St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic School bases its curriculum on national, state, and Diocese of Charleston standards. South Carolina Curriculum Standards can be found at www.myscschools.com/offices/sco/standards. Diocese of Charleston standards can be found at www.catholic-doc.org/cso under “Curriculum.” In addition to a curriculum which includes science, health, social studies, technology, physical education, and the arts, there is an emphasis on the traditional 3 R’s of Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. Children who attend St. Mary’s also benefit from a curriculum that includes an additional 3 R’s: Respect, Reverence, and Responsibility.
St. Mary’s primary and elementary or early childhood certified and have bachelor’s or master’s degrees, many with coursework beyond the master’s degree level. Junior high and “special area” teachers are either certified in their subject areas or are “highly qualified,” meaning they have at least a bachelor’s degree and have majors or minors in their assigned subjects. St. Mary’s professional staff (teachers, counselor, librarian, and principal) participate in at least five days of professional development training each school year. Teachers are available at least one afternoon each week to work with students who need additional time or assistance.
Accreditation
St. Mary’s maintains accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS CASI). Accreditation by SACS indicates that St. Mary’s meets staffing and curriculum requirements, undergoes a periodic, comprehensive self-study, conducts annual updates, and hosts an accreditation review team of professional educators every five years to visit the school, assess the accuracy of the school’s self-study, and provide recommendations for improvement. St. Mary’s has been accredited since 1974.
Religion is taught daily to all students. The school day begins with prayer and ends with prayer. Students participate in weekly liturgy services at St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church. Students of all faiths are welcome at St. Mary’s School. All participate in religion studies and in liturgies.
Children are taught how to work in a semi-structured setting that encourages listening skills, cooperative play and learning, sharing, and taking turns. Children are encouraged to be sensitive and creative, building trust and security while learning. The kindergarten programs have been developed to channel all of the enthusiasm and enjoyment of learning into the school setting. Religion is taught daily. Children receive Spanish or French instruction twice a week. Kindergarten students attend mass weekly with their “mass buddies” from the sixth and seventh grades.
Children enter kindergarten at a variety of levels. The children participate in a balance of active and quiet activities. Reading readiness skills develop and most children leave kindergarten reading and writing. The Superkids Reading Program© was adopted in 2010 and has been enthusiastically embraced by the students, teachers, and parents. Students explore math concepts including counting, sorting, identifying shapes and the properties of shapes, measurement, simple addition and subtraction, ordinal positions, time, and money. The math book is the kindergarten level of the Houghton Mifflin Mathematics series that is used in the elementary grades. Five-year-olds learn much by exploring materials and interacting with others during centers. The teacher interacts with children during this “play” and provides guidance for extending play to increase learning. Art is incorporated into the regular classroom activities. Science, social studies, and health are taught through units of study. Children receive instruction from specialists in physical education, computer literacy, music, and foreign language.
Grades One though Four
Classes in first through fourth grades are self-contained classes; students remain in their classrooms with their homeroom teachers for language arts (reading, English, spelling, handwriting), mathematics, science, health, and social studies. Children receive art, music, physical education (PE), computer literacy, Spanish or French, and religion from teachers who are specialists in these subject areas.
Children attend school liturgy (mass) once a week, typically on Wednesdays. The children have a forty minute lunch and recess period. They go to the library weekly. Children in grades two, three, and four participate in the Accelerated Reader® and Accelerated Mathematics® programs. The science program incorporates many hands-on activities (experiments) and includes life, earth, and physical science as well as a unit on space and technology.
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Religion: |
Blest are We, Silver Burdett Ginn, 2008 |
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Reading Grades 1 & 2: |
Superkids Reading Program© |
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Reading Grades 3, 4, & 5: |
Houghton Mifflin Reading, Houghton Mifflin, 2003 |
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Mathematics: |
Houghton Mifflin Mathematics, Houghton Mifflin, 2002 |
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Science: |
Science 2006, Scott Foresman, 2006 |
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Social Studies: |
Scott Foresman Social Studies, 2005 |
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Spelling: |
Spelling Workout, Pearson Publishing |
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Handwriting: Cursive handwriting is taught in third grade used through grade 8. |
A Reason for Handwriting, The Concerned Group |
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English: |
Voyages in English, Loyola University Press, 2006 |
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Junior High Curriculum (Grades Six, Seven, and Eight)
The junior high course of study requires that students change classes and follow a nine period day, with lunch being one of the periods. The academic courses of study are described below. The junior high literature, English, and mathematics curriculum is academically advanced and builds on a strong foundation in the elementary grades. The MLA bibliography style is taught and used throughout the junior high curriculum. The offering of less-rigorous “on grade level” junior high classes is determined on a year-to-year basis, based on the needs and numbers of students who would benefit from such classes.
Literature
Sixth graders utilize a seventh grade level reader, Elements of Literature, First Course, seventh graders utilize the eighth grade reader, Elements of Literature, Second Course, and most eighth graders utilize a high school literature book, Elements of Literature, Third Course. In coordination with their English class, eighth graders may receive high school credit for English I. Literature is aimed at fostering the students’ appreciation for a wide variety of reading texts. The main focuses of literature classes are the development of the multi-skills needed to comprehend, interpret, analyze, and evaluate what is read, the continued development of vocabulary, and a deeper understanding of the literary elements and genre of literature. On-grade level reading/literature is offered, as needed.
