Elementary Academics

In Elementary School, our St. Mary Catholic Virtue School students embark on an exciting journey of spiritual, intellectual, and social growth based on the vision of the Educational Covenant and extending without limit.  As their understanding of the Catholic Faith widens and deepens, so do their academic skills in the core subject areas of Faith Formation, the "Way of Words," History, Math, and Science. 

Students also participate in Art, Music, Library, Physical Education, and Spanish–special classes (or "Specials," for short) that are offered once a week rather than every day.

K-2 Stage:
Foundations for Lifelong Learning

At this Stage, basic skill sets are imparted in order to serve as starting points for future success in all subject areas.  Fostering curiosity, a love of learning, and an appreciation for collaboration, these early classroom experiences encourage St. Mary Catholic Virtue School students to become the true protagonists of their own life's adventure, under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, our "Interior Teacher" (The Educational Covenant, p. 23).

What to look forward to during these developmental years

  • In the classroom, reinforcing what is presented in the School of Prayer and in the Polaris Project, students study the Catholic Faith both directly and indirectly–by learning theological concepts as a subject area in and of themselves, and by discerning the finger of God in nature, literature, art, everyone, and everywhere.

  • In Kindergarten, St. Mary Catholic Virtue School teachers use the Orton-Gillingham Method, which stimulates the phonemic awareness necessary for students to become fluent readers, writers, and speakers in the long run.  Starting in 1st Grade, students begin studying the "Sentence as a Whole Thought" as the foundation of the "Way of Words."  In 2nd Grade, they undertake basic Expository Writing as members of Fleet Saint Matthew.

  • During the K-2 Stage, our St. Mary Catholic Virtue School History classes take students on a narrative journey from Creation itself through ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome.  These civilizations still deserve to be studied in and of themselves, as well as for their enduring influences on the world of today.

  • Using the Sadlier curriculum, our K-2 students learn their numbers along with the functions of addition and subtraction.  The goal of this stage is to lay a strong foundation for conquering the more difficult mathematical concepts to come.

  • Nature walks, sketchbooks, and other inducements to wonder are employed to supplement the formal study of Science during this Stage.  At St. Mary Catholic Virtue School, we understand faith and reason not only as compatible but even as mutually reinforcing, as explored in the 1998 encyclical Fides et Ratio by Pope John Paul II

The Four Quadrants of the "Way of Words"

As a realization of the narrative pedagogy envisioned by the DCJM, St. Mary Catholic Virtue School's "Way of Words" is a comprehensive approach to verbal agility focusing on Literature, Grammar, Composition, and Creative Writing as a whole. Every Trimester in every Grade,

each of our 2nd through 8th Grade students completes all four quadrants as a whole.  This means that, instead of learning about–say–the Object of the Preposition without knowing why or what for, they first study an "Anchor Text" connected thematically to the Polaris Virtue for their grade, and then a grammatical skill building on former ones, and then a technique for writing or speaking that employs all three of those prerequisites.  Then and only then are they called upon to put all of these aspects together into an original research or reflection paper, story, play, or poem of their own.

  • In this foundational "Way of Words" quadrant, an "Anchor Text" is taught every Trimester.  These works have been carefully selected to dovetail thematically not only with the Polaris Virtue for the grade, but also with the chronological focus of the academic year.  As students are studying, for example, the Founding of America in their History class, in the "Way of Words" they are reading a book about the experiences of someone who lived during that time.  The reading of these required "Anchor Texts" supplemented by grade-appropriate works from other genres as well.

  • While Grammar is generally taught in isolation from the rest of literary studies (when it is taught any more at all), the "Way of Words" treats the mechanics of meaning as vital when it comes to reading, writing, and speaking with excellence.  In this second quadrant, students master concepts in a systematic way, so that they can analyze Simple sentences by the time they enter Middle School, and Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex ones by the time they graduate from it.  Grammatical mastery targets are aligned, Trimester by Trimester, with what our students are learning in Spanish as well.

  • The purpose of learning Grammar is to be able to express oneself, and in each Trimester of the "Way of Words," the tools learned in that quadrant are put to work in this one.  In 2nd Grade, St. Mary Catholic Virtue School students are introduced to basic paragraphing technique; in 3rd Grade, the narrative elements of plot, character, setting, presentation, and theme; in 4th Grade, imagery and meter; and in 5th Grade, the specialized genres of the Dialogue, the Summa, and the Epistle.

  • While there are many good programs promoting creative writing currently available, the "Way of Words" is unique in envisioning this art-and-science as the end result of the study of the previous three quadrants.  A 4th Grader, for instance, wouldn't be prompted to produce something ex nihilo, but would be asked to write a poem with a similar theme and style to the "Anchor Text" they have read, and including Prepositional Phrases used as Adjectives or Adverbs.  Students experience the freedom to select topics to write about which interest them, with approval from their teachers and within the parameters of Catholic Common Sense.

3-5 Stage:
Continuing the Journey of Discovery and Growth

Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade students are immersed in a rich and engaging curriculum in core content as well as Specials, all designed to strengthen the academic and personal formation which will prepare them for success in the years ahead.

Here’s what to expect during these formative years:

  • In 3rd Grade, because students both study and receive the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation, they also participate in contemplative hike which culminates in the celebration of Holy Mass on the side of a mountain. The curriculum in 4th Grade and 5th Gradebuilds upon these sacraments, with St. Mary Catholic Virtue School students delving into Church History, Tradition, and the anthropological foundations of the Theology of the Body.

  • Continuing their studies in Literature, Grammar, Composition, and Creative Writing, 3rd Graders learn about Fiction as members of Fleet Saint Mark, 4th Graders learn about Poetry as members of Fleet Saint Luke, and 5th Graders learn about Philosophy as members of Fleet Saint John. 

  • Our History curriculum now brings students into the Middle Ages and guides them all the way through the American Founding and Civil War.  Relying on the narrative pedagogy of the Educational Covenant, our approach helps the young people to imaginatively enter into the period they are learning about, rather than limiting itself to the memorization of lists of sterile if necessary facts.

  • Continuing to utilize the Sadlier curriculum, St. Mary Catholic Virtue School Math classes in the 3-5 Stage concentrate on mastering multiplication and division, followed by the use of decimals and fractions.  Students are therefore well prepared to move on to the advanced Math offered in our Middle School.

  • At this more advanced Stage, our students are asked to move from an appreciation of the natural world around us to a more sophisticated grasp of the scientific method itself–celebrating its breakthroughs for the common good, certainly, but recognizing its inherent limitations as well.

A Day in the Life of our Elementary School Students

Every morning, our young people check in with their Homeroom Teachers, who assist them in preparing for the rest of the day.  On Mondays through Thursdays class time then commences, while on Fridays and Holy Days, we all attend Holy Mass together first.  In Kindergarten through 3rd Grade, classes are self-contained; it is not until 4th Grade that students begin moving between two core classrooms.

For Specials, teachers escort students to and from the art room, the music room, the library, the gym, and the classroom dedicated to the study of the Spanish language, depending on the day of the week.