Early Elementary
Academic excellence is the core of all that we do. Students are guided through their learning by their teachers, and encouraged to make mistakes in order to grow, following our school motto of “Never Give Up!”
Faith & Values
Through the Blest Are We curriculum, faith-based lessons centered on values, community, and living out faith through everyday actions.
Beginning in Transitional Kindergarten, students learn to identify members of the Holy Family, using them as foundational role models in the faith from the very start. Through attending Mass with the school community weekly, students learn prayers, practice Mass responses, and develop an understanding of Catholic worship. Using the Bible as a guide, students engage with Bible stories and demonstrate a growing understanding of Sacred Scripture.
Reading
From Kindergarten through Second Grade, students embark on the exciting journey of learning to read. Using the Fundations Phonics Program by Wilson Language, Kindergarten students are introduced to letter sounds, while first and second graders build toward spelling patterns that support reading increasingly complex texts. Students apply these skills during small-group reading instruction several times a week, using Geodes Classroom Library to engage in authentic reading experiences that build content knowledge in science, history, and the arts while strengthening phonics skills and fostering intellectual curiosity.
Through the Wit & Wisdom English Language Arts Curriculum by Great Minds, students are immersed in fact-based, content-rich modules of study. From engaging texts such as Why Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears, an African tale by Verna Aaderma, to The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons, students expand their knowledge of the world through meaningful reading and discussion. Research highlighted in Scientific American underscores the importance of building factual content knowledge to strengthen reading comprehension and critical thinking in young learners.
Students read and write daily, developing confidence as they express their thinking through writing, discussion, and reflection. Each thematic module begins with an essential question, fostering engagement, curiosity, and a strong sense of classroom community.
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Math
Students in our early grades build strong mathematical foundations that will carry them through upper-grade mathematics. Beginning with counting and shapes in Kindergarten, students move on to learning a plethora of strategies to add and subtract numbers - ultimately choosing what works best for them. Eureka Math Squared curriculum is used as a guide for teachers to have students practice a daily routine of fluency, learning, solving with partners, and then showing what they know on their own. By following a gradual release of the responsibility model, students feel, and are, successful with difficult concepts, as they begin to multiply numbers at the end of second grade.
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