The goals of English in the junior high are to improve written and oral communication, working intensively in grammar, usage, and the mechanics of the English language. All eight parts of speech are covered, as well as punctuation and essential elements of a sentence. Composition skills include paragraph development, journal writing, friendly and business letters, essays, and poetry. Research skills are developed in coordination with other subject areas. Spelling and vocabulary are taught in the English classes. Students build skills in the areas of public speaking. Daily Oral Language, Great Source, and Drill for Skill reinforce skills in grammar. As in literature classes, the English Grammar and Composition textbooks are typically one year ahead of grade level placement. Sixth and seventh graders use Voyages in English, Loyola University Press; eighth graders use English Composition and Grammar, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Seventh and eighth graders utilize Vocabulary for the High School Student, Amsco School Publishing. The vocabulary course of study takes two years and provides a strong foundation in vocabulary and the application of cumulative spelling skills. Eighth grade students produce the SMS news, a bi-weekly television broadcast.
Sixth graders continue their math studies by using the Middle Grades Math Course 2, Prentice Hall, textbook. The text develops proficiency in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, integers, and rational numbers. Students work with equations, trigonometry, exponents, ratios, percents, proportions, geometry, and problem solving strategies. Seventh graders utilize the Holt McDougal’s Pre-Algebra, newly adopted, in 2010-2011. Eighth graders continue their math studies by taking Algebra I, a high school course. The text used is Algebra I, Holt Rinehart Winston, 2011. For students meeting the course requirements, local high schools recognize Algebra I for high school credit. Junior high students utilize technology through calculators and appropriate computer programs. The students utilize the Accelerated Mathematics® program in math lab and have a minimum number of objectives they must master each grading period.
Sixth and seventh graders delve into Salvation History during their religion classes. Students also use Facts and Friends, Northwest Family Services. Sixth and seventh graders receive more responsibility for the school liturgy (mass) and sit with the kindergarten and first grade students at mass. Eighth graders utilize a variety of materials in religion, with the goal of achieving deep, active faith in Jesus Christ. Through selected stories, questions, reflections, and clarifications by outstanding saints, theologians, and laymen, students learn to relate Christian moral life to their own situations. The junior high religion curriculum also includes units on morality, human sexuality, abstinence, and chastity. Project Genesis materials are typically used for these units of study.
Earth, life, and physical sciences are studied in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Students participate in regular labs and develop skills in utilizing science equipment safely, conducting labs, writing lab reports, and working in pairs or teams to investigate science. All junior high students participate in a school-level science fair and winning projects are submitted to the regional science fair.
Foreign Language (Kindergarten, Grades 1-8)
French or Spanish is taught two, three, or four times a week, depending on the grade level of the children. At each grade level, there is one class of Spanish and one class of French. The classes are filled on a first registered/first enrolled basis. Students may change languages from year to year, though it is recommended that from sixth grade on, students remain in the same language. In the early grades, foreign language instruction includes vocabulary and knowledge about the countries in which the language is the native tongue. Foreign language instruction in the upper grades focuses on vocabulary in practical daily-life themes, establishing a limited, but useful vocabulary, and familiarity with the native countries’ customs, history, and culture. Students enrolled in French or Spanish in seventh and eighth grades may earn a credit that the local high schools accept. A French visitation program provides opportunities for junior high students and their families to host a French student for several weeks. A reciprocal “exchange” program, which is privately arranged by a St. Mary’s School French teacher, takes place every other year.
Art (Grades 1-8)
Students in grades one through six participate in art classes once a week. Seventh and eighth graders are enrolled in art one quarter of the year. The art curriculum addresses the national visual arts content standards:
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understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes, |
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using knowledge of structures and functions, |
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choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas, |
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understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures, |
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reflecting upon and assessing the merits of their own and other’s work, and |
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making connections between visual arts and other disciplines. |
Students in kindergarten through grade six participate in music classes once a week. Seventh and eighth graders are enrolled in music one quarter of the year. The curriculum is general music with an emphasis on singing melody, rhythm, note reading, and performing. In the upper grades, skills necessary to read and perform music are expanded and refined. Music history, appreciation, and knowledge about composers is included in the general music curriculum. A youth choir, with members in fourth through eighth grades, meets after school, sings at all school liturgies, and once a month at the 8:30 Sunday mass. Private piano and guitar lessons are available, on site, after school.
Physical Education (Kindergarten, Grades 1-8)
The physical education curriculum begins with participation in activities that involve imagination, coordination, and basic game skills in the primary grades. Elementary students participate in activities and exercises that emphasize teamwork and skills used in a variety of sports and other physical activities. Junior high students work to further develop the skills, strategies, and teamwork through various games, activities, and exercises. Elementary students have physical education once a week; junior high students have physical education and health one quarter of the school year.
Computer Literacy (Kindergarten, Grades 1-8) The purpose of the computer literacy curriculum is to assist students with development and mastery of technology skills that they will need for school and life activities. Included in the curriculum are keyboarding, word processing (Word), visual presentation slides (PowerPoint), spreadsheet applications (Excel), internet safety, searching and researching, desktop publishing, and web page development. Junior high students also have one additional period a week during which they go to the computer lab for curriculum-related activities.
Library (Kindergarten, Grades 1-8)
Students in the elementary grades are scheduled for weekly library classes. During the classes, a library or reference skill is taught, a story is read or book introduced, and children have an opportunity to check out library books. Unscheduled visits to the library are encouraged and can be worked out between teachers and the librarian. The librarian also opens the library to junior high students during selected lunch periods as well as before and after school during times when there is a demand. Kindergarten children visit the library weekly for a story and introduction to beginning library skills.
Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders have the opportunity to participate in golf, tennis, track, cross country, basketball, soccer, and volleyball. Tryouts are held for basketball, soccer, and volleyball. SMS plays in a highly competitive league.
Fifth Grade at Fort Discovery
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