Curriculum – Religious Education Specialties

Curriculum

Sacred Heart School updates curriculum according to State and Diocesan guidelines and mandates.  Texts are chosen to meet the educational needs o four students.  All texts must be covered.  In addition our testing programs and results assists in these decisions.  These meet both Diocesan and State requirements.

Religious Education

Christian education is intended to make one’s faith become living, conscious, and active, through the light of instruction.  The Catholic School is a unique setting within which this ideal can be realized in the lives of Catholic children.  Instruction in religious truth and values is an integral part of the school program.  It is not one more subject to be learned, but functions as the underlying reality in which the student’s experiences of learning and living achieve their deepest meaning.

Sacramental Program

As the primary educators of their children, parents are involved in the catechesis of their children.  Meetings are held prior to the children receiving Reconciliation, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation.  The teachers in the classroom can expound, but it is the parents who create the environment in the home of the child’s inborn need to seek Christ.

Community Service

Community service programs comprise an important part of our Catholic educational experience.  Service is based on the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, and most of all, on the example of Christ who came to serve.  The Confirmation candidates (7^th and 8^th grade every other year) service is not just a job to be done.  It should be selflessly and lovingly helping those in need.  As parents of 7^th and 8^th grade Confirmation candidates you should help them reflect on how their service project is helping them take on the mind and heart of Christ, fulfill the needs of others, and build up the Christian community.  Each candidate is required to perform twenty-five (25) hours of such service.

Homework Policy

Homework is an integral part of our programming in all grades (K-8).  Fifteen (15) minutes per grade is a good rule of thumb for the average child.  It is expected that parents will assist in this important educational step.

Please refer to the school’s academic code for the policy on homework.

Re-testing: A re-test of any major grade will result in an average of the two tests, unless otherwise noted by the Instructional Support Team.

Computer Education

Sacred Heart School has a fully equipped computer lab, which contains 26 Pentium II computers.  Students (K-8) are scheduled lab time at least once a week where they learn keyboarding and word processing skills and use a variety of software for cross-curricular reinforcement.

Each classroom, including the Library Media Center, has also been wired with a multi-electrical outlet that utilizes a designated electrical and telephone line for the purpose of placing a computer in each classroom for teacher and student utilization which will result in a networked system, tying all eight classrooms, the Library media Center and the computer in the main office together.  This configuration will systematically provide the opportunity for the ten computers to function at the same time over the same telephone line without interference.  Teachers will have the ability to collect data regarding students, complete reports and send e-mail to the office and to each other while at the same time being able to search the Internet for educational purposes.

Music

Music classes offering experiences in music appreciation, theory, rhythm, use of rhythm instruments, song and dance are conducted for grades K through 8 once a week.  An instrumental band program is also made available to our students.

Physical Education

Grades K through 8 have gym classes once a week.  Sneakers and the regulation gym uniform should be worn to school on the student’s gym day only.  Please check the dress code to see other regulations regarding gym class.  Any student not participating in gym class on any given day is required to have a written excuse from a parent or guardian.  If a student mass occurs on the same day as physical education students will have to change after attending mass.

Journal Writing

Journal writing is a good language arts technique. Sacred Heart teachers reserve the right to read journals, and if they find it to contain anything that may deal with abuse, or harm to self or others, there will be no such thing as confidentiality. Parents and school officials will be contacted immediately.

Support Services

Speech, math remediation, Reading remediation, Guidance, Psychological and Educational Assessment services are available by certified teachers.

Library

Generally, students are allotted one library period per week.  Library books are to be kept in good condition and returned on time.  The charge for overdue books is $.05 per day.  If a book is lost or damaged, the librarian will determine the amount due based on the cost of replacement of the book.  Outstanding fees at the end of the quarter can result in the withholding of the student’s report card until all fees are paid.

Report Cards

Report Cards are issued four times a year.  Progress Reports are sent via the Parent Information Envelope (PIE) at the midpoint of each quarter.  Parents must be aware of student’s progress and potential failure.  Progress reports are to be signed and returned to the respective teacher immediately.  All tests are to be signed and returned on the next school day.  These papers will be filed in the student’s personal file.

Electronic Devices

Sacred Heart School would prefer all electronic devices be left at home. But if brought to school, such devices (not limited to) cell phones, I-Pods, hand-held games, etc. must remain in school bags, "turned off" during school hours, and extended school activities. Any device confiscated during the school day will remain in school until a parent picks it up. Electronic devices out of the school bag during school hours will be considered "disobedience" on the school's discipline code.

Honor Roll

Students in grades 5-8 are eligible to be named to the Honor Roll.  The requirements are as follows:

First Honors

1. General Average – 90 or above
2. No individual grade below 90
3. Conduct, effort, and all specialties – S or higher
4. No detentions

Second Honors

1. General Average – 85 to 89
2. No individual grade below 80
3. Conduct, effort and all specialties – S or higher
4. No detentions

Promotion and Retention

Ordinarily, children doing satisfactory work are promoted to the next grade level.  A pupil whose work has been poor, and has been absent 30 or more days is subject to retention.  In case of sickness, however, and opportunity will be given to a pupil to make up the work.  A special examination is taken and a passing grade is issued contingent on satisfactory test results.

In case of failure in one or two major subjects, either summer school or tutoring will be required over the summer months before the child is admitted into the next grade the following September.  Evidence of satisfactory work must be submitted to the Principal prior to admission to the next grade.  Should a child receive a failure in three or more major subjects, the child will not be promoted to the next grade.

No pupil will receive a diploma at graduation unless the pupil passes all major subjects.  In the case of failure in one or two subjects, the student will receive a diploma only after successfully completing the subjects in summer school.  Should the student fail three or more major subjects, the student will neither receive a diploma, nor be promoted to 9^th grade.

Parent Information Envelope (PIE)

A paper folder, which comes home each Wednesday with the entire weeks’ important papers.  Please sign all paperwork and return the PIE on the next school day.