Religion

• The school mission and philosophy reflect our Catholic vision
• There is an atmosphere of catholicity
• Religious and spiritual activities occur daily
• All School Prayer Services occur on Mondays; All School Masses are on Thursdays
• There is strong parish support
• The staff is involved in the religious experiences of the students
• The community service activities offered to students by the school are strong
• There is ample opportunity for growth within the parish community
• New instructional materials for teaching religion were implemented in the fall of 2006 that employ a variety of teaching strategies to meet the needs and leaning styles of all students
  

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Literacy (Reading, Writing, and Communicating)

• There is a goal at all elementary grades of at least 90 minutes of literacy instruction daily
• Consistent use of literature circles and readers’ and writers’ workshops is employed
• Consistent instruction of the six traits of writing is administered throughout all grades
• Supplemental materials are used to complement the existing curriculum
• Enriching opportunities are offered throughout the year
Math
• New math instructional materials were implemented in the fall of 2006 that approach instruction with a basic skills approach as well as teaching problem solving strategies
• Students learn math in a variety of ways including use of manipulatives, opportunities to practice, peer sharing, and memorization

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Science

• Students now study science with a combination of textbooks, hands-on lab experiences, and research study
• Teachers are presently reviewing the Best Practices in science instruction along with Archdiocese and state standards at each grade level with the goal of adopting new materials in the fall of 2007

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• Students presently study social studies/history with the use of textbooks, field experiences, and research projects
• Teachers will review Best Practices in social studies/history instruction along with Archdiocese and state standards during the 2007-2008 school year with the goal of purchasing and implementing new instructional materials the fall of 2008

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Other K-5 Curriculum

• Students receive twice-weekly instruction in Physical Education, Art, Vocal Music, Computers, and Library Skills by specialists in their fields
• Spanish is taught once each week in both grades 4 and 5
• Band instruction is offered beginning in grade 5
• Adoption of new core instructional materials is done on a cyclical basis in the following order: religion, mathematics, science, social studies, language arts (literacy)
• Teachers enjoy ongoing professional development to assist them to constantly grow in their field

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Other Items of Interest

• All teachers hold teacher certification through the State of Washington
• Teachers use different approaches to teaching, targeting all intelligences
• Teachers use a wide variety of assessment tools
• There are a multitude of avenues used to report student progress
• Extracurricular activities are offered