Curriculum

 

Religion

The religion curriculum at St. Mary is infused into the life of the school and areas of study. Students learn about their faith through academic coursework and the connection of Catholic ideas to other fields of academic study, arts expression, socialization, discipline, and morality. They grow in holiness through lived experiences of prayer, devotional practices, and social outreach. Sixth through 8th grade students dedicate service hours to both the school and to the community.
 

Science

Science is an ongoing process of acquiring and refining knowledge. Through critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, students will master content, make discoveries and solve challenges. By studying science, students achieve deeper insight and understanding of the world that God has created for them. By incorporating Catholic ethical and moral values, we prepare students to bring scientific literacy with a Catholic worldview into their future workplaces.

Language Arts

The English Language Arts curriculum at St. Mary Parish School is built upon evidence-based practices that regard reading, writing, and thinking as integrated parts of a whole. Students engage in authentic daily experiences of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Through literary analysis, students learn to find and evaluate information, interpret and respond to text, and present ideas through a variety of media and technology — culminating in a broad-based learning experience.

Music & Art

Music and art classes are an integral part of our curriculum at St. Mary Parish School. Through a program of hands-on activities, critical analysis, historical study, observation, appreciation and performance, our students are called to interact creatively and responsively with one another in our school, our community, and our world.

Mathematics

St. Mary Parish School’s vision for a quality mathematics program is  that all students will learn to value mathematics. They will become confident in their ability to do mathematics, learn to communicate mathematically, become mathematical problem solvers, and understand, appreciate and see the connection between mathematics and real life experiences. Our curriculum includes opportunities to explore important mathematical ideas; read, write, and discuss ideas using mathematical language; and encourage conjecture-making, evidence gathering, and argument building to support doing mathematics.

Physical Education

At St. Mary Parish School, your child is nurtured to value their own wellness. Primary grade students learn spatial awareness, safety, gross and fine motor skills, locomotor skills, and basic sport skills. Intermediate level students progressively advance by putting learned skills to use. Middle school students review and refresh skills as well as lead-up activities before entering team sports and recreational activities.  Students at all levels participate in team-building and cooperative activities that focus on and help solidify the values of teamwork and sportsmanship.

Social Studies

Through the St. Mary Parish social students curriculum, students make connections between the historical events of the past and the present, learning through a variety of interactive and experiential activities.  Attention is given to relations among the nations and peoples of the world, the effects of science and technology on society, and ways to practice good citizenship.

Spanish

Learning a foreign language is vital to student learning experiences because each student lives in a global society. Our Spanish program emphasizes interpersonal communication by focusing on the development of the four means of communication: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. At St. Mary Parish School, students in grades 5 through 8 are offered Spanish

Technology

Effective technology integration is achieved when its use supports curricular goals. At St. Mary Parish School, we promote learning with a variety of technology tools including iPads, a computer lab, SMARTBoards, robotics, and Chromebooks. Highly rated online educational resources and software tools compliment our academic curriculum, bringing the intrigue and sophistication of technology to the fingertips of each child.