needs are met. Through hands-on activities, literature, and real life experiences children learn about the family as a basic unit of society, simple geographic concepts, the need for laws and rules, and the values guiding our life and work together. Students will learn about significant historical events and people related to our national holidays through literature, research, and classroom activities.

Science

Students will learn about living and non-living things in the environment. They will learn about the similarities and differences among plant species and familiar animals. Students will grow to appreciate their human ability to think and communicate as well as to appreciate the ever-changing nature of the universe. Students will have the opportunity to explore various scientific principles through our hands-on inquiry based science program, which encourages collaborative learning and scientific discovery.

Research

Students will have the opportunity to do a monthly research paper. The topics include nocturnal animals, wild turkeys, penguins, famous African Americans, water cycle, and marine animals. Use of various sources of information is encouraged.