We believe in a giving, positive classroom and treat the children as our own. We are passionate about finding what motivates each child to learn and working with parents to ensure every child has the opportunity to be successful. We believe that when students are challenged, regardless of ability level, that they rise to the challenge with love, care, compassion and believing in themselves.
CURRICULUM:
Kindergarten attends weekly Mass and completes a Service Leadership project with their Big Buddies. In class, Students will cover the foundational basic teachings, Scripture, and traditions of our Catholic faith at an age appropriate level. Seasonal activities and prayer services are also done and discussed throughout the year. All kindergarten students are invited to join the Kindergarten Kindness Club to grow in kindness and service to others.
Kindergarten uses Amplify for our language arts curriculum. Amplify has two strands: Skills and Knowledge. The Skills strand is all about letter sounds, letter identification, and correct letter formation. Kindergarten builds an extremely strong foundation in reading by spending time on stills such as positional words, blending and segmenting sounds, and phonological awareness. St. Martha uses D’Nealian handwriting in order to ensure a smooth transition to cursive writing in second grade. The Knowledge portion of Amplify focuses on building background knowledge and comprehension skills. Kindergarten learned nursery rhymes and fables along with several science and social studies concepts through the Knowledge strand. We work on skills such as sequencing, rhyming, and identifying characters and setting through these Knowledge lessons. Literacy centers are used daily to allow teachers to differentiate lessons to ensure each student is getting what they need.Kindergarten also spends lots of time on important speaking and listening skills. We work on active listening through eye contact and speaking clearly. Teachers model correct fluency as they read and conduct “think-aloud” lessons explaining the thinking processes when problem solving.
The Mathematics curriculum is enriched through the integration of diverse manipulatives, including Saavas and simple solutions. Aligned with the Archdiocesan standards, our curriculum meticulously crafts activities, centers, and STEM engagements to ensure a comprehensive learning experience. By contextualizing kindergarten mathematics in real-life situations and activities, our program empowers students to apply their knowledge beyond the classroom.
Utilizing cutting-edge technology and apps such as esparks, we cater to individual learning needs and foster a dynamic educational environment. Our dedicated classroom and special area teachers seamlessly incorporate various aspects of kindergarten Math, covering patterns, addition, subtraction, time, and geometry throughout the day. Through guided instruction, students actively participate in hands-on learning, gaining a deeper understanding and practical application of mathematical concepts.
We focus on engaging the students with hands-on tasks, scientific investigations, engineering solutions, and problem-solving based learning. The focus for Kindergarten is physical science (forces, speed and direction and energy from the sun), Life Sciences (animal needs, plant needs, and Habitats), and Earth Science (Natural resources, and weather). Students are provided multiple opportunities each week to use their skills they’ve obtained to complete STEM challenges.
Social studies consists of critical thinking skills, solving problems, posing questions and examining clues within the world around us. Examples of curriculum topics are maps and globes, being good citizens, and flags and symbols to name a few. This curriculum is a way to help students reach new levels of engagement, which leads to success in learning.
Our primary goal is to create a nurturing, positive, and motivating classroom environment where every child has the opportunity to thrive, learn, and develop a sense of responsibility. We aim to support students at all ability levels by providing challenging, yet caring, educational experiences that help them believe in themselves and their potential.
CURRICULUM:
In our first-grade religious education program, we foster a loving and caring environment where children learn about values such as kindness, empathy, and understanding. Our focus is on instilling these core values while providing an opportunity for students to explore stories and teachings from the bible. Ultimately, we want our students to develop their relationship with God.
READING
In first grade, our central objective is to foster a profound love for reading while emphasizing the mastery of sight words, sound-letter association, phonemic awareness, phonics skills, and text comprehension. Students will engage with diverse texts, identifying story elements and honing their literacy skills. To support their learning, our classroom utilizes Raz Kids, Lexia, Simple Solutions, and Esparks as valuable tools. We also implement Amplify and Barton techniques to further strengthen students’ reading abilities. This year marks a pivotal milestone in their reading journey, inspiring a lifelong passion for the written word.
