Our Academics
Queen of Apostles follows core curriculum guidelines in reading, writing, science, and math. In addition, we meet state and Diocese standards in the areas of religion, social studies, Spanish, art, music, technology, PE and movement and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in the area of science. Differentiated instruction begins in TK and is provided through the grades especially in math and reading in order to meet the students at their level and help them meet and exceed the requirements each year.
The teachers articulate within their grades and work together to align curriculum throughout the grades. Departmentalization in the middle school allows teachers to specialize in one area of the curriculum and work with the same students for three years to assess and meet students’ needs effectively.
Building Strong Readers for Lifelong Learning
Art & Music
General music instruction is provided for TK–8th grade students, introducing them to a variety of music styles from classical and folk to pop. Students enjoy singing seasonal songs and participate in an annual musical performance for family and friends.
Students also explore creativity through art and hands-on STEAM experiences. Our annual STEAM Night invites students and families to engage in interactive projects that encourage creativity, collaboration, and innovative thinking across science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
Physical Education
TK- 8th grade participate in P.E. classes allow students to exercise, and learn teamwork, using a wide range of sports and activities including soccer, badminton, and track.
Science
K-4 grade teachers and a dedicated science teacher for grades 5-8 educate the students in the wonders of science including hands-on lab activities weekly and projects focusing the students’ learning on science. 4th through 8th grade students continue their science education in our science lab classroom. This program implements the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Students thoroughly explore science with labs, hands-on activities, projects, and research. Sixth graders attend Outdoor Science School in Santa Cruz County.
Spanish
Spanish is taught to all students TK-8th via listening, speaking, reading, writing, cultural awareness and language. It begins with simple vocabulary and stories and continues to have increasing complexity with the goal of being prepared for high school Spanish courses.
Catholic Education
As a Catholic school in the Diocese of San Jose, religion is taught each day in all classrooms, sacramental preparation is provided for Catholic 2nd graders, and the curriculum follows the Diocesan religion outcomes. Religion is more than an isolated subject, but is also an integral part of the fiber of Queen of Apostles School. Our students, both Catholic and non-Catholic, learn to apply Catholic/Christian principles and to reinforce moral values.
Technology Use in the Classroom
At Queen of Apostles, we have always understood education as the formation of the whole child — mind, body, and spirit. Our mission calls us to give our students the strongest possible foundation. A national conversation is now reconsidering the role of screens in the early classroom, and we have an opportunity to examine our own practice deliberately from our mission.
Our guiding distinction: active vs. passive use
The question is not whether technology belongs in a classroom, but how it is used. Active, teacher-directed, creation-oriented use such as diagnostic assessment, writing, research, and student creation, serves learning. Passive consumption does not.
A differentiated, grade-band approach - Our teachers have committed to approaching tech use in their individual classrooms in the following ways:
-
TK–2: Minimal use: occasional teacher-directed or diagnostic only; devices are not part of routine daily instruction.
-
Grades 3–5: Supervised, classroom-based, teacher-directed access; devices remain at school. No use of devices for ‘free time’ or games.
-
Grades 6–8: 1:1 with clear guardrails - content filtering and device-free social and mealtimes (No device between classes, at recess or at lunch). Supervised, classroom-based, teacher-directed access. No use of devices for ‘free time’ or games.
What we preserve
Diagnostic and benchmark assessment (STAR Testing), math and reading intervention (IXL), and teacher-directed whole-class instruction (Google Suite) remain fully in place across all grades. This is a refinement of everyday use, not a removal of the tools that serve our data and intervention work.
Why this fits our mission
This review is not a rejection of technology; it is a recommitment to presence, community, and embodied learning - the human formation at the heart of a Catholic school.
