General Curriculum
Catholic virtues are central to the Saint Peter School culture, and we live our faith through instruction and participation in prayer, worship, and sacraments. Students lead a weekly Mass and participate daily in religion class. They also participate in service projects as an expression of the school’s mission. Equally important at Saint Peter School is our reputation for academic excellence. As a result, Saint Peter School graduates are prepared for high school and go on to attend the best institutions in the region. Read on to learn more about Saint Peter School's robust curriculum.
Reading
The goal of reading instruction at Saint Peter School is to develop proficient, enthusiastic readers. Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten focus on the on the fundamentals of literacy acquisition, using the programs Wilson Fundations and Haggerty to introduce phonics and phonemic awareness. The teachers enhance students’ vocabulary and comprehension through quality read-alouds. This instructional method continues into first grade, where students also transition into the Wit and Wisdom curriculum, which works to deepen comprehension by enabling critical thinking. The combination of Fundations and Wit and Wisdom continues on through third grade, giving students both a base in the fundamentals of decoding and encoding as well as the skills to think deeply about texts. In the upper grades, teachers use novel studies, vocabulary instruction, and advanced word analysis to further refine their students’ abilities.
Saint Peter school students read voraciously—our school library houses more than 11,000 books. Second through eighth graders participate in the Accelerated Reader program, which helps students grow as readers by creating individual goals for volume of reading, content, and difficulty level. The library staff also curate selections of books to help students find their preferred genres and cultivate a love of reading. The school makes reading fun and appealing with incentives such as an annual summer reading party to celebrate the students’ summer reading achievements and participation in the Newbery Club in the spring. Guest authors are also invited to the school throughout the school year to discuss their books and celebrate the joy of reading.
Mathematics
The Saint Peter School math curriculum meets the needs of individual learners as they progress from concrete to abstract math concepts. Teachers use the Archdiocesan math standards to plan their lessons, which incorporate the strands of number sense, computation, algebra and functions, geometry, measurement, and problem solving.
Teachers have access to a school-wide collection of math manipulatives for student use, including items such as fraction tiles, algebra tiles, geometry blocks, and place value flip charts. Teachers also take advantage of resources like number lines, integer flash cards, and small white boards for problem-solving so that students are engaged in differentiated learning activities.
Mastery of computational skills appropriate to a child's grade level and development of critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills are integral to the mathematics curriculum at Saint Peter School.
In Pre-Kindergarten, math is integrated across the curriculum to help students identify number relationships in everyday classroom activities. In Kindergarten, students learn concrete skills like skip counting, number recognition, telling time, and basic arithmetic. Eureka Math is used in Kindergarten-Grade 5. Its incremental, spiraled approach lays the groundwork for the independent thinking and abstract concepts introduced in Pre-algebra and Algebra.
Students in Grades 6-8 use the Sadlier-Oxford program. Sixth grade topics include order of operations, equations, percentages, ratios, integers, and problem solving. All students take Pre-algebra in seventh grade. This course covers the topics introduced in sixth grade in greater depth plus rational and irrational numbers, factoring, probability, and sequences and series. All students in eighth grade take Algebra 1. Content in Algebra 1 includes linear equations and inequalities, relations and functions, data analysis, trigonometric ratios, and an extensive introduction to geometry. Please be advised that the completion of the eighth grade Algebra 1 course does not automatically guarantee a student’s placement in geometry as a freshman in high school.
Teachers use formative and summative assessments, as well as standardized test scores to determine how to differentiate math instruction. Students needing extra support in math receive assistance from resource teachers. The annual school Math Bee and Pi Day are opportunities for students to showcase their math interest and aptitude.
Faith Integration
Catholic faith and values are integral to instruction at Saint Peter School, and students experience the Catholic faith in a variety of ways. All students have regular, focused religious instruction, learning about the Old and New Testaments, the Ten Commandments, the life of Jesus, the lives of the saints, and the theological underpinnings of the Catholic sacraments. Students also explore Catholic social teachings and are given opportunities to put these teachings into practice.
