Blessed Pope John XXIII Catholic School strives for excellence in our students to be R.E.A.L. people of God. We demonstrate being a Christian leader by taking part in Mass each week, learning daily with our text, participating in our service project with Pueblo Norte (an assisted living facility) and by showing respect to our classmates each day. We work on becoming a more Effective Communicator through our weekly writings, reading stories, center work, and sharing. We work on becoming a more Independent Thinker by using critical analysis in mathematics, investigations in Science, and applications to the real world in Social Studies. We strive for our students to be Life-Long Learners by crafting a fun filled atmosphere that is also a respectful, God- centered classroom where all of God’s gifts and talents are celebrated.
Religion:
In third grade, we develop the knowledge of God the Father, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, Mary, and the saints through traditions, doctrine, and Scripture. We demonstrate the understanding of the Church as a Catholic community with rites and rules. We work towards developing our students as stewards of Christ. Our students also focus on the knowledge and understanding of the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, and Eucharist.
Language Arts:
We use the McGraw-Hill Treasures program of reading, writing, spelling, and grammar. We work on vocabulary development and comprehension skills while recognizing story elements and an author’s purposes for writing. We give 3-4 book report presentations each year including: diorama or float creation, biographical timeline, and graphic organizers.
Social Studies:
The curriculum focus is Early American history. We learn about early Native North American tribes and what their communities and cultures entailed. We take a field trip to Pueblo Grande Museum each year to learn about an authentic Hohokam ancient culture, as well as, re-creating petro glyph rock art. Our other focus is early American European communities and the formation of government in the 13 colonies/states. We analyze how these early American communities utilized their natural resources as well.
Science:
This curriculum focuses on a variety of physical, life, and Earth Sciences. Some of the units include the following: light and sound, the Earth and rocks, and living things. We will be exploring Science through a variety of investigations while working on different ways to take notes and improve study skills.
Math:
We are implementing the Singapore math program this year. It gives us a chance to explore alternative strategies to solving math problems.
