STEAM

Saint Monica School is a 1:1 device school fully incorporating technology into each classroom. Each student in kindergarten through third grade receives an individual iPad. Individual Chromebooks are issued to students in fourth through eighth grade. Students use technology in a variety of ways, for example, interactive lessons, enriching programs like ALEKS and Mathletics. In primary grades, students make the transition from using devices as a toy to a learning tool. Students begin learning keyboarding skills in 2nd grade. Being mindful of the presence of technology in our students’ lives, students are taught to use technology safely and responsibly.

Truly unique to Saint Monica School, engineering is incorporated into the school day in an expansion of our technology program. Our STEM room, provides a variety of hands-on activities for student exploration, including LEGO Robotics and 3D printers. Students in 1st grade are introduced to coding with a mix of exploration and LEGO Robotics. Using iPads, 2nd graders begin simple coding using the program Scratch. 3rd graders continue to use Scratch first on iPads, then transition to Chromebooks. In 4th and 5th grades, students use role play games through CodeCombat to learn Python language. Students in 5th grade also participate in weekly LEGO Robotics classes in our STEM room building robots to complete specific tasks. After school, students have the opportunity to further their engineering skills in our afterschool LEGO Robotics Club and/or STEM Club. These activities are available either free or for a nominal fee.

Art education is an integral part of a well-rounded education. Students in all grades receive weekly art instruction in our dedicated Art Room. Our art program is hands-on where students work with different media while learning artistic concepts and the foundational principles and elements of design. Our Art Program expands students’ artistic and cultural horizons by incorporating art history into lessons. It also provides a rich educational experience while encouraging creative self-expression. As students progress through the grades, they master basic elements of design and theory, such as perspective, portrait, and color appreciation. Students take pride in their work and our community enjoys their masterpieces, many of which are displayed throughout the school.

We follow common core standards throughout the grades using McGraw Hill’s Reveal Math curriculum. Its comprehensive program design “develops the problem solvers of tomorrow by incorporating both inquiry-focused and teacher-guided instructional strategies within each lesson” using “powerful explorations, rich mathematical discourse, and timely individualized learning opportunities.”

As students begin preparation for high school, our middle school program includes pre-algebra, geometry and algebra 1, and allows for flexibility in learning. Students are encouraged to understand different problem-solving methods so they can use the method(s) that work best for them. The enriching online learning platform ALEKS gives students the ability to customize their learning experience through advanced math problems and/or additional practice on specific concepts. Our students feel well prepared for high school math.