St. Anne’s current set of courses is relevant, challenging, integrated across content areas, and grounded in the California State Subject Frameworks and Academic Content Standards:
Language Arts: Students acquire the skills necessary to be competent readers, writers, listeners, spellers, and communicators. Phonics, spelling, vocabulary development and reading comprehension are integral parts of the curriculum at all grade levels, but are heavily emphasized in the primary grades.
Mathematics: The Math program moves students steadily from what they already know to mastery of skills. Students stretch beyond merely explaining what they are doing to justifying how and why they are doing it and deriving formal proofs for their operations.
Social Studies: Students learn about their immediate communities and the larger communities of their country and world. Students gain an appreciation and acceptance of a variety of cultures. Grade level appropriate field trips and field studies are important elements of the Social Studies program.
Science: The Science program strives to promote academic achievement of scientific literacy and the use of the scientific method for inquiry. Students participate in many “hands-on” activities and scientific experiments to hone in on proper scientific protocol and techniques.
Spanish: The Spanish program emphasizes communication, beginning with listening and speaking skills and progressing to reading and writing skills in the upper grades. Middle School cross curricular projects in the Computer Lab provide students the opportunity to practice reading and writing foreign language through the use of technology. Students gain a deeper awareness and appreciation of the influence of Hispanic culture in their local environment and the world.
Computer: Students receive formal instruction in the computer lab on a weekly basis. Guided learning in the computer lab is divided into three phases: awareness, instruction, and mastery. General technology awareness, network awareness, keyboarding, word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, electronics presentation, proper Internet usage and desktop publishing are taught at appropriate grade levels. Computer technology is also integrated into classroom instruction to foster both independence and high achievement as effective communicators.
Physical Education: The Physical Education curriculum places an emphasis on safety, sportsmanship, motor development, physical fitness, health, and self and team discipline through student participation in a variety of sports, games, and teacher facilitated discussions. The curriculum includes the use of “Fitness Gram” a program that allows the P. E. staff to measure and evaluate the 4th through 8th grade students’ physical fitness, providing detailed feedback to them and to their parents. Middle School students participate in the Presidential Fitness program.
Music: The Music program relies heavily on student participation. Students sing, move, interact, and play percussion and other instruments. They learn basic music theory and history. Middle School classes descend deeper into music theory, acoustic theory, and the digital revolution. The emotions that music evokes are studied through listening exercises. Discussions are held on topics related to music, such as the legalities and ethics of downloading “free” music from the Internet. The hope is by the end of their music experience at St. Anne, students will have their music knowledge base expanded and their curiosity peaked.
Art: The Art curriculum utilizes a hands-on approach as students experience the different methods and processes of creating art. Student projects are based on the principals and elements of design. Pertinent art related current events and cross-curriculum subject matter are incorporated in the lessons as well. Students gain an appreciation for the visual arts encountered in their everyday lives.
Religion: The Religion program provides knowledge of the teachings of Christianity in light of a catholic (universal) tradition. The curriculum is designed to preserve, enhance, and supplement the students’ religious upbringing in their homes and churches. The School's goal for students is that they become educated, thoughtful, wise, compassionate, and humble by living out the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Woven into St. Anne School’s curriculum are the four Expected School-Wide Learning Results (ESLRS):
St. Anne students are expected to be effective communicators through speech, writing, foreign language, the arts, and with the assistance of technology. They are to become objective and critical listeners who will be able to express opinions intelligently. These skills are taught at all grade levels throughout the curriculum utilizing role playing, public speaking, current events, reading aloud and presentations. Students are provided ample opportunities to express their opinions in an intelligent manner via morning assembly, student council, Chapel and performances.
St. Anne students are expected to be academic achievers. They are to think critically, solve problems, and approach situations from several viewpoints, analyzing, interpreting, and applying new information to master concepts and skills. The curriculum teaches appropriate skills in note taking, research, time management, and organization through a study skills course, science labs, computer labs, and research projects.
St. Anne students are expected to become lifelong learners, committed to their personal development. Students should enjoy the arts as an audience and as participants. Appreciation of cultural differences in all people and responding with understanding, consideration, and acceptance is a goal at St. Anne.
St. Anne students are expected to develop personal characteristics that reflect the character of Jesus Christ in their lives. The school and its curriculum emphasizes that students be responsible contributors, giving back to the school and the community time, energy, talents, and resources through the arts, student council, big/little buddies and community service. The school and its curriculum emphasizes the understanding that ours is a spirit of gratitude and love as we prepare for the challenges of life through participating in many giving programs, such as Thanksgiving food baskets, Operation Christmas Child, Adopt-a-Family, Bink-a-thon, and St. Anne’s Community Service Program.
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