Pre-K | Kindergarten | First Grade | Second Grade | Third Grade | Fourth Grade | Fifth Grade



Kindergarten focuses on Children's Adventures. The purpose of the focus is to provide a foundation for language arts and science and math curriculum through the context of the chosen social studies theme: Me in the World Around Me. Within this central theme are monthly thematic units which allow opportunities for integration of social studies, language arts, science, and math experiences. These units of study include:

The Farm: Animals, products, machinery, and buildings...their importance to us
Our Big Backyard: Growing things, seeds, plants, changing seasons, worms
Homes: Our need for shelter, homes around the world, homes of long ago
Breads and Baking: Breads of the world, following steps of a recipe, nutrition
Winter Adventures: Cold weather, animals of the cold, freezing, thawing
Imagine That: Castles, kings and queens, and giants in long ago and far away lands
What's Down There?: Underwater life and adventures; ponds, the sea, rivers
What's Up There?: Weather, clouds, rainbows, the sky and space travel
Circus Adventures: Circus performers and animals

Students recognize and practice lines and recognize geometric shapes and use them to create natural objects. Students focus on placement of objects on the picture plane, practice size relationships, recognize and know the difference between light and dark colors and use different color mediums and textures. Art ideas are often integrated with the classroom curriculum.

The Spanish program is designed to: instill an interest in the study of a foreign language, foster an awareness of cultural and linguistic differences among peoples, create a sense of tolerance, understanding and appreciation of these differences, and to offer students opportunities and experiences which
allow them to communicate in a range of content areas both in the target language and in the target culture.

Instruction introduces students to pronunciation and intonation patterns through a variety of activities: games, songs, stories, computer activities, films, etc. Topics are introduced for recognition and familiarization initially and subsequently reintroduced and expanded for limited skills acquisition. This level of skill acquisition is designed to encourage students to continue to use their limited language base without strict adherence to accuracy in pronunciation or sentence structure. Topics reflect core classroom instruction.

Students will learn: colors, shapes, feelings, salutations, classroom object names, command phrases, pets, family, weather, alphabet, months, days of the week, holiday/traditions, numbers, and polite terms of expression.

Students learn how to treat books, name the parts of books and how to find them in a library, and recognize author, title, illustrators, characters and sequence in stories. Literature supports the work in the classroom and listening to literature is emphasized as well as reading.

Music is an integral part of the curriculum at The Cathedral School. Music studies are promoted and encouraged through participation, performance, listening and worship. Students are exposed to music in all areas of the campus daily life. Kindergarten music curriculum emphasizes:

	Melody: Students demonstrate basic musical patterns.
	Rhythm: Students learn to maintain a steady beat and identify quarter and eighth notes.
	Harmony: Students experience the difference between melody and harmony and melody and sing an ostinato.
	Form and Style: Students learn about form and phrase length.
	Expressive Qualities: Students identify speaking and singing voices, groups, solos, and simple dynamics.

Performances and student participation are encouraged with presentations of The Cathedral School Christmas Pageant, Grand Friends' Day musical reviews, and the Kindergarten Circus. Students sing in chapel and take their music through outreach opportunities to schools, hospitals, and nursing homes.

Kindergarten students participate in physical education activities and skill acquisition as an intentional component for educating mind, body and spirit. Students learn and demonstrate the following during physical education classes:

	Health related fitness
	Personal and social behavior
	Movement /motor skill
	Active lifestyle
	Academic integration
	Safety

The purpose of the religion curriculum at The Cathedral School is to nurture the spiritual growth of the child by providing:

	Time in the daily schedule for praying together as a class community
	Space in the physical building where materials are kept and classes taught
	Teachings from a trained and experienced Catechist of the Good Shepherd Christian Formation
	A Chaplain to teach and lead the liturgies of the gathered community and to respond to the students and families in need of special nurturing at times of illness, death, tragedy, divorce, etc.

Students are offered an experiential method of encountering God; a community experience in worshipping, studying and supporting one another; and the opportunity to participate in a liturgy which can express the living, spiritual "breathing" of children aged 5 to 12, and the adults who love and support them.


All students at The Cathedral School are given the opportunity to define, practice, and apply creativity during enrichment classes. The classes focus on the development and evaluation of ideas. The children think about the steps in the creative process during their lessons. They learn to make judgments, evaluate using their own criteria, and reflect upon decisions. The children are introduced to thinking styles and personality types, learning to use individual strengths.

Kindergarten students are introduced to general technological awareness activities and to the positioning of letter and number keys for basic keyboarding foundation. Students work with painting, drawing, and graphic programs in the computer lab and in classrooms.