3rd Grade

Third grade is an exciting year with a lot of fun activities happening throughout the year. In Religion, we focus on the Ten Commandments along with exploring our faith through Mass, prayer, and our relationships with God and others. During Language Arts, we enhance our writing skills by developing five sentence paragraphs. We strengthen our independent reading by increasing the reading amount from easy readers to chapter books and use small groups to strengthen their reading skills. In Math, we work in small groups to develop our math skills and introduce multiplication facts. In Social Studies we study the geography of the United States. The students are assigned a state to research. They decorate a hat that includes symbols of their state.

The entire 3rd grade participates in a Fifty Nifty program which is about the history of our country and the fifty states. During Science, we explore plants, animals, physical science, and earth science. We also learn about volcanoes, make our own volcano, and erupt them at school. At the end of the year, the 3rd graders use their creativity and create a Caine’s Arcade in our classroom. The students make arcade games out of cardboard boxes and all the students in grades PreK-4 come and play the games. The students learn a variety of skills throughout the year using many hands-on activities.

 

5th Grade

5th grade is filled with fun and many opportunities to learn new things.

 

In 5th grade, students embark on a journey of learning more about God and what He has in store for us through the seven Sacraments. In addition to the Sacraments, we host a beautiful tradition of social justice and charity called the St. Joseph Feast. This day helps us honor and celebrate the Feast day of our beloved Saint Joseph. The money raised from this event is given back to our immediate community to help the less fortunate.

 

A favorite tradition is reading the story, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. This hilarious story brings laughter and excitement into our Literature class. Our math class has many projects, number talks, and lesson extensions we do; for example, we will complete a pretend shopping spree on Amazon that will allow each student to list what they can purchase with a million dollars and then compare that to what can be purchased with a billion dollars. We will also take a field trip to Carnton Plantation to study the life of a civil war family and their journey during and after the war.

5th grade is a time of transition and change. Students finally have a locker like the junior high and 6th graders. Students are no longer in elementary school, but rather transitioning into a more mature and fast-paced learning environment. There are so many fun and interesting things happening in 5th grade – it is a great place to be!

 

6th Grade

The 6th-grade year is highlighted by the outdoor learning experience trip to Fall Creek Falls State Park and sharing the Living Stations of the Cross with our church and school community, both very memorable events for the children. These activities allow the children to grow and learn in ways outside the classroom. As they become more independent they learn to take responsibility for others and seek knowledge in different ways.

 

The children study ancient history, share in novel studies, learn about the Old Testament prophets, begin emphasizing algebraic thinking and explore the world of science. Social Justice projects include “October Socktober”, the students collect socks in conjunction with a penny drive and donate the socks to Catholic Charities Refugee Program. Building a foundation of empathy to those in need, whether at school or otherwise is the central focus throughout the 6’h grade year.

 

8th Grade

The 8th grade school year is one that is full of many activities and traditions that only 8th-grade students participate in. Some of the “big events” include being paired with 2nd-grade buddies and tutoring younger students, the 8th-grade class retreat and 8th-grade trip, high school visits, Mardi Gras, Confirmation and of course graduation!

There are numerous leadership roles 8th graders encounter daily. This is a special year where ALL younger students will be looking up to the 8th-grade students.