Academic Excellence
We hold true to all that Catholic school have always done best; continuing to provide our students with strong foundational skills while blending in today's best instructional practices and integrating techology in ways which support learning.
Programs
We offer Music, Art, Spanish, Physical Education, and Health (grades 6-8) programs as a part of our weekly instruction.
Students in grades 6-8 have PE class three times a week with Health class embedded into this class time. Students in grades 3-8 participate in
Spanish class year round.
Students in grades K-5 a participate in Music, Art, Spanish, and Physical Education during all three trimesters.
In grades 6-8 we offer three sections of math class. This class is sixty minutes long and offers our students an opportunity to spend more time immersed in math concepts and their application.
We also offer three sections of a ninety-minute English Language Arts and Social Studies class. This block of time is designed to support an interdisciplinary approach to instruction. Our students are immersed in Social Studies topics which are connected to non-fiction and fiction reading materials. Writing assignments across all writing genres are connected to these topics with grammar and writing traits lessons embedded into the writing component. This class allows our students to go deeper, think critically, and engage in content from multiple perspectives.
instruction
Instruction is driven by content area standards as well as student data. We provide our students with both whole group and small group instruction and work to meet the needs of all students. We are growing in our interdisciplinary instructional approach (STREAM) as we seek to immerse students in topics from multiple perspectives through project-based learning and assessment. Daily instructional learning targets with connected assessments provide our students with an understanding of the instructional goal and its outcome.
We are moving forward with implementation of NGSS and project based learning. This year in grades 3-5 we begin full implementation of Project Lead the Way modules as a part of classroom science instruction. The Project Lead the Way Computer Science modules are a part of technology class in grades K-4 and we are slowly rolling out PLTW modules this year in first grade. As we look to the 2021-2022 school year, all grade levels K-5 will have PLTW modules embedded into the curriculum and we look forward to launching PLTW Gateway in grades 6-8 as well.
assessment
Our school uses a variety of assessment tools in order to assist us in creating learning experiences that best support the needs of all of our students.
The Iowa Assessment is administered annually in September. Our students in grades 3-8 participate in this assessment which provides us with feedback which demonstrates student growth from year to year. The tests cover reading, written expression, conventions of writing, vocabulary, mathematics, and computation. In grades 4-8 science and social studies are also included and in grade 3 students take a word analysis and listening assessment.
Students in grades 3-7 participate in the Cognitive Abilities Assessment. This assessment helps us understand how students learn best and measures their ability in verbal, non-verbal, and quantitative batteries of tests.
Three times a year we administer benchmark assessments to all of our students using Easy CBMs. These assessments demonstrate a student’s growth during the school year in the areas of reading and math.
We also utilize the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment. This tool allows the teacher to sit with a student one-on-one, listen to them read, and engage in a comprehension conversation which allows the teacher to determine a student’s reading level.
We use all of this information along with daily formative assessment to create learning experiences to support the needs of all of our students.
Differentiation
Differentiation takes place in all classrooms as teachers utilize daily ongoing assessment as well as benchmark assessment data to form instruction. Here at our school we are also blessed to have support resources available for our students to ensure that all students meet their goals. We have a reading specialist, learning interventionist, speech pathologist, school counselor, and school nurses. All of these staff members work in concert with the classroom teachers to develop and implement instructional practices which support student learning.
technology
In grades 5-8 our students are 1:1 with Chromebooks. Our parents purchase Chromebooks in fifth grade. This one-time fee includes a four-year protection plan. The devices are collected at the end of every school year for maintenance and when students graduate or depart our school, they take their Chromebook with them.
In grades K-3 our students use shared iPads. Our students use them in many ways, for example, during their Daily 5 rotations English Language Arts rotations, for research, to create presentations, for webquests, and math practice.
facilities
We are blessed to have spaces in our school which support and enrich our students’ learning experiences.
We are blessed to have spaces in our school which support and enrich our students’ learning experiences.
We are blessed to have spaces in our school which support and enrich our students’ learning experiences.
We are blessed to have spaces in our school which support and enrich our students’ learning experiences.
We are blessed to have spaces in our school which support and enrich our students’ learning experiences.
We are blessed to have spaces in our school which support and enrich our students’ learning experiences.