The Saint Peter School community celebrates Mass weekly and gathers to mark the special liturgical seasons of the Church. Every Wednesday of the school year, students lead a Mass where the school community (including parents) worships together. Priests from Saint Peter’s Church and the regional supporting parishes come to celebrate Mass with the community as well. During Advent, students, faculty, and staff gather to participate in special readings and reflections and to sing Advent songs in preparation for Christmas. A school-wide celebration, complete with festive Catholic traditions, is held for Mardi Gras, and during the season of Lent, students participate weekly in Stations of the Cross in order to remember the suffering and death of Jesus.
Saint Peter School instills in its students a commitment to Catholic virtues. A school-wide virtues program focuses on one virtue per month, such as kindness or courage. The program includes classroom lessons, a consistent message through common vocabulary, and the use of visual displays, stories, and inspirational quotes. Students who display the virtues in practical, everyday ways are specially recognized each month.
A major goal of a Saint Peter School education is to establish in students the Catholic ethic of service to others. Ten Student Families—each comprised of a cross section of PK-Grade 7 students and led by Grade 8 students—work on a community service project each month. Together, Student Families and the SPS Student Council lead monthly initiatives and raise funds for charitable organizations. Middle school students are required to perform 15 hours of community service each year; all parents also perform volunteer hours in service of the school community.
Foreign Language
Spanish is taught in Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade with a focus on vocabulary, grammar, reading, and listening skills. The history and culture of Spanish speaking countries are also incorporated.
Latin is mandatory for seventh and eighth grade students, with a focus on vocabulary and grammar. Students use basic knowledge of Latin words to decipher vocabulary across all subject areas. Latin is also taught within the context of Catholic Church history.
Physical Education
The physical education program encourages students to develop motor skills, improve stamina and vitality, and make healthy lifestyle choices. Students learn the value of teamwork and good sportsmanship, with year-long instruction culminating with Field Day in May. Outside the school environment, parent volunteers support a rigorous CYO Sports program, where students compete against other Archdiocesan schools in cross country and basketball.
Art and Music
In art class, children practice drawing and visualization skills. They study line, color, texture, and shape to create abstract and realistic representations in various mediums. Students also learn to analyze artwork and make connections between art and other subject areas.
The music program exposes students to both sacred and popular music. They learn how to sing a variety of music, identify musical elements, and perform rhythms and melodies. Students showcase their musical talents at the Christmas Concert.
Saint Peter School also offers elective choir and band. Choir members sing at all school masses, at select school and church events, and at the Christmas Concert. Band students practice weekly and perform at a Spring Concert.
Instructional Methods
At Saint Peter School, our primary objective is to educate the whole child, and we strive to meet the needs of each student to help him or her grow and excel.
A crucial component of differentiated instruction is an emphasis on multiple and varied modes of instruction; teachers target a diversity of learning modalities in their instructional practices. Students are engaged in hands-on activities, technology-based projects, cooperative learning tasks, and opportunities for oral presentation and performance. More traditional modes like direct instruction, listening skills, and note-taking are also considered valuable and are emphasized in instructional practice.
The Student Assistance Team comes together to address the needs of struggling students. In collaboration with the resource teachers and school counselor, teachers create formal plans for students in need of recommended academic intervention. This plan is shared with the student’s family and teachers, and the resource teacher closely monitors progress towards the articulated goals.
Students’ enthusiasm for academic content and their mastery of learning objectives is enhanced by incorporating cutting-edge technology into assignments and projects. From basic computer and typing skills to honing research skills and discerning proper sources of information online, technology integration at Saint Peter School ensures that all students develop a superior, twenty-first century digital competence. Students use a variety of software and online programs to complete quarterly projects and presentations. In addition, teachers and students have access to interactive manipulatives and online programs using SMART Boards. Technology is an invaluable tool for increasing academic engagement and affording students exciting, contemporary learning experiences at Saint Peter School.