RELIGION
Religion is not just something taught during a 40-45 minute period at St. Andrew’s; it is mentored through our daily interactions as students and staff and as we reach out to visitors, neighbors and the environment. We use RCL Benzinger’s Faith First Legacy Edition as our text and students receive age-appropriate information about the Catholic faith and gain an appreciation of the parallels and contributions of other faiths. Everyone attends weekly Mass or a prayer service. To promote Catholic Social teaching, each grade is committed to its own service project; and contributes to school sponsored annual service projects. Some of the grade level highlights are –
Grade K – The message is pure and simple – God is love. Creation is an expression of that love. The bible is a storybook about God’s love.
Grade 1 – The students begin to distinguish finer points of faith. The Bible has an Old and New Testament and is our guide. Sacraments are associated with symbols. The Mass follows a Liturgical year.
Grade 2 – Students focus on the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist).
They become acquainted with the life of Jesus. Students feel comfortable with re-telling stories from the bible and relating them to daily life.
Grade 3 – Students begin to explore why we believe in God. They also discover the active presence of God in historical events, the relationship between faith and culture, and are introduce to finding passages in the bible.
Grade 4 – The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes are key to this year’s classes. Students also become more exact in locating bible passages. Reconciliation is another focus of this year.
Grade 5 – Students focus on the Seven Sacraments, their biblical connections, and their connection to daily life. Family Life, while presented in each of the preceding classes, provides a foundation to the developmental changes that begin to be experienced at this age.
Grade 6 – Students study Old Testament and learn to recognize literary forms and the main themes found in this section of the Bible. Scripture and the commandments become their reference point for making moral and responsible choices.
Grade 7 – Students focus on the New Testament and learn about the oral tradition that preceded the written Word. Students discover the inter-connections within Scripture by using the cross references and footnotes. Faith development becomes a personal responsibility.
Grade 8 – Students use the Acts of the Apostles as a basis for studying Church history and its impact on shaping the Church as we know it today. Students work further with utilizing scripture as a basis for how they live and the choices they are/will be called to make.
SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION – Students in Grade 2, 4 and 8 receive sacramental preparation through their religion classes. Families are provided information via a letter in early fall outlining how to make arrangements for reception of the sacraments.
Reading
Our reading curriculum immerses students in a variety of rich text across several genres both narrative and informational. They examine appropriate grade level texts for standard characteristics such as characters, plot development, setting, and theme. As students progress they begin to analyze the text to write summaries, to delve deeper into an author’s purpose and to discuss the context of the work. Students also learn many strategies to aid their understanding of the context.
Writing
Students at St. Andrew’s School learn to write for a variety of purposes in a way that is clear and coherent. Students study everything from the most basic of sentence structures to complex sentences, from writing basic journal entries to themed pieces including poetry, from learning about basic editing to being able to edit one’s writing for correct grammar, punctuation and spelling; at the end of their studies here students are ready to use this necessary skill in today’s world.
Math
The math curriculum focuses on the areas of Numbers and Operations, Geometry, Measurement and Data and Probability. These include all of the basic operations of mathematics applied to rational and irrational numbers, construction of a variety tables, properties of geometric shapes, conversion of basic units of measurement within the metric or customary systems.
Science
Children are naturally curious about the world around them. Our science curriculum uses their genuine curiosity to instruct students in age appropriate classes that are based on the process of scientific inquiry and reasoning involving observing, questioning, investigating, recording, and developing solutions. Students apply this investigative process in the areas of Earth and Physical science in a variety of hands on experiences.
Social Studies
Understanding our core democratic values creates responsible citizens of our world. St. Andrew’s uses the themes of History, Geography, Civics and Government, Economics, and Public Discourse, Decision Making and Citizen Involvement to teach the Democratic values from our neighborhoods to global society.
Spanish
Spanish classes are held twice a week and taught by a Grand Rapids Public Shared Time teacher. Students learn basic vocabulary, numbers, and the cultures of various Spanish-speaking countries. As students progress through the years, students learn to conjugate a variety of verbs, create country reports in Spanish and write newsletters in Spanish.
Physical Education
Our Physical Education classes are held twice a week at the Catholic Central Gymnasium. They are taught by a Grand Rapids Public School Shared Time teacher. Students are taught and practice skills from a variety of sports such as basketball and volleyball. Students learn many games that keep them fit and healthy and also learn good sportsmanship.
Computing
Computer classes meet twice a week with a Grand Rapids Shared Time teacher. Students are educated in basic computing skills, keyboarding, internet awareness and “netiquette.” Students create an assortment of projects using Microsoft Office programs such as PowerPoint, Publisher, Excel and other programs like Inspiration and Photo Story.
Art
Self-expression is very important to a child’s progress in life and St. Andrew’s provides an opportunity for that expression through Art. St. Andrew’s dedicated Art teacher offers students a variety of mediums to showcase their talents such as watercolors, clay, metal, weavings and much more. Students are also exposed to works created by many of the world’s great artists and asked to interpret their own take on an artists’ work. St. Andrew’s student works are always on display within our building, all over our building.