LISTENING
Listening skills are a large component of learning. Students are taught attention strategies to help focus on their learning. They listen to and follow oral instructions, building from one to multi-step directions. They will gather, organize and evaluate information heard through presentations and group discussions.
WRITING
Writing skills include D’Nealian letter formation, handwriting practice, composition and language. Students are authors themselves through whole-group and independent story composition and publication. Language syntax and structure, including the use of correct punctuation, sentence structure and story sequence are integrated into writing instruction.
Our first-grade math goal is to develop students’ mathematical proficiency by emphasizing math facts to 20, utilizing Number Talks, and tools like IXL, Esparks Math, and Simple Solutions to enhance students’ learning. Students will also build skills in sorting, classifying, patterning, matching, counting to 120 (by 1s, 5s, and 10s), understanding fractions, counting coins, identifying 3D and 2D shape attributes, mastering measurements, and telling time on analog and digital clocks (including hours and half-hours). By the end of the first grade, students are expected to have memorized addition and subtraction facts up to 20, providing them with a strong foundation for future mathematical success. This year represents a pivotal milestone in their mathematical journey, equipping them to apply these skills in real-world scenarios.
In science we use an inquiry-based method to help the children explore light and sound, parts of plants and animals, how plants and animals survive, plant and animal traits and variations, seasonal patterns, and patterns in space.
Some topics explored in social studies are rules and laws, landforms and bodies of water, weather, neighborhood helpers, American Symbols, and map skills. Students learn ways to be a good citizen, such as respecting others and caring for the earth.
Second grade is a year in which your child will become more independent and responsible for him/herself. There will be much academic learning mixed in with fun activities and projects. We are looking forward to working with your child next year. Students will be expected to write down homework each day and have their planners signed by a parent every night. This helps students become responsible for their own homework and assures that a parent is checking that everything is completed for the next day. In partnership with parents, we encourage the children to be responsible for their things, establish time management skills for completing tasks, and improve on valuable social emotional skills such as treating everyone with kindness and respect. These three goals are valuable lessons for all of us in life!
CURRICULUM:
Religion is a very important part of second grade. Students receive their First Reconciliation in the Fall and First Eucharist in the Spring. Throughout their preparation for the sacraments, students learn about the parts of mass, how and why Catholics participate in the ways we do, and the values of catholic identity. In addition to this, students participate in prayer circles, keep prayer journals, learn about Jesus, saints and live their faith.
Students read a variety of materials to increase reading fluency and comprehension. Comprehension strategies include drawing conclusions, inferencing, predicting, and identifying story elements. Students participate in small and whole group instruction to teach key skills and practice comprehension strategies. The comprehensive Amplify reading program is implemented as a regular part of reading instruction. Reading each day helps reinforce reading and language development. Students work on the Lexia Reading Program each day to reinforce phonics and comprehension skills. Language, spelling, and writing skills are important as students grow in their ability to communicate in writing. Grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure are taught in lessons which come together in student writing. Spelling tests will be given weekly with 10-15 words each week. Cursive writing is taught in second grade. We begin around Christmas.
Students are expected to master basic addition and subtraction facts through 20 by the spring. Students are expected to review their math facts each evening as a part of their homework. Students utilize IXL, an online mathematics program which allows students to practice skills. Basic concepts in math that will be taught this year are place value to 1,000, telling time to 5 minutes, counting money up to $1.00 and making change, strategies to solve word problems, geometry with 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional figures, and solving addition and subtraction problems with 2 and 3-digits.
Topics that students explore includes physical science on the building blocks of matter, life science on animal and plant dependence, and earth science on changes to our land. We include lessons and experiments in our classroom as well as assignments for students online.
Our reading curriculum includes social studies lessons that encourage students to learn about and explore the world around them. Topics include but are not limited to Early Asian Civilizations, Ancient Greek Civilizations and Myths, The War of 1812, Westward Expansion, The United States Civil War, and Immigration.
