Elementary Academics (K-3)

Kindergarten

Religion

The students will begin their lifelong journey of Faith in Jesus Christ through an understanding of beliefs, practices and worship.  Students will listen and respond to stories about Jesus and show how they themselves are children of God. The students will learn and recite Glory Be, Hail Mary, Angel of God and The Our Father prayers through the course of the school year.  The Catholic Faith is infused into lessons and discussions during the school day throughout all subject areas.

English and Language Arts

A primary focus of language arts instruction in kindergarten is helping students make sense of the alphabet and its role in reading. It is important to help develop the students phonological awareness so they can move on to decoding words.   Once there is an understanding of decoding words, the students will learn to comprehend and analyze what they are reading.
Kindergarten students begin to develop writing skills by using a combination of drawing, dictation and writing to express opinions, relate an event, or provide information.  Kindergarten students develop skills in speaking and listening through discussions with peers and adults.  In both writing and speaking, students learn the conventions of English.

Math

Our major objective is to understand the sequence and quantity of numbers 1 – 20, including numeral recognition, operations in base ten and counting to one hundred. We focus on basic math concepts such as addition, subtraction, measuring, sorting, identifying and sorting shapes, analyzing and composing shapes and graphing.

Social Studies

We talk about rules and why they exist. We study major geographic features such as the Equator, North and South Poles, land and water regions on a map and globe, and our state of Kansas. And we learn to say the Pledge of Allegiance and to recognize the flag.

Science

We follow the Kindergarten Next Generation Science Standards.  This includes Earth’s Systems focusing on Weather, Energy, Motion and Stability, Forces and Interactions, Plants and Animals Around the World and Caring for Our Earth.

Special Activity

Our Kindergarten Bell Choir provides our students with an opportunity to develop mentally and physically. While they are producing music and having fun, they learn to focus, attend to task, recognize colors, concentrate, learn patience and control, and coordinate their body movements.

First Grade

English Language Arts

Reading: We focus on decoding words, understanding the organization and basic features of print, reading with accuracy and fluency, and comprehending their reading.

Writing: We focus on beginning writing skills with emphasis on text types and purposes and research to build and present knowledge.

Speaking and Listening: First grade focuses on comprehension and collaboration, as well as presentation of knowledge and idea.

Language: Our language standards consist of the conventions of standard English and the acquisition and use of vocabulary.

Math

First-grade math continues the students’ acquisition of number knowledge and problem solving skills with operations and algebraic thinking, number and operations in base ten, geometry, and measurement and data. Through these standards the students apply them to real world situations.

Social Studies

History: The students will study history through understanding the role of family and the role of the church. They will gain an understanding of the meaning and purpose of national and Catholic holidays.

Geography: Through geography the students will recognize the purpose of maps and globes.

Civics and Government: The students focus on the basic concepts of rules and laws as they apply to family, school, and church.
Economics: The students will recognize a family’s basic wants and needs and how families use money to purchase goods and services, as well as helping others.

Science

Through these four concepts: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering children develop an awareness of the world around them.  In physical science the students focus on sound waves and vibration. Through the study of life science, students learn how plants and animals survive and grow to meet their basic needs. Through the study of earth and space science, the students learn about the patterns and cycles of space systems through observations, predictions, and descriptions. During the engineering component students are presented with a challenge as architects and builders to design and construct objects while using the engineering design process of asking, imagining, planning, creating, and improving. 

Religion

See Faith Formation

Special Activity

Each spring we celebrate that God has made us for Himself and that Baptism has made us members of God’s family. We do this through studying and examining our own Baptism and celebrating through our Baptismal Renewal Mass. This is an important stepping stone, setting the foundation for Reconciliation and First Communion in second grade.

Second Grade

Language

Reading: In second grade we focus on learning to read for pleasure, and we help the students move past simply decoding words.

English: Beginning with correct sentence structure, we move toward paragraph writing and on to story writing.

Math

We build on what the students have learned in first grade, moving on to addition and subtraction with multiple digits and regrouping. We learn money counting with coins and bills, telling time, fractions and symmetry.

Social Studies

In second grade, we focus on our role as members of a community, we learn map skills, and we discuss the difference between wants and needs.

Science

Our main focuses are the Solar System, life cycles, and the concepts of light and sound energy.

Special Activity

Students engage in STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Math) three times a month. This gives the students the ability to see how all subjects are interconnected. We also meet with our Faith Families once a month. This is a time when all of our students TK through 8th are mixed into family units and are able to learn about their faith together.

Third Grade

Language 

Reading: The students continue to develop their phonemic awareness, but they also become more comfortable readers. They begin to read to learn instead of learning to read. We use the Amplify serious which exposes students to both fiction and nonfiction reading material. 

English: The students engage in many different writing activities to build an understanding of the English Language such as journals, writing letters, making cards, and continuing to develop their writing conventions.

Math 

Students are immersed in Math using the Eureka Math series. Math is also addressed in many subject areas. They continue to develop all the basic practical applications as well as problem-solving. Third graders work weekly on Accelerated Math.

Social Studies 

We explore the landmarks and historical sites of Kansas City and the world around us with books, the Internet, and our studies weekly social studies series. We also participate in and celebrate holidays and ceremonies of cultural groups around the world.  

Science 

The focus for third grade is to plan and conduct a simple investigation. We involve the students in physical science, life science, earth science, and engineering. We use a combination of reading and hands-on investigation to expose the students to these concepts.  

Special Activity 

Students engage in STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Math) three times a month. This gives the students the ability to see how all subjects are interconnected. We also meet with our Faith Families once a month. This is a time when all of our students TK through 8th are mixed into family units and are able to learn about their faith together.