Religion

The goal of the religion curriculum is to study the history of the Catholic Church and how the Church still reaches out to us today.

The students will learn major themes in the historical periods of the Church in order to come to a deeper understanding and appreciation of their heritage. Students will learn to see how their own lives reflect the beliefs and commitments of the Church community by participating in the worshiping life of the Church through personal prayer, mass, the Sacraments and living a Christian life-style. Students will learn that Jesus calls his followers to live lives of compassion, care and concern for other people, especially those in need.

Language Arts

• Continue to develop the knowledge and skills of the English language. This includes grammar, (sentence structure, sentence parts, sentence types, and sentence errors) parts of speech, work usage, mechanics and punctuation.
• Expand their vocabulary through reading, studying different types and different parts of words, participating in word contests and activities and through testing.
• Develop speaking fluency and composure through many oral activities, both group and individual.
• Improve listening skills.
• Improve study skills through note-taking, outlining, strengthening dictionary skills, encyclopedia, thesaurus and library skills and other related activities.
• Expand thinking skills through activities such as problem solving, predicting and drawing conclusions.
• Become strong, proficient writers through the development of narratives, essays and short stories and a through a complete review of all aspects of the writing process.
  

Literature

The Literature Curriculum seeks to foster an understanding and appreciation of literature. Students explore literary genres such as the novel, the short story, drama, works of nonfiction and poetry. Students become active readers, engaging in close textual reading and in-depth study of literary components including plot, character, setting, pointofview, theme and iterary techniques. Critical and analytical thinking is encouraged through the writing of essays that explore various elements and aspects of the selections that are read.

Math

Advanced Seventh Grade and Eighth Grade: Students work with fractions; decimals; mixed numbers; signed numbers; numbers in base 2; arithmetic operations involving all these forms of numbers; order of operations; percents; proportions; ratios; divisibility; rounding; place value; unit conversions; scientific notation; data representation; word problems involving pre-algebraic expressions; evaluation of algebraic expressions; simplification of algebraic expressions; solution of linear equations in one unknown; geometric concepts; perimeter; area; surface area; volume; classification of geometric figures and solids; geometric constructions; and symmetry.

Advanced Eighth Grade/Algebra I: Students work with scatterplots and graphs, linear and quadratic equations, absolute value, exponential functions, radical expressions, polynomials, rational expressions and functions, distributive property, probability, mean median, mode, one and two step equations, direct variation, slope, x and y intercept, exponential growth and decay, trigonometric ratios, Pythagorean theorem, Box and whisher plots, factoring polynomials, rational functions and expressions.

Science

The students will study velocity and the following related topics: how to solve problems involving distance, time and average speed, wavelength and frequency, the speed of sound and the Doppler effect. They will also study forces of nature, such as friction, gravity, compression and tension and be able to solve problems relating to acceleration and the gravity of various heavenly bodies. The students will study the properties and atomic structure of elements, compounds and molecules. Included in this study are the states of matter and the Periodic Table. The students will also study the electromagnetic spectrum, stars, the moon, other planets, comets, asteroids and meteors. The students will study physical and chemical changes in matter, acids, bases, ph, organic compounds, hydrocarbons, amino acids, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and salts. Finally, the students will work with scientific method, making measurements, conducting investigation, thinking critically, organizing information and graphing data.

Social Studies

The students will study conditions in the United States following the War for Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, the fall of the Federalists, the rise of Jeffersonian principles, Jacksonian democracy, pioneers crossing the Appalachians, European immigration in the mid-19th Century, Manifest Destiny, Texas revolt against Mexico, the Mexican War, the Industrial Revolution, slavery in the plantation South, rising sectionalism and steps toward the Civil War, the Civil War, Reconstruction, Plains Indians and their culture, western settlement, the labor/union movement, urban life at the end of the 19th Century, U.S .imperialism and the Spanish- American War, new waves of immigrants, World War I, the Great Depression, the rise of dictatorships in Japan, Germany and Italy, World War II, the Holocaust, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Physical Education

Students begin to develop advanced skills that demonstrate knowledge and skills in a minimum of one sport and other physical fitness activities including individual and team sports and activities. Physical fitness is emphasized through classes on nutrition, proper diet, and care of body through participation in a variety of fitness activities. Each skill involves creative thinking, communication, responsibility, leadership. teamwork, health, competition and an appreciation of recreation and physical fitness as a part of healthy living. Students have physical education twice a week for approximately forty minutes.