Curriculum for Parents & Students
Overview of St. Joseph Catholic School Curriculum
1. Religion / Faith formation:
    • Religious Education
    • Scripture
    • Prayer
    • Service to Others
    • Sacramental formation
    • Liturgical Celebrations
Teachers join with parents, the primary educators of their children, in Faith Development and Religious Education.  Religious Education curriculum includes units on: God is Our Creator, Creation, God’s Love for Us, Sharing God’s Love for Us, Discipleship, We are Members of God’s Family, the Mass, Sacramental Preparation for Reconciliation and Eucharist, the Commandments, the Sacraments, New Testament, Old Testament and Morality. The program fosters individual and communal prayer and worship, leading to a life of service and living Christian values.
 
2. Academic formation:
    • High Academic standards
    • Enrichment and Resource Programs
    • Science and Computer Labs
    • Foreign Language (Spanish)
    • Art and Music Programs
    • Florida Catholic Conference Accreditation
    • National Council for Private Schools Accreditation
    • Florida State Certification
    • Teacher ongoing educational programs
 
Curriculum and Instruction Overview
St. Joseph Catholic School curriculum exceeds the Sunshine State Standards of the State of Florida, and folows the Diocese of Venice guidelines for curriculum instruction and mastery of skills and knowledge at each grade. The instructional strategies in the early childhood classrooms follow the guidelines for developmentally appropriate practices. Classroom activities focus on the development of language, visual, auditory, and fine motor skills. Students learn to read, write, and communicate using phonics based reading programs in grades kindergarten through six.
 
Teachers in grades kindergarten through three use a reading model for instruction which includes: phonics, guided reading, self-selected silent and oral reading, word study and writing. Critical thinking skills and a formal vocabulary program are introduced in the intermediate grades. Middle school students are exposed to a variety of genre in their literature series. Vocabulary expansion, correct grammar usage and higher order thinking skills are stressed in the middle school grades through teacher questioning techniques and students’ written responses in the forms of expository, narrative, descriptive and persuasive writing. Writing portfolios and computers store samples of student writing. All students advance their independent reading level by participating in the Accelerated Reading Program.
 
The math program encourages investigation and problem solving, mastery of basic operations and concept application, which includes place value, measurement, time, graphs, fractions, decimals, money, algebra and geometry. The middle school math curriculum provides students with math skills necessary for successful living in society. Advanced students in grades seven and eight are placed in Advance Math or Algebra classes. Graduates from the advanced program may receive high school credit for Algebra I in area high schools.  All students advance their Math skills through the use of iXL and Accelerated Math.
 
Primary grade teachers plan units of study in social studies and science to expose students to this information and teach concepts and skills. Students study topics related to their grade level. In science, examples of the topics are living and non-living things, weather, animals, plants, the five senses, and underwater sea life.
In Social Studies, students learn about family structure and celebrations, communities, map reading, generations and traditions, Native Americans and geography. Intermediate and middle school social studies curricula go through the study of local, state, and national communities of the past and present. Students study geography, history, government and natural conservation. Content areas are world history, geography and American History. The study of science in the intermediate and middle school includes earth, life and physical science providing each student with hands-on, minds-on integration of traditional and advance technology presented through scientific method, laboratory work and thematic units.
 
Spanish is taught in prekindergarten through eighth grade.  Students study vocabulary, grammar, reading, and writing as well as dialogue. Graduates of this program may be accepted into Spanish II in area high school.
 
The Physical education curriculum develops fine and gross motor skills and fosters sportsmanship and team building.
 
The media center, library and computer laboratory supplement classroom instruction.
 
The Fine Arts department fosters an interest in and appreciation of music through instrument playing, song and movement, art expression in the form of poetry, water color, weaving, pottery, pencil sketching and design. Art History in grades six through eight explores various periods and world artists.
 
Collaborative learning takes place by students participating in field trips, curriculum fairs, and celebrations.
Technology Overview
St. Joseph Catholic School provides quality Catholic education within a safe, supportive, and challenging learning environment. The integral use of technology accommodates this mission. Technology is not just taught… it is used to teach!
 
The school is outfitted with a state-of-the-art computer network with three servers, workstations in the lab and throughout the school, high speed internet connection, multimedia projectors, interactive white boards, and laptops available for teacher and student use. Students in grades 6 through 8 participate in a bring your own device program with multiple digital resources available.  Students in grades 3 through 5 have an iPad 1:1 program.
 
The school has its own web site to include general information, communication from administration and teachers, and a photos of activities and events. In addition to our general website, we use Plus Portals an online service, to post grades and progress reports for parental and studentaccess.
 
The computer lab is equipped with 26 student computers plus one teacher station. The teacher’s station video display is projected on a interactive screen. All grades are scheduled for weekly instruction but use the lab throughout the day during open time periods. The classroom teacher and lab instructor collaborate on writing assignments, projects, and activities which correlate with and enhance classroom curricula. Proper and appropriate research on the internet, Power-Point presentations, keyboarding, word processing, and spreadsheets are among the many skills students master at St. Joseph Catholic